For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved cucumbers — cold, crunchy, refreshing cucumbers. I enjoy them in many preparations, but I didn’t always feel the same about raw onions. I can still recall the first time I realized I actually liked onions: my mother made a summer salad of cucumbers, raw onions, and homemade Ranch dressing. I went nuts for it. The cucumber-and-onion pairing is one of those combinations that just works. While brainstorming a topping for some tacos I was planning, I thought to combine two of my favorite crunchy ingredients into a simple salsa. That’s how Cucumber Sweet Onion Salsa was born.
Cucumber Sweet Onion Salsa is a perfect example of how simplicity can produce vibrant flavors. The recipe is straightforward: seedless English cucumber and Vidalia (or other sweet) onion diced into small cubes, then tossed with chopped cilantro, kosher salt, coarsely ground black pepper, and fresh lime juice. The lime brightens the mixture and softens the sharp bite of raw onion, leaving a crisp, cooling salsa that’s ideal on tacos. We finished our tacos and kept snacking on the salsa with tortilla chips, and later that evening I found myself happily eating it straight from the bowl with a spoon.
Cook’s Notes
- If you want to reduce the sharpness of raw onion, soak the diced onion in cool water for 20 to 30 minutes, then drain. One soak will mellow most onions; if you’re especially sensitive, repeat the soak and rinse once more. A helpful tip: if you plan to use raw onion over a few days, you can chop and soak enough to last up to three days in advance.
- This salsa is easy to scale up, but it’s best when eaten fresh. The salt draws liquid from the cucumbers over time, which will make the salsa more watery the longer it sits. You can strain excess liquid, but I prefer the initial crisp texture. I usually prepare only what we’ll eat within 24 hours, storing remaining cucumbers and onions separately and making a fresh batch the next day. The recipe comes together very quickly, so this approach is convenient.
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Cucumber Sweet Onion Salsa
Rebecca Lindamood
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 English cucumber seedless, diced or chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1/2 Vidalia onion or other sweet onion, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1/2 bunch cilantro finely chopped
- the juice of 1/2 a lime
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
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Toss all ingredients together, cover lightly, and refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the actual ingredients you use.
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