Smashed Chili Crisp Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers seem to be that elusive vegetable that everyone from picky kids to self-professed gourmets can enjoy. It’s certainly a favorite of mine, and even my hard-to-please son used to toddle to our garden when he was a few years old, grab whole cucumbers off the vine and chomp away, leaving confetti-like bits of green behind him. Cucumber salads are a regular side in my house, but this smashed chili crisp cucumber salad is a real standout.

Smashing the cucumbers for this fresh cucumber recipe isn’t just about aesthetics. It creates jagged edges and slightly breaks them down, making it so that some pieces absorb the soy-vinegar dressing while others stay crisp and intact. Add a hefty dose of store-bought or homemade chili crisp and some fresh green onions, and it’s more than a quick side dish; it’s a real textural journey.

Smashed Chili Crisp Cucumber Salad Ingredients

• Seedless cucumbers: Also known as English cucumbers, this cucumber variety has a mild, sweet taste and a thin skin. Despite the name, they do have seeds, but they are smaller and fewer than in a garden cucumber. This means you don’t need to scrape them out before making the salad.
• Salt: Sprinkling the smashed cucumbers with salt helps draw out some of the veggie’s moisture for a crunchy salad and dressing that won’t get watery.
• Sugar: Sugar has a similar abrasive quality that can help draw water from the smashed cucumbers, but it also adds a gentle sweetness to the veggies to balance all the savory ingredients in the dressing.
• Rice vinegar: We aren’t looking to pickle the cucumbers, so a milder type of vinegar like rice vinegar is ideal for delivering just the right amount of acidity to brighten the salad without making it sour.
• Chili crisp: Chili crisp gives this salad its oomph. It’s savory, crunchy and just spicy enough to keep you coming back for one more bite. Stir the chili crisp well before adding it so you get the ideal mix of crunchy bits and fiery oil.
• Soy sauce: Soy sauce adds a salty, umami element to this fresh salad. Use one of the best soy sauce brands for a deep, well-balanced taste.
• Sesame oil: A very small bit of oil gently thickens the dressing without weighing it down, and adds a light, nutty flavor.
• Green onion: The gentle bite of green onion adds a fresh note against the deep flavor of soy sauce in this salad. Green onions, chives and scallions are similar enough that any would work in this recipe.
• Sesame seeds: A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds is an easy and pretty garnish. If you have some, black sesame seeds are even nuttier than white ones, and would look striking against the bright green cucumbers.

Directions

Step 1: Smash the cucumbers

Place the cucumbers on a cutting board. With the flat edge of your knife, smash each cucumber lightly, moving back and forth along the full length, until it cracks open. Cut the smashed cucumbers into bite-sized pieces.

Editor’s Tip: Use a good chef’s knife with a wide blade to cover a large chunk of cucumber with each smash.

Step 2: Salt and sugar the cucumbers

Place the cucumbers in a large bowl and sprinkle them with salt and sugar.

Set the cucumbers aside for 10 minutes, then drain them and blot them dry.

Editor’s Tip: If you don’t see much liquid in the bottom of your bowl after 10 minutes, you can gently press or squeeze the cucumber pieces. Don’t let them sit for too long, or they can become overly salty.

Step 3: Make the dressing

In a small bowl, combine the rice vinegar, chili crisp, soy sauce, sesame oil and green onion.

Step 4: Toss the salad

Pour the dressing over the cucumbers and toss to coat them. Let the salad sit for five minutes. Sprinkle it with sesame seeds before serving it.

Recipe Variations

• Make it extra spicy: Chili crisp adds some heat to this fresh salad, but you can kick up the spice even more by mixing in some sliced fresh chili peppers. Choose a small pepper, like a serrano, fresno or bird’s eye chili, so the small rounds disperse nicely.
• Add fresh herbs: Adding some roughly chopped tender herbs right before serving the salad not only looks attractive, but it brightens the whole dish. Try mint, basil, cilantro or a combination. If you always find yourself without herbs, it might be time to grow a kitchen herb garden.
• Toss in extra vegetables: I love the simplicity of this salad and how it puts cucumbers in the spotlight, but you can add other veggies to this dish. Stick with crisp vegetables that won’t release too much water, like bell peppers, carrots and small cauliflower florets.

How to Store Smashed Chili Crisp Cucumber Salad

You can store smashed chili crisp cucumber salad in an airtight food storage container, but it’s best served shortly after it’s made. Even though the cucumbers are salted and drained before the dressing is added, they will continue to release liquid over time. If you have leftover salad, drain off the excess liquid and toss the cucumbers with a bit of fresh soy sauce, vinegar and chili crisp to perk the flavors back up.

How long does smashed chili crisp cucumber salad last?

This salad will last three to four days in the refrigerator; however, the cucumbers will soften, and the dressing will become watery. It’s best to make smashed chili crisp cucumber salad the day you plan to serve it. If there are only a few people at the table, try making a half recipe with one cucumber. It’s quick enough that you can easily make a fresh batch every day!

Can you freeze smashed chili crisp cucumber salad?

As much as I love packing my freezer with smart leftovers and freezer meals, this cucumber salad should not be frozen. If you want to get a jump on making the dish, mix the dressing in a small container (without the green onions) and refrigerate it for three to four days, so all you have to do is prepare the cucumbers and toss everything together.

Smashed Chili Crisp Cucumber Salad Tips

What should you serve with smashed chili crisp cucumber salad?

Smashed chili crisp cucumber salad is a super versatile side dish that can be served year-round with everything from grilled shrimp to stir-fry recipes to Asian dumplings. It’s a great addition to bowl recipes with steamed white rice, sliced avocado, chicken, tofu, edamame, kimchi and whatever else you have on hand.

Can you just chop the cucumbers instead?

You can chop the cucumbers, but the salad will look and taste a little less vibrant. The neatly sliced edges will hold onto less of the dressing than the rougher chunks with uneven edges and gently crushed interiors. Smashing cucumbers takes just an extra minute or two, so it doesn’t add much more time to the prep. Plus, how often do you get to smash things in the kitchen and have it make a dish better?

Is salting and draining the cucumbers really necessary?

Salting (and sugaring) the cucumbers is an important step that seasons them while also drawing out some of their moisture. Since cucumbers are mostly water, they start releasing liquid as soon as they’re cut. So if you don’t drain it off, it will dilute the other flavors in the salad. As the chunks sit coated with sugar and salt, osmosis occurs, allowing the seasoning to permeate the cucumber as water is released.