Name: Crisp Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice; 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 small garlic clove, finely grated or pressed; 1/4 heaped tsp kosher salt; 1/8 tsp black pepper; 1 lb Persian (mini) cucumbers, about 3 medium, sliced 1/8 inch thick; 1/4 red onion, finely sliced (or 1/4 cup finely sliced green onion); 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh dill; 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint; 1/3 cup (50 g) crumbled Greek feta, divided

Every thin round in this Mediterranean cucumber salad comes out of the bowl wearing a film of lemon, a little garlic, and a few crumbs of salty feta. Getting there takes a jar, a knife, and about 20 minutes, and nothing on the stove.

I slice the cucumbers about 1/8 inch thick. That gives every round two cut faces for the dressing to cling to, with enough body left to crunch.

The dressing gets a 5-minute rest in its jar while I slice. It’s a short wait, and it softens the bite of the raw garlic.

The feta gets split in two. Half is tossed through the bowl, and the rest goes on top right before it’s served.

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What goes in a Mediterranean cucumber salad?

A Mediterranean cucumber salad is thinly sliced Persian cucumbers tossed with red onion, fresh dill and mint, crumbled feta, and a lemon garlic dressing. For 1 pound of cucumbers, the dressing is 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, a small garlic clove, kosher salt, and black pepper. No sugar goes in.

The Method, in Plain English

The dressing runs 3 tablespoons of olive oil to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, the ratio RecipeTin Eats uses for a pound of cucumbers. Unicorns in the Kitchen squeezes a whole lemon into 2 tablespoons of oil for twice the cucumbers, which makes a far sharper salad.
Cutting at 1/8 inch gives a lot of cut surface for the dressing to grab while each round keeps its snap.
Letting the dressing stand for 5 minutes takes the raw edge off the grated garlic before it touches anything else.

I taste the dressing off a spoon once its rest is up. When the lemon comes through first and the garlic follows quietly behind it, the jar is ready to pour.

Why You’ll Love This Mediterranean Cucumber Salad

There’s no stove and no oven, only a knife, a jar, and a bowl.
It’s on the table in about 20 minutes, the dressing rest included.
The dressing is five things most kitchens keep on hand: olive oil, a lemon, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Leftovers turn lightly pickled in the dressing, which makes a second bowl with a character of its own.

Ingredients for Mediterranean Cucumber Salad

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, finely grated or pressed
1/4 heaped tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 lb Persian (mini) cucumbers, about 3 medium, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1/4 red onion, finely sliced (or 1/4 cup finely sliced green onion)
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup (50 g) crumbled Greek feta, divided

A Few Notes on the Ingredients

RecipeTin Eats treats Persian, Lebanese, and the cucumbers sold as mini as the same type for this salad, and about 3 medium ones make a pound. They’re small and firm, which helps when the slices are this thin.

If your store packs them in a bag, weigh out the pound so the dressing still matches. Greek feta does a big share of the seasoning here, so buy it in a block and crumble it yourself.

Small, uneven pieces are what you want. Some soften into the dressing and some stay in little salty chunks.

Fresh dill and mint carry most of the flavor, and they should look bright and upright in the bunch, not limp. With only dried herbs in the house, stir 1/2 teaspoon of dried dill or mint into the dressing instead.

Out of lemons? White wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar can stand in for the juice.

close up of mediterranean cucumber salad

How to Make Mediterranean Cucumber Salad

Shake the dressing. Put the lemon juice, olive oil, grated garlic, kosher salt, and pepper in a small jar, close the lid, and shake hard. Stop when it looks cloudy and evenly mixed, with no clear oil floating on top.
Let it stand. Set the dressing aside for 5 minutes while you get the vegetables ready. A taste from a spoon at the end of the rest should read lemony first, with the garlic soft in the background instead of stinging.
Slice the cucumbers. Trim the ends and cut the cucumbers into rounds about 1/8 inch thick. Keep the slices as even as you can, until the whole pile looks uniform and no chunky rounds are hiding in it.
Prep the onion and herbs. Slice the red onion as finely as your knife allows, then roughly chop the dill and mint. Stop chopping while the herbs still look like loose green pieces, before they bruise into a dark, wet paste on the board.
Build the bowl. Put the cucumbers, onion, dill, mint, and half the feta in a large mixing bowl. Spread everything out a little, until the feta is scattered through the vegetables rather than sitting in one clump.
Dress and toss. Give the jar one more shake and pour it over the Mediterranean cucumber salad. Toss gently with two large spoons until every slice glistens and small crumbs of feta are clinging to the cucumbers.
Finish with feta. Tip the salad into a serving bowl and scatter the rest of the feta over the top. Serve it now, or let it sit 5 to 10 minutes as Unicorns in the Kitchen does, until a little dressing pools below.

Tips

I eyeball the dill more often than I measure it, and I’m fine with that. A loose quarter cup is all this bowl needs.
If raw red onion is too strong for you, 1/4 cup of finely sliced green onion can take its place.
Don’t dump all the feta in at once. Half tossed through seasons the cucumbers from the inside, and half on top gives you a salty finish you can see.
Grate the garlic as finely as you can. Bigger pieces won’t mellow in a 5-minute rest, and you’ll bite straight into them.
Want tomatoes in there? Seed them first so their juice doesn’t flood the bowl, and keep the cucumbers the star.

Storage and Make-Ahead

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge, and they change as they sit. The cucumbers soak in the lemon and oil and turn lightly pickled, softer and tangier than the fresh bowl.

The sources behind this recipe don’t put a number of days on those leftovers, so I go by the cucumbers themselves. Once they’re limp and swimming in liquid, it’s time to finish the bowl.

I don’t freeze this salad. Raw cucumber goes soft and watery once it thaws.

No source says how far ahead it can be dressed either. When I want a head start, I slice the cucumbers and onion, chop the herbs, keep the dressing in its jar, and toss everything together right before serving.

Rounding Out the Meal

Grilled chicken thighs or a roast chicken, since the cold, tangy cucumbers cut through the richness of the meat.
Warm pita and a bowl of hummus, for dragging through the lemon dressing left at the bottom.
Burgers or meatballs off the grill, where a crisp, cool side keeps the plate from feeling heavy.
A pot of plain rice, which soaks up whatever lemon and olive oil the cucumbers leave behind.

Tools You’ll Need

A sharp chef’s knife or a mandoline, so the cucumbers come out an even 1/8 inch thick.
A small jar with a tight lid, for shaking the dressing without splashing it across the counter.
A fine grater or a garlic press, since the garlic has to be fine enough to mellow in a short rest.
A large mixing bowl with room to toss, plus a separate serving bowl for the final scatter of feta.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make Mediterranean cucumber salad without feta? RecipeTin Eats is blunt that nothing really replaces it. Without feta, add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the zest of a whole lemon to the dressing to bring back the salt and brightness.

What cucumbers should I use? Persian, Lebanese, or mini cucumbers, which count as one type here. About 3 medium ones make the 1 pound this recipe calls for.

Can I add tomatoes and olives? Yes. One version adds 2 seeded Roma tomatoes plus 1/4 cup each of chopped green and kalamata olives for 6 Persian cucumbers, about twice this batch.

Do I need to salt the cucumbers first? This recipe skips that step. The salt goes into the dressing, and the salad is tossed and served without any draining.

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