Dill-Kissed Cucumber Salad from Germany

What is Gurkensalat?

Gurkensalat is a super popular summer salad in Germany, Austria, and all the surrounding countries.

It goes really well as a side dish at a cookout with grilled meats and roasted veggies.

The word Gurkensalat itself means cucumber salad, Gurke is a cucumber in German.

Ingredients

• Cucumber — Regular cucumber or English cucumber.
• Dill fresh, chopped
• Sour Cream — Get thick creamy sour cream.
• Salt
• Black Pepper Ground

How to make it?

I use whatever cucumber I can get from my local grocery store. Seedless varieties are preferred.

Step 1

I lightly peel my washed cucumbers for the green peel border effect ( I eat with my eyes too).

Step 2

Then I simply cut my cucumbers into thick slices because I like the crunch.

Germans use a manual vegetable slicer to cut the cucumbers thin. So, the traditional way is to cut your cucumbers into thin slices.

Step 3

For the dressing, I simply chop the fresh dill herb and mix it into the sour cream and seasoning.

The cucumber salad dressing is poured over the cucumbers and I usually do that in advance and not just before serving because I want the cucumbers to take in the dressing flavors.

Variations

There are some of the more common variations of the German cucumber dill salad. You have the option here to make it the way YOU like it.

• prepared with sour cream and Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, liquid whipping cream (yep, they also use high-fat liquid whipping cream)
• cut into super thin or fat slices
• with chopped onion and garlic
• with fresh or dried herbs — dill is the most preferred choice, or also chives parsley, just to name a few.
• with the addition of salad oil and vinegar to the creamy ingredient.
• with the choice of cucumber varieties and with or without peel.

I tend to prepare a cucumber salad with sour cream and dill. I think Austrian cucumber salad is usually prepared with liquid whipping cream, while southern regions in Germany prepare it with sour cream.

There are regional varieties of Gurkensalat in the German-speaking countries and neighboring countries such as Poland, Czechia, and Slovakia.

Tips

Leave the cucumber to sit for a while, that way excess water will come out, which you can discard before adding the dressing

Another idea is to let the sliced cucumbers drain with some sea salt. The sea salt will help in pulling excess liquids out of the cucumbers.

Then you are left with not adding salt to the dressing.

Keep in mind that the cucumbers will lose water, so if you don't want liquids but a creamy, thicker dressing, simply add the dressing before you serve up the salad.

The longer the cucumber slices sit in the dressing, the wetter the dressing will become.

Serving

This particular cucumber salad is served during the summer months. People love to serve it as a side when they sit outside for food or at a BBQ.

It's quite refreshing!

Traditionally in Germany, the cucumber with the dill salad dressing is served with cooked freshwater fish. I.e., pan-fried trout. Green dill herb and fish go hand in hand.

In Austria, you will often see cucumber dill salad dressing served with Wiener Schnitzel, Parsley Butter Potatoes, and Lingonberry Jam.

Storing

If you have leftovers, keep them in an airtight container for up to 1 day. Cucumbers just don't keep too well once sliced.

This salad can get super soggy the longer you keep it sitting in the fridge, so I recommend draining excess liquids.

You can prep the salad in advance. For example, make it the evening before a lunch cookout. Keep it refrigerated.

If you intend to make a larger batch for a BBQ get-together or tailgating, I recommend keeping a smaller batch out and the rest in the fridge. Why? Because this salad needs to remain fresh. You can always refill the container with the cooled cucumber salad.