Cucumber radish salad

Lemon zest is not common or traditional to add in dressings, but we loved how much bright flavor it adds. Since we’re using lemon juice anyways, spending a minute extra zesting the lemon is well worth it.

This salad is the perfect accompaniment to your next barbecue. This cucumber radish salad goes well with any grilled meat but it is especially good with grilled or pan-seared salmon.

Cucumber radish salad ingredients:

• Cucumber – This recipe uses English cucumber. But you can use regular cucumbers too. You will, however, need to peel them as regular cucumber peel is thicker than English cucumber.
• Radish – There are over 35 varieties of radishes. For this recipe, I use the red variety. I wouldn’t recommend daikon, find out more below.
• Dill – Dill leaves are used in this salad and add notes of anise and lemon to it. You can omit this ingredient but it definitely completes this salad!

How to make a cucumber radish salad

1. Thinly slice cucumbers and radishes.
2. Mix together the dressing ingredients.
3. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix well.
4. Garnish with fresh dill, if desired, and enjoy!

TIP: This salad is best when served immediately. If it rests too long, the salt in the dressing will let the cucumbers release water and go soggy and limp. Read below how you can prep this ahead.

How do you cut radishes for a salad?

You can thinly slice radishes 2 ways:

1. With a sharp paring knife – my go-to method.
2. Use a mandolin – fast and convenient.

What is daikon salad?

Daikon salad is a popular Japanese salad with crisp and crunchy texture, and light and refreshing flavor.

Daikon is also known as Oriental winter radish. It’s a long root vegetable that looks like a large white carrot, but it tastes more like a mild red radish.

Do you peel radishes for a salad?

It’s really up to you. I personally never peel radishes, as it’d be a pain to peel them. And I also love how the bright pink skin adds great pop color and flavor in a salad!

Can I prep this salad ahead?

Unfortunately, cucumber radish salad is NOT ideal to make ahead, because it becomes soggy and limp as it sits.

TIP: You can slice cucumber and radishes a few hours earlier and make the dressing up to 1 day in advance. Just store them separately and mix them together just before serving.

What can I grill to serve with this salad?

Here’re some of my favorite grilled main dishes to make with this cucumber radish salad:

• Jamaican jerk shrimp skewers
• Grilled ribeye steak
• Grilled curry chicken thighs

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Let me know once you’ve tried it by leaving a comment below or sharing a photo and tagging @busy_cooks on Instagram!