Soy Sesame Marinated Cucumbers

Tangy, sweet and spicy flavors hit your mouth when you bite into these cool and crunchy cukes

I'm on a mission to add more side dishes to my recipe index (the one on the right, with the drop down menus) this summer. While I have included cucumbers in a host of recipes (see the Visual Recipe Index) I didn't have a stand alone cucumber recipe until this one.

I don't grow cucumbers, but in addition to the cukes from our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share I'm fortunate to work with generous gardeners who share their bounty. When I was at work last week I picked up a few beauties--then I needed to find a use for them!

While I was thumbing through The Party Party Party Cookbook put out by the Potomac Curling Club (for my Fritter recipe), I saw a recipe for Jim Macpherson's Cucumber Salad. The flavors looked like something my family would like, so I whipped up a batch. Good! Then I tweaked the recipe a little but (cutting the Tabasco, swapping honey for sugar, and finishing with a garnish of sesame seeds) and decided it was blog-worthy. 

I brought this to a picnic last week. The entree was catered by a BBQ place. These cool, crunchy cucumbers fit in nicely with the usual sides. They were easy to transport--I just brought the marinated cucumbers in a mason jar, dumped it into a bowl, then added the sesame seeds.

NOTE:  The marinade for these cucumbers keeps a few days, and can be reused. I made multiple 2 cucumber batches using the same batch. After a day the cucumbers get softer, but are still flavorful. I recommend keeping the mixed up marinade and adding fresh cucumbers a few hours before you wish to serve.

Soy Sesame Cucumbers (adapted from Jim Macpherson's Cucumber Salad)

4 teaspoons soy sauce

¼ cup white vinegar

¼ cup honey or sugar

8 teaspoons sesame oil

½ teaspoon Tabasco

1 teaspoon salt (I used kosher)

2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks (about 4 cups of cucumber chunks)

1 Tablespoon dark sesame seeds for serving

In a large bowl, whisk first 6 ingredients until combined. Add cucumbers, and mix until coated. Chill for at least 2 hours. Before serving, remove from marinade (can be saved in a jar, see NOTE above) and sprinkle with dark sesame seeds.

This side dish came to the picnics of What's Cookin' Wednesday, Fresh Foods Wednesday, Tasty Tuesdays,