Chili Crisp Cucumber Salad

A splattered blue and white enamel plate with cucumber salad on a marble tabletop.

5 from 5 votes

This simple, cucumber salad is anything but boring! Crunchy cucumber tossed with soy sauce, rice vinegar and zippy chile crisp delivers big flavor and texture in every bite.

Prep Time15

Course: salads, sides

Cuisine: Asian

Servings:

Calories: 126kcal

Author: Leigh Anderson

Ingredients

8 persian cucumbers quartered lengthwise into thin spears, then cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
3 tbsp chili crisp or chili oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 green onion trimmed and thinly sliced
salt

Instructions

Toss the sliced cucumber with ½ teaspoon kosher salt in a colander. Set aside to drain.
In a large bowl, whisk together the chili crisp, vinegar, soy sauce, scallions and sesame seeds. Transfer the salted cucumbers to the bowl with dressing and toss to coat.
To serve, transfer the cucumber to a large plate or platter, drizzle the remaining dressing on top. Serve right away.

Notes

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:

- Chili Crisp: Chili crisp is a Chinese condiment made with chili peppers, garlic, onion, and other aromatics, fried in oil. It has a mild to moderate heat and a crispy texture. Lao Gan Ma is a popular brand of chili crisp, but there are many others available – Trader Joe's has a version too. You can find chili crisp in Asian markets, with other Asian condiments at the supermarket, or online.

- Rice Vinegar: If you don't have rice vinegar on hand any mild, white vinegar will do – white wine, champagne, even apple cider would be just fine.

- Soy Sauce: Tamari or Liquid/Coconut Aminos are a good substitute for soy sauce.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers:

- This salad holds up well for a day or two as it marinates in the fridge. Beyond 2-3 days it will go soggy so try and enjoy it as soon as possible.

Nutrition