Lightly salted cucumbers are an ideal summer snack for traditional jacket potatoes and many other dishes. Spicy, crunchy and highly flavorful cucumbers can be prepared in a variety of ways. For pickling, it is best to choose small, strong fruits with pimples and thin skin.
The taste of lightly salted cucumbers largely depends on the spices and seasonings used. For example, garlic and dill give a cold cucumber snack a very spicy aroma. Horseradish, currant or cherry leaves almost do not give a special taste or aroma, however, thanks to them, the cucumbers are more crispy and vigorous.
Lightly salted cucumbers on mineral water
The main feature of this recipe is that instead of plain water, unsalted mineral water with gas is used to prepare the brine. As a rule, mineral water gives very interesting flavors to cucumbers. The special composition of the mineral water does not allow delicate vegetables to soften and lose their elasticity.
For 1 kg of fresh fruit, you will need:
- 1 liter of mineral water with gas;
- 2 tbsp. l. salt;
- a couple of sprigs of dill;
- 2-3 cloves of garlic;
- black or allspice to taste.
Step by step recipe:
- Rinse the cucumbers well in running water and cut off the ends on both sides. Soak the fruit in ice water for 30-40 minutes.
- Cut the peeled garlic into thin slices.
- Wash the dill and dry well.
- Place some of the herbs and garlic on the bottom of the glass dish. Next, lay the prepared cucumbers in a continuous layer. If you get several rows of cucumbers, then sprinkle each row with herbs and garlic without fail.
- Dissolve salt in mineral water. To taste, add black or allspice, bay leaf to the mineral water.
- Pour the vegetables with the resulting brine, cover with a plate and place in a cool place for about a day.
Lightly salted cucumbers cooked in mineral water perfectly retain their crispy properties. Such a cucumber appetizer can be an excellent addition to both meat and vegetable dishes.
Lightly salted cucumbers in a package
This recipe does not use brine. The fruits are salted in the so-called "dry" way. This is a very easy and easy to prepare recipe in which you do not need to heat or boil anything. Quick-pickled cucumbers can be added to vegetable salads or used as a stand-alone snack.
For 1 kg of medium-sized fresh fruits, you will need:
- 1 tbsp. l. salt;
- 5 peas of allspice or black pepper;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- 4-5 sprigs of basil;
- 4-5 sprigs of dill;
- 1/2 tsp Sahara.
Step by step recipe:
- Cut off the ends of cucumbers washed in running water. Place the cucumbers in a wide bowl. Pour ice water over the vegetables so that the water completely covers them. Leave the cucumbers in the water for about 40 minutes.
- Coarsely chop the peeled garlic.
- Lightly dry the washed dill on a paper towel and chop coarsely too.
- Remove the cucumbers from the water and dry a little on a paper towel. Next, the vegetables should be folded into a baking bag or a regular thick plastic bag.
- Add coarsely chopped herbs and garlic to the bag with cucumbers.
- Lightly crush peas of black or allspice with a knife or grind in a mortar. Add chopped peppers to a bag of cucumbers.
- Shake the sealed bag vigorously a couple of times and leave at room temperature for about 40-60 minutes. To keep the vegetables evenly salted, shake the contents of the bag occasionally. When shaking, try to gently stir all the ingredients with your hands, not allowing the bag to burst. After the indicated period of time, place the cucumbers in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours. After cooling, the savory cucumber appetizer can be served immediately.
Please note that quickly pickled cucumbers are not recommended to be stored in the refrigerator for a long time, as the vegetables may become too salty and lose their crispy and elastic properties from too long storage.
Lightly salted dry-salted cucumbers
For pickling in this way, you should choose fruits no more than 10 cm long. The skin of cucumbers should be thin, with black dots and pimples. Dry-cured cucumbers cook very quickly.
For 1 kg of fresh vegetables you will need:
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of coarse salt;
- 5 cloves of garlic;
- 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds;
- 5-6 sprigs of dill.
Step by step recipe:
- Wash freshly picked cucumbers thoroughly in clean running water and dry. Cut off the ends and cut into two halves. Small cucumbers do not need to be cut in half, but only slightly prick with a fork in several places.
- Place the cucumbers in a suitable container and sprinkle with caraway seeds and salt.
- Add finely chopped garlic and herbs to a bowl of cucumbers.
- Close the container with a tight lid and shake vigorously up and down a couple of times. Next, place the container in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours. From time to time, the container must be taken out of the refrigerator and shaken well again. All ingredients should mix well. The cucumbers should release some juice. After a couple of hours, the savory cucumber snack will be completely ready to eat.
Dry salted cucumbers are moderately salty and very crispy.
