Martha Stewart’s cucumber salad pairs thinly sliced English cucumber with roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, and a rice vinegar dressing reduced to a syrup, and it comes together in about 20 minutes of active work for 2 to 4 servings.
Her test kitchen published this Thai-inspired version on marthastewart.com, built on ajad, the bright cucumber relish traditionally served alongside satay and fried appetizers. This take adds crushed peanuts and a handful of Thai basil, mint, and cilantro to turn the relish into a full side dish.
Simmering the dressing down to a syrup is the step that makes everything work. Raw rice vinegar slides right off sliced cucumbers, but five minutes on the stove concentrates it into a sticky glaze that actually clings to every round and carries the sweet-salty-tangy balance into each bite.
Martha Stewart Cucumber Salad
Course: Sides, SaladsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes5
minutes120
kcal20
minutesThin cucumber rounds and sliced red onion sit in a warm, syrupy rice vinegar dressing until they soak up the sweet-tangy-salty hit. Chopped roasted peanuts and a toss of Thai basil, mint, and cilantro go on right before serving for crunch and freshness.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (120ml) unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
Kosher salt
1 English cucumber (12 oz / 340g), thinly sliced (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup / 70g)
1 Thai chile such as bird’s eye, thinly sliced (seeded for less heat, if desired)
1/4 cup (35g) roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh herbs, such as Thai basil, mint, and cilantro, roughly chopped
Directions
- Reduce the dressing. Bring the vinegar, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the mixture reaches a syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and let cool completely.
- Toss and stand. Add the cucumber, onion, and chile to the cooled dressing and toss to combine. Let stand 5 minutes so the cucumbers absorb the liquid, then toss again.
- Finish and serve. Top with the chopped peanuts and herbs just before serving.
Notes
- Use unseasoned rice vinegar, which has no added sugar or salt, so you control the balance yourself.
- If raw onion is too sharp for you, soak the slices in ice water for about 10 minutes, drain, and pat dry before adding them to the bowl.
- Swap in regular sweet basil if you cannot find Thai basil.
- Crush the peanuts lightly with the bottom of a heavy skillet if you prefer them to a rough chop.
FAQs
Why does the dressing need to be cooked instead of used raw?
Plain rice vinegar is thin and watery, so it runs off slick cucumber skin and pools at the bottom of the bowl. Simmering it for five minutes with sugar and salt reduces the liquid until it has the body of a light syrup.
That thicker consistency grips each cucumber slice and keeps the sweet-salty-tangy flavor on the surface where you taste it. It also dissolves the sugar and salt completely, so you do not get grainy pockets in the finished salad. The dressing must cool fully before it touches the cucumbers, or the heat wilts them.
Why use an English cucumber instead of a regular slicing cucumber?
English cucumbers have thinner skin, fewer seeds, and less water content than standard slicing varieties. You can eat the skin without peeling, which means the rounds hold their shape and stay crisp longer in the dressing.
A regular cucumber would work in a pinch, but you would need to peel it and scoop out the watery seed core first, or the salad turns soggy within minutes. The smaller seed cavity of an English cucumber also gives you more usable flesh per slice, so one 12-ounce cucumber is enough.
How spicy is the Thai chile, and can you adjust the heat?
Bird’s eye chiles are significantly hotter than jalapenos, so even one thin chile brings noticeable heat. Her recipe gives a direct adjustment: remove the seeds and white membrane before slicing, and the spice drops to a mild warmth.
Leave the seeds in and you get a salad that bites back, which works well if you are pairing it with rich grilled steak or baked chicken wings. For zero heat, skip the chile entirely and the dressing still carries the dish on its own with the vinegar and herbs.
Can you make this cucumber salad ahead of time?
You can make the dressing and slice the vegetables a few hours ahead, but keep them separate until serving. The cucumbers start releasing water once the dressing hits them, so the salad gets diluted if it sits dressed for too long.
When you are ready, toss the cucumbers with the dressing and give them the 5-minute standing time. Hold the peanuts and herbs until the last moment because they lose their crunch and color fast. This salad works best assembled right before it hits the table, like her Asian chicken salad which also finishes best at the last minute.
How long does leftover cucumber salad keep?
Her page says up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge, which is generous for a dressed cucumber dish. The trade-off is texture: the cucumbers soften noticeably after day one and release more liquid as they sit.
If you plan to eat it across several days, store the dressed cucumbers on their own and add the peanuts and herbs fresh each time you serve a portion. The peanuts go soggy in the fridge and the herbs darken, so keeping them separate is the difference between good leftovers and a limp bowl.
