061 / 75 · Crisp, Tangy and Warm Sides
Dill Cucumber Sour Cream Salad
4 cucumber side portions, about 150 g each before draining losses · Active 15 min · Total 45 min
Print recipe · PDFA short salt-and-drain step keeps thin cucumber slices from flooding a small sour-cream dressing. Dill and cider vinegar give this cold side a clean tang beside a rich casserole. It is mixed near serving time and kept refrigerated, with no raw egg or cooked ingredient to cool first.
Take out a watery seed center
Choose firm cucumbers, wash them under running water and trim the ends. If the seeds sit in a loose wet core, halve the cucumber and scrape that center out before taking the prepared weight. Thin slices coat more evenly than thick chunks. Toss with the stated salt in a colander and let the cucumber drain over a bowl in the refrigerator. A quick gentle squeeze removes surface water; crushing the slices hard would spoil their useful crisp shape.
The dressing is deliberately small
Sour cream needs only cider vinegar, a little sugar and chopped dill to make a light coating. Use a plain pasteurized product rather than a sweetened yogurt or a ready-made dip with a different seasoning load. Finely slice the small amount of red onion so nobody encounters a thick harsh chunk. Mix dressing separately before folding it through the drained cucumber. That order lets you see whether the salad is coated without smearing a concentrated patch of dill or sugar through a few slices.
Keep the cold side cold at the table
Ten minutes in the refrigerator after mixing lets the flavors settle while the main dish rests. For a longer gathering, put out a small bowl and replenish it from a covered refrigerated container rather than leaving the full dairy salad beside the warm oven. Use clean serving utensils. Some liquid may collect during storage even after careful draining; that is a texture change, not a reason to claim the salad can sit out indefinitely. Stir gently before serving a refrigerated portion and use the shorter storage guidance below.
Ingredients
- 1 lb 5 oz cucumber, trimmed and seeded if very watery, thinly sliced (600 g prepared)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (3 g), for draining
- 1/2 cup pasteurized plain sour cream (120 g)
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar (15 ml)
- 1 teaspoon sugar (4 g)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (8 g)
- 1 oz red onion, very thinly sliced (30 g)
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Set out
Knife and board, Colander, Bowl to catch drainage, Small mixing bowl, Covered serving bowl, Refrigerator, Small whisk for the dressing
Allergens
Milk. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Wash and prepare cucumber, taking the 600 g weight after any watery seed core is removed. Toss slices with salt in the colander over a bowl and refrigerate 20 minutes. Discard drainage and squeeze slices gently with clean hands; do not rinse.
- Whisk sour cream, vinegar, sugar, dill and pepper in the small bowl. Fold through drained cucumber and thin onion in the covered serving bowl.
- Refrigerate 10 minutes, then serve four side portions using a clean spoon. Keep any reserve refrigerated until needed.
A cool contrast with a hot pan
Choose a serving bowl that can stay in the refrigerator until the casserole’s rest begins. The salad needs no last-minute oven space, making it useful beside a bake with a precise finishing time.
A useful detail
The 45-minute total includes slicing,20 minutes refrigerated draining, mixing and 10 minutes chilling. This is a cold side, not a main meal or a shelf-stable pickle.
Another way
- Use 8 g chopped chives instead of dill for a different herb profile. Keep the same draining and refrigerated service; do not add an unmeasured mayonnaise layer.
Keep it well
Keep covered at 40°F (4°C) or below and use within 24 hours or an earlier sour-cream deadline. Return promptly to refrigeration after serving; discard if out longer than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). Do not freeze. Some dressing loosens as the cucumber releases more water.