Dill Cucumber Salad

A lightened up version of one of my childhood favorites, this cucumber salad is the perfect side dish for any picnic or barbecue. Growing up, summer meant simple pleasures of backyard sprinklers, mud pies, catching fireflies, and family picnics at the lake or my grandparent’s pool. And those are priceless memories that I still cherish. I hope that my children will one day look back at their childhoods with the same fondness that I do, and that the SIMPLE things is what they will hold near and dear to their hearts.

At our family gatherings, be it a BBQ, lake picnic, family reunion, or just a gathering or friends, there were certain dishes that just HAD to be present.

1. Watermelon–something about being outside spitting those black seeds, screamed summer.
2. Papa’s Baked Beans–they were from my Papa and EVERYONE called them Papa’s Baked Beans and begged for them. I will share that precious family recipe soon.
3. Potato Chips–you could not have Papa’s beans without chips to scoop them up. Trust me on this one!
4. Dill Dip–a creamy dip seasoned with dill to serve with fresh veggies.
5. Cucumber Salad–a tangy salad of sliced cucumbers and onions, tossed traditionally with a creamy dressing made simply with sour cream.

The rest of the food was icing on the cake. We may have hot dogs, burgers, chicken, pizza, pies, brownies, whatever else, but those 5 staples HAD to be there for a summer family event to occur.

Today, I am combing 2 of my family’s favorites, dill dip and cucumber salad, and giving my family’s salad a fresh and lightened up spin.

Why mess with a classic? You may be thinking. And I can tell you that is what my family is thinking!! Trust me, if I was getting together with my extended crew for a summer picnic, I would go classic all the way. But when having a cookout in my own backyard, I need a bit of variety and do not want a heavy dish every night.

So this dish seemed like the perfect match made in flavor heaven and great for grilling out with my family of 4. AND I WAS RIGHT. Finely sliced cucumbers and onions are soaked in a salty brine and then drained and tossed with Greek yogurt that has been flavored with my family’s famous dill seasoning mix. It is one tangy, creamy, and fresh bite!

First step is to slice your onions and cucumber. I used a mandoline, but a food processor or a sharp knife will work just fine! You want the slices to be paper thin. 

Next, soak the cucumbers and onions in salt water. This just brings such a great flavor to the salad–almost like a quick pickling.

After the soaking (which I do anywhere from 1 hour to 4 hours), I drain the cucumbers and toss with Greek yogurt that has been seasoned with dill seasoning. And the salad is done. EASY PEASY!

And while the flavor is slightly different, this salad still brings me back to the sweet memories of being a child, and is a welcome addition to any picnic, party, BBQ or family meal that is in your future.

5 from 1 vote

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Dill Cucumber Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 3 large peeled cucumbers'
• 1 large onion
• water
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 3 teaspoons dried onion
• 3 teaspoons dried parsley
• dash of salt

Instructions

1. Slice the cucumbers and onion into paper thin pieces (1/8 inch).
2. Place the slices into large bowl and cover with water. Stir in the kosher salt and allow to soak for 1-4 hours.
3. Drain and quickly rinse cucumbers and onions.
4. Mix together yogurt, dill, parsley, onion, and a dash of salt, Stir mixture into cucumbers and onions and serve.

*To keep this recipe traditional, replace the Greek yogurt with Sour cream and omit the additional seasonings of dill, parsley, and onion flakes.