Cured Cucumbers

Rachel from The Crispy Cook is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I've succumbed once more to the lure of the tiny veg - this time it's Lebanese cucumbers



These finger sized cucumbers or "Qukes®" as they are referred to, are simply baby Lebanese cucumbers and are sold by the punnet.

They are the perfect size to be enjoyed as is, I thought I'd do a dish that I enjoy in summer - Cured Cucumbers, a simple entertaining idea from Sydney chef, Jared Ingersoll.

While I do use these baby cucumbers, you can just use regular Lebanese cucumbers though you will have to adjust the curing time to take into consideration their larger size.

Cured Cucumbers

10 Baby Cucumbers

sea salt

caster sugar

lemon juice

chopped herbs

Prepare the cucumbers:

Slice the cucumbers into quarters lengthways and arrange cut side up in a flat-bottomed non-reactive dish. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the cucumbers then sprinkle over with sea salt and caster sugar.

In this case I've gone for a double lemon hit by using this Lemon sea salt from Cyprus


Place the marinating cucumbers into the fridge for an hour or two, depending on their size.

Remove the cucumbers from the marinade (discard the liquid) and place them into a bowl - scatter over with a generous amount of freshly chopped herbs - chives and dill are excellent for this - toss to combine and then serve in cups.

A refreshing snack for the warmest of days.

Cool ideas for Cucumbers:



Cucumber and Lemon Verbena Sorbet
Panzanella
Saganaki Martini