When you need to cool down, our best cucumber recipes will do the trick. The crisp green vegetable works wonders in crunchy salads and pickles and is in good company with yoghurt, oily fish and grilled chicken. And cucumber in drinks is pure refreshment and a cult classic. The days of treating your cucumber to a simple chop and tossing them in a salad are over. This humble veg is packed full of vitamin K and is excellent for supporting gut health.
Our collection of fresh cucumber recipes features our best pickled cucumbers and tarragon cucumber pickles recipe, perfect for sandwiches; side dish ideas like Louis Tikaram’s snow pea and cucumber salad recipe; and Hellenika’s Greek salad made with diced cucumbers, feta, tomatoes and other fresh vegetables.
For impressive mains, make our roast ocean trout with cucumber and preserved lemon salad, or barbecued Balmain bugs with charred corn salsa – they’re sure to please the table. And if you’re after excellent entrees, our grilled peppers and flatbread salad with cucumber recipe or our snapper crudo with roe and cucumber are the perfect way to get the party started. We also have refreshing drinks, like our cucumber-gin slushie and Hellenika’s Ari Onassis cocktail.
Here are our best cucumber recipes for 2024. A quick, flavourful meal is only a slice, dice or pickle away.
Saganaki with watermelon and cucumber salad
Oozy, gooey cheese with a slight golden crust? What’s not to love.
Sake-poached salmon with pickled cucumbers and yuzu-wasabi jelly
A Japanese twist on an old classic.
Barbecued Balmain bugs with charred corn salsa
Served with a punchy charred corn salsa, these barbecued bugs will be your warm weather favourite.
Hellenika’s Greek salad
Take your salad to the next level with this authentic Greek salad from Hellenika.
Oysters two ways, with cucumber-lime dressing and cabbage-ginger tsukemono
Why settle for just one dressing when you can have two?
Vietnamese rice paper rolls
Flavour and freshness with every bite.
Tofu, watermelon and radish salad with nahm jim
Tofu adds protein to this super-quick refreshing salad, but if you’d like to bulk it up a bit more, add some sliced raw salmon or barbecued prawns,
Louis Tikaram’s Mooloolaba prawn ceviche with green chilli dressing
An ideal summer starter that’s all zing and spice.
Prawn and soba noodle salad with sesame-ginger dressing
A go-to summer recipe that’s light and satisfying in equal measure.
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Scallop ceviche with mango and avocado salsa
For easy summer entertaining, with minimal fuss.
Hellenika’s Ari Onassis cocktail
Named after Greece’s larger-than-life tycoon, Aristotle Onassis, this gin cocktail is equal parts refreshing and sweet.
Snapper crudo with roe and cucumber
Snapper crudo with roe and cucumber recipe – For buttermilk dressing, whisk ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste.
Bread and butter pickles
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for bread and butter pickles.
Peking duck and cucumber tea sandwiches
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Peking duck and cucumber tea sandwiches.
Smashed cucumber salad
“In Hong Kong, this refreshing much-loved salad is considered the perfect summer dish,” says Tony Tan.
Kazuki’s cucumber, two ways (with almond miso, and horeseradish cream)
An elegant starter.
Paul Carmichael’s cucumber and choko salad
This refreshing salad is a perfect side dish to accompany a slow-roasted lamb or other tender meats. Carmichael uses a mix of chilli and onions to give it that extra spice.
Andreas Papadakis’ mackerel tartare, pickled cucumber and crème fraîche
“Like with any fish tartare, the freshness of the fish is very important,” says Andreas Papadakis. “Spanish mackerel is an oily fish and requires a little acidity, which comes from the pickles.”
White fish crudo with avocado, herbs and cucumber-lime dressing
In this white fish crudo, the fish in question can also be marinated in a little dressing, ceviche-style – for 15 minutes or a couple of hours, depending how “cooked” you like it.
Santorini salad
Top-notch tomatoes and anchovies make all the difference here.
Barley and seaweed salad with cucumber and sesame
A simple green salad is given a flavour boost thanks to an easy ginger-soy dressing.
Crostini with smoked trout, dill crème fraîche and cucumber
A simple starter for your next dinner party.
Sunda’s fish curry with cucumber salad and coriander chutney
When Sunda’s Khanh Nguyen says this is one of the best curries he’s had, we need no further convincing.
Alla Wolf-Tasker’s local yabbies, farm cucumbers, dill and whey dressing
A simple starter of freshwater yabbies with fresh herbs and a silky whey dressing.
Jonathan Barthelmess’s tzatziki with fresh pita
Don’t settle for store-bought.
Moon Park’s cucumber kimchi (oi kimchi)
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for cucumber kimchi (oi kimchi) by Moon Park, Sydney
Potato salad with cucumber and burrata
Replace the usual mayonnaise with burrata and crème fraîche, and voilà – this summer potato salad is all yours.
Roast ocean trout with cucumber and preserved lemon salad
Excellent served warm or cold, so you could cook the trout a day ahead and just whip up the salad before serving.
Pickled and fresh cucumber
“These two-bite snacks are perfect with a gin Martini,” says Lindsay.
Tarragon cucumber pickles
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Tarragon cucumber pickles
Elderflower gin and tonic
Australian Gourmet Traveller cocktail recipe for Elderflower G & T.
Chilled melon and cucumber soup
This no-cook recipe is just the ticket on a hot summer’s day.
Cucumber-gin slushie
Why didn’t we think of this before?
Cured kingfish with cucumber and gin and tonic granita
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for cured kingfish with cucumber and gin and tonic granita from Print Hall.
Grilled peppers and flatbread salad
Eat a rainbow with this rustic summer salad.
Ham and cheese toasties with quick-pickled cucumber
Layer these quick pickles into sourdough sandwiches filled with leg ham and Gruyère before toasting, or keep them on hand to serve with smoked trout or gravlax.
Kingfish and cucumber with soy-ginger dressing
Australian Gourmet Traveller fast recipe for kingfish and cucumber with soy-ginger dressing.
Seared tuna with dill cucumbers and potato salad
Crowd-pleasing main courses needn’t be complicated. This single piece of tuna is more than up to the job and much of the work can be done ahead of time.
Pea and cucumber rice salad
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for pea and cucumber rice salad.
Chicken with chilled noodles, cucumber and Sichuan-vinegar dressing
This chilled Sichuan chicken salad packs a mouth-numbing punch. Double the recipe for an enviable work lunch the next day.
Louis Tikaram’s cucumber and snow pea salad
A refreshing side to a banquet, or a worthy snack on its own.
Turmeric chicken with cucumber salad
For maximum flavour cook this quick turmeric-spiced chicken on the barbecue – coal or wood will give the best result.
Tony Tan’s cucumber salad with sambal belacan
Sambal, dried shrimp and seasonal vegetables add up to one deliciously simple salad that’s ideal served as part of a banquet.
Burrata with herb oil and cucumber
A simple, vibrant spring salad.
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