Cucumber Salad with Peanut-Lime Dressing

Name: Cucumber Salad with Peanut-Lime Dressing
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 large English cucumbers (1 1/2 pounds; 680 g total), sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds (see notes); 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided; for table salt, use half as much by volume; 3 tablespoons creamy, unsweetened peanut butter (see notes); 3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lime juice (from 2 small limes), plus lime wedges for serving; 1 packed tablespoon light brown sugar, (about 1/2 ounce; 14 g); 1 tablespoon (15 ml) unseasoned rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fish sauce; 1 large garlic clove, minced; 1/4 cup (60 ml) untoasted sesame oil; 2 small carrots, peeled, (4 ounces; 57 g total) and shredded on the largest holes of a box grater (about 1 cup packed); 2 medium scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced; 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (1/2 ounce; 14 g); 1 small (18 g) Fresno or jalapeño chile, seeded and finely chopped; 1/2 cup salted, roasted peanuts (2 1/2 ounces; 70 g), chopped, divided

Why It Works

Salting the cucumbers draws out excess moisture and seasons them thoroughly, keeping them crisp and preventing the dressing from turning watery.
Using English cucumbers eliminates the need for peeling, and their tender, nearly seedless interiors make them well-suited for raw salads.

This cucumber salad is loud in all the right ways. Inspired by the punchy, layered flavors of pad Thai, it leans into intensity: nutty peanut butter, pleasantly pungent fish sauce, bright lime juice, and a little kick of heat. But it's not all about power moves—the cucumbers hold their own and bring balance, adding cool crunch and refreshing contrast to every bite.

Light but satisfying, cooling yet complex, this salad strikes an ideal balance. It's excellent on its own, but even better as a side for noodle dishes, grilled chicken, steak, or anything hot off the grill.

Plate of cucumber salad garnished with lime wedges and a dressing drizzle — Serious Eats/ Frederick Hardy II, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

What makes this salad sing is how the cucumbers are prepared. Our colleague Giovanna Vazquez, from our Birmingham, Alabama, test kitchen, set out to avoid the usual cucumber salad pitfalls: bland flavor, vegetables that turn soggy minutes after being dressed, and the resulting watery dressing that further soggies things out. Since cucumbers are mostly water, once they're tossed with a salted dressing, they're notorious for diluting flavors, thinning sauces, and softening quickly.

The fix is a smart, simple step: salting. Salting your cucumbers for salads is a technique we at Serious Eats have advocated for many years. Start by tossing the cucumbers with salt and let them sit for 10 minutes. This draws out their excess moisture and seasons them all the way through. After a quick pat dry, you're left with slices that stay crisp and carry the dressing without watering it down.

The dressing is what ties everything together. It's creamy, rich, salty-sweet, and just funky enough. A blend of smooth peanut butter, lime juice, vinegar, brown sugar, and fish sauce builds a complex base, while garlic adds bite, sesame oil adds depth, and chopped cilantro keeps things fresh. A final handful of roasted peanuts brings a savory crunch to every forkful.

Quick to make, and layered with flavors and textures, it's a refreshing salad that deserves a permanent spot in your warm-weather dinner rotation.

This recipe was developed by Giovanna Vazquez; the headnote was written by Laila Ibrahim.