In this elevated spin on the viral recipe, creamy buttermilk dressing with herbs gets tossed with English cucumbers, shallots and the surprisingly brilliant addition of everything bagel seasoning. Add in the bright tang of lemon zest and the briny punch of capers and finish with chopped almonds and dill. This rendition on standard summer cucumber salad recipes rises to an entirely new level!
I found myself eating a version of this in a restaurant late last summer -- where it was served in somewhat subdued and elegant surroundings -- a restaurant that has just earned its first Michelin star. I filed the concept away in the recesses of my mental recipe box for use in this summer's abundant cucumber bounty. Who knew "the savory tart" would come to life? And who knew this would be the perfect opportunity to extend the uses my seemingly popular Buttermilk Salad Dressing with Fresh Herbs?
I only just learned that a fairly different version of this became a TikTok sensation! (Missed that...) There was a desire to take this in a different direction wanting something that could work at an outdoor gathering or at an "elevated" seated summer dinner party. This hits the mark.
Ingredients
Buttermilk Cucumbers with Almonds and Everything
- English cucumbers
- salt
- shallot
- Buttermilk Dressing with Fresh Herbs, or prepared
- capers
- everything bagel seasoning
- lemon
- marcona almonds (substitute blanched)
- fresh dill, optional
Buttermilk Dressing with Fresh Herbs
- buttermilk
- mayonnaise
- sour cream or crème fraiche
- champagne or white wine vinegar
- whole grain Dijon mustard
- minced shallot
- garlic clove
- fresh flat-leaf parsley
- fresh chives
- fresh tarragon
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- cayenne pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
Jump to RecipeInstructions
Place sliced cucumbers in a colander over a rimmed plate and sprinkle with salt. Allow to drain for 20 minutes and transfer cucumbers to a medium bowl along with sliced shallots.
Use a microplane or rasp to zest the lemon.
Add capers, one tablespoon everything bagel seasoning and lemon zest to buttermilk dressing.
Whisk to combine.
Add dressing to the bowl with cucumbers, shallots and remaining tablespoon of everything bagel seasoning and toss to combine. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.
Prepare Buttermilk Dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the first five ingredients. Whisk in the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Shake well before serving.
Transfer cucumbers to a serving platter and garnish with chopped almonds, a few sprinkles of everything bagel seasoning and fresh dill if desired.
Hint: The reality is that cucumbers are mostly water, which means they will quickly tend to become limp or if dressed will water down dressings.
I'm reflecting back to that 6th grade science project involving a balloon to learn about osmosis. Same thing here. The reason to salt cucumbers in a colander before preparing is to draw out the excess water through the same process. It's a simple step that will produce a crunchier cucumber with a more concentrated flavor. And it will keep the dressing from getting becoming diluted.
Substitutions
There are all kinds of cucumbers. Including English, Persian, "burbless" garden varieties, pickling or lemon. All would work nicely here. If using garden variety cucumbers, peel them first, and half them down the middle and scoop out the seeds before slicing.
Buttermilk Dressing. I've used my favorite -- and versatile Buttermilk Salad Dressing with Fresh Herbs, but feel free to substitute in your favorite prepared dressing. I prefer those that are found in the refrigerator case for this recipe for the freshness they impart, like Cindy's Buttermilk Ranch. Or go vegan with Gotham Greens Vegan Ranch.
Trader Joe's also has an excellent Buttermilk Ranch dressing that you can find in the produce aisle. If leaning to a mix or shelf-stable ranch, some of those can lean "thick"; thin it with a little lemon juice.
Everything Bagel Seasoning. This has successfully -- and amazingly -- made its way off the bagel (and not into the bottom of the bagel bag) and into a jar. It sold in grocery stores in the spice section, but my favorite is.... again, Trader Joes Everything But the Bagel Spice Mix. And what is really great? You can find it on Amazon if you don't live near a Trader Joe's. (And even if you do!)
Or make your own! I've always had good luck with the recipes on Love & Lemons and their Everything Bagel Seasoning recipe has great reviews.
Shallots. These can be substituted with half of a diced red onion.
Capers. While capers impart a special zing, if you don't keep them on hand, used three tablespoons of diced green olives.eat idea to link out to another blogger with a similar recipe that fits a different diet.
Variations
- Zucchini. Also in abundance during the summer, this recipe would adapt nicely to thinly sliced zucchini. (Let it sit in the fridge for an hour longer before serving.)
- Tomatoes. Snow Peas. Bell Peppers. Add a cup or two of sliced cherry tomatoes. Or slice a cup of snow peas on the diagonal and toss in with it. Dice a green bell pepper -- or sweet red bell pepper -- and toss in.
- Avocado and Lime. Place the dressing ingredients - leave out the lemon zest - in a blender or food processor with the pulp from a medium avocado, along with the zest from half a lime. Add lime juice to thin dressing.
- Vegan. There aren't a lot a lot of options when it comes to "buttermilk", but there are several prepared vegan buttermilk dressing on the market. Gotham Greens Vegan Ranch in the refrigerator section a grocery stores is a good option.
- Gluten Free. This is gluten free.
Equipment
- colander
- microplane or rasp for lemon zest
- medium bowl
- rimmed serving platter
Storage
Refrigerate until serving. This is best served within a few hours of preparing. Hold off on the garnishes until serving.
Buttermilk cucumbers with almond and everything can be refrigerated covered for up to 4 or 5 days.
🍽️ Recipe
Buttermilk Cucumbers with Almonds and Everything
Equipment
- colander
- microplane or rasp
Ingredients
- 2 English cucumbers peeled and sliced thin
- salt
- 1 large shallot sliced thin
- 1 cup Buttermilk Dressing with Fresh Herbs recipe follows, or prepared
- 2 tablespoons chopped capers
- 2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning plus more for garnish
- zest of one lemon, using a microplane
- ⅓ cup chopped almonds
- fresh dill for garnish optional
Buttermilk Dressing with Fresh Herbs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons sour cream or crème fraiche
- 2 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons whole grain Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced chopped fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon minced tarragon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place sliced cucumbers in a colander over a rimmed plate and sprinkle with salt. Allow to drain for 20 minutes and transfer cucumbers to a medium bowl along with sliced shallots.
- Add capers, one tablespoon everything bagel seasoning and lemon zest to buttermilk dressing. Whisk to combine.
- Add dressing to the bowl with cucumbers, shallots and remaining tablespoon of everything bagel seasoning and toss to combine. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.
- Transfer cucumbers to a serving platter and garnish with chopped almonds, a few sprinkles of everything bagel seasoning and fresh dill if desired.
- Prepare Buttermilk Dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the first five ingredients. Whisk in the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Shake well before serving.
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