Recipes

Swedish Cucumber Red Onion Slad

Serves 4

| Prep Time: 5 mins

| Cook Time: 0 mins

| Total Time: 5 mins

You may need: Nordic Blend

Discover The Recipe

Swedish cucumber and red onion salad is a staple summer side dish in classic Swedish cuisine that is rooted in the tradition of “husmanskost.” While there is no direct English equivalent, husmanskost roughly translates to “home cooked food”. More broadly, it references traditional Swedish food that is simple, grown locally or in a home garden, and focuses on seasonal ingredients and nutritional density. Everything from pickled herring to meatballs (kötbullar) fit into the husmanskost category and it’s common to serve cucumber red onion salad alongside these rich, often hefty dishes for a refreshing and crunchy contrast.

We love the concept of husmanskost, and our chefs created a highly adaptable version of Swedish cucumber and red onion salad that can easily be adjusted to include seasonal or garden produce. The base of the salad is thinly sliced cucumbers and red onions that are bound with vegan yogurt and generously seasoned with our unique Piquant Post Nordic Blend. Anchored by dill and rounded out with thyme, coriander and caraway seed, an earthy and slightly citrusy spice that is a quintessential flavor in Scandinavian cuisine, our Nordic Blend adds depth and character to this humble but deeply delicious side. The Nordic Blend also pairs beautifully with fresh fish and other produce, so feel free to experiment with everything from salmon filets to beets to apples to radishes. Serve Swedish cucumber and red onion salad alongside fish, grilled chicken and lamb, or pile it on a thick slice of rye bread for a hearty vegan option on a smörgåsbord table.

Ingredients

2 cucumbers, washed and sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup vegan yogurt
2 tsp Piquant Post Nordic Blend
Salt and pepper to taste

Notes

Feel free to cut the veggies in different shapes! If you have smaller cucumbers, they are beautiful sliced into a simple round, while larger cucumbers are nice when sliced into half moons.

You can also grate the cucumber and onion for more of a relish style salad. Be sure to remove the seeds if you choose to grate the veggies.

Instructions

Wash and peel the cucumber and red onion.

Place the sliced cucumber and red onion in a medium mixing bowl. Add the vegan yogurt, Piquant Post Nordic Blend, salt and pepper to taste.

Mix well until the salad ingredients are well coated. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.

Transfer the cucumber and red onion salad to a serving dish and garnish with a little more of our Nordic Blend on top, or with a sprig of fresh dill. Serve as a side dish to either fish or other vegetarian dishes!

Alternatives & Substitutions

Mix in other veggies for some variation if desired! Grated beet gives the salad a beautiful pink color and thinly sliced apple would complement the flavor of our spice blend well!
Serve this salad with our potato latkes (link coming) for a light and healthy Scandi meal!
This salad would be terrific with our Baked Salmon Meatballs or our Smoked Trout Rillettes! Use our Nordic blend to make our Nordic Potato Salad, Fishcakes with Mustard Aioli as well.
Be sure to leave comments and feedback on your meals and experiments in the comments for others to read.
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