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Cukes – the freshest summer ingredient
Are cucumbers underrated? It’s a big question to ask to start off a recipe post, I know. But it’s important that we continue to appreciate the humble ingredients, like potatoes, carrots, and cucumbers. I find that when it’s summertime, and the weather starts to warm up, the fresh ingredients are the essentials to a well-rounded meal. Whether it’s crunchy lettuce and juicy tomato on your burger, or a delicious potato salad on the side of some grilled chicken, a refreshing side dish can really steal the show. And that’s where today’s recipe shines – a classic Swedish cucumber salad called pressgurka. It’s a dish that appreciates the humble cucumber and lifts it up to be the perfect complement to any meat or main dish on the summer dinner table.
The Swedish side dish of champions – pressgurka
Pressgurka is a Swedish classic, especially as a side dish for rich foods like Swedish meatballs. It is so zingy from the vinegar, and the cucumbers are nice and crispy, so it cuts through the richness in both texture and flavor. In Swedish, pressgurka basically just means pressed cucumber, which makes a lot of sense, as one of the steps in the recipe is to salt and then weigh down the cucumbers so they release moisture. This helps give them a crispy, crunchy texture, instead of being soggy. You can think of pressgurka as thinly sliced dill pickles – that’s basically what they are!
Enjoy pressgurka with all your summer BBQs
Now, once you’ve made this Swedish cucumber salad, you’ll be ready to put it on anything and everything. From burgers and hot dogs to sandwiches, the crunchiness, along with the fresh and sweet flavor from the pickling liquid, is just unbeatable. We can also highly recommend bringing this along to any summer barbecues/BBQs you’re planning to attend, and you may just be asked to keep bringing it. It also works so well as a topping on open-faced sandwiches, by the way, so if you’re planning any big midsummer gatherings, make sure to whip up a batch of pressgurka.
Ingredients you’ll need and substitutions
Unsurprisingly, the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are very straightforward, starting with a cucumber. Make sure it’s seedless, so that there isn’t too much additional water in the cucumber – this is what can make the pressgurka soggy instead of crunchy. English cucumbers work well and are pretty easy to get in the supermarket! Then, you’ll need salt, white wine vinegar, water, sugar, and fresh dill. You can easily replace the white wine vinegar with distilled white vinegar. If you switch it up for any other types of vinegar, that’s fine too, but it may just change the flavor slightly. The same goes for the dill; obviously, this is meant to taste like dill, so adding another herb instead will change the flavor. You can also try adding other flavorings, like chilli flakes if you want to make a spicy version, but that’s up to you.
How to make pressgurka
The process of making pressgurka starts with thinly slicing the cucumber. You can use a mandolin for this if you like, but always be careful and use the guard that the mandolin comes with. Arrange the cucumber in a layer on a baking sheet lined with sheets of paper towel. Sprinkle salt over the slices, and then add another baking sheet on top. Weigh it down with something, such as plates, books, etc. This will help the cucumbers release liquid. In the meantime, prepare the pickling liquid by microwaving the vinegar, water, and sugar in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Finally, add the cucumber slices to a jar, then add the chopped dill, then pour over the liquid. Let this sit for at least an hour, and enjoy within a few days for the best texture and flavor.
Pressgurka (Swedish Pickled Cucumbers)
This refreshing side dish is a Swedish classic, full of zingy flavors and crunchy textures!
Ingredients
- 1 seedless cucumber, like an English cucumber
- 1½ tsp salt
- 120 ml white wine vinegar (you can substitute this for distilled white vinegar)
- 120 ml water
- 50 grams sugar
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Thinly slice the cucumber – as thinly as you can.
- Arrange in a layer on a plate or baking sheet lined with sheets of paper towel. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the cucumber slices. You can add more layers if you have more slices, just make sure to put additional sheets of paper towel between the layers and make sure to salt each layer!
- Place another plate or baking sheet on top and weigh it down with more plates or bowls. The goal is to press the cucumbers with the salt to release liquid.
- Leave them for 30-40 minutes.
- Towards the end of the 30 minutes, prepare the pickling liquid by mixing together vinegar, water, and sugar in a heatproof measuring cup or bowl.
- Heat for about 30 seconds in the microwave (you can also do this on the stove in a small saucepan if needed).
- Stir until the sugar dissolves in the liquid; you can heat it up again if needed.
- Chop the dill finely. If you don't want to use dill, we'd recommend parsley – but you can experiment with other herbs if you'd like!
- Now you'll need a jar or other container with a lid that you can store in the fridge.
- Remove the weight from the cucumbers and use the paper towel (or grab a dry one) to dry off the cucumbers and wipe off any excess salt.
- Place cucumber slices and dill into the jar.
- Pour the pickling liquid into the jar and let sit for about 10 minutes at room temp.
- Transfer to the fridge and let it sit for at least an hour.
- The cucumbers will be ready to eat – serve as a side with savory meatballs to cut the richness! Enjoy – we like to eat these within a few days for the best crispness and freshness, but you can keep them for about a week in the fridge.
