German Cucumber Salad Gurkensalat with Sour Cream Recipe
Gurkensalat is a light, creamy salad made from thinly sliced cucumbers in a sour-cream-and-dill dressing, popular as a side dish to lunch in many German homes. It often accompanies roast meat or potatoes, similar to Polish mizeria. It’s refreshing and quick to make, perfect for warm days.
This Gurkensalat is a simple, everyday salad that brightens up many meals with its freshness. The combination of sour cream, yogurt and dill gives it a classic Central European character that pairs well with both meat and vegetarian dishes.
Chef's tips
Slice the cucumbers as thinly as possible – this gives the salad its characteristic texture and allows the dressing to coat every slice. Don’t skip salting and draining the cucumbers; it keeps the salad pleasantly creamy instead of watery.
How to serve
Serve well chilled in a shallow bowl, garnished with extra dill. It’s an ideal side for grilled meats, schnitzel or simple pan-fried fish, and also works as a refreshing addition to a buffet table in summer.
Ingredients
- cucumber long greenhouse cucumbers, thinly sliced - 2 piece
- salt for the cucumbers, plus to taste - 0.5 teaspoon
- sour cream 12–18% fat - 150 g
- plain yogurt thick - 100 g
- wine vinegar white or apple - 1 tablespoon
- sugar - 1 teaspoon
- dill fresh, finely chopped - 3 tablespoon
- black pepper to taste
Preparation
- Wash the cucumbers and slice them very thinly – ideally using a slicer blade on a grater or a mandoline. Transfer to a bowl.
- Sprinkle the cucumbers with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, mix with your hand and set aside for 10 minutes to release their juices.
- After this time, gently squeeze out the excess water from the cucumbers by lightly pressing them in your hands or in a sieve. This prevents the dressing from becoming too watery.
- In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream, yogurt, vinegar and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Season with pepper and, if needed, a little salt.
- Add the squeezed cucumbers and chopped dill to the dressing. Gently mix so the slices don’t break.
- Taste the salad and adjust with more vinegar, sugar or salt if needed. Serve immediately or after a short chill in the fridge.
Storage
The salad is best eaten fresh, as the cucumbers continue to release water. If you have leftovers, store them covered in the refrigerator and consume within 1 day, stirring before serving and adjusting the seasoning if necessary.
