I have a thing for cucumbers. I love their watery crispness and the way they taste with a little salt on top. But I don't like how they can water down a whole salad with their extra moisture. Zucchini are similar; whenever I make a frittata or quiche with zucchini they have to be treated first to keep them from turning the whole thing into a soggy mess. Which brings me to this tip: when you are making a dish with cucumbers or zucchini, it really helps to salt and drain them first.
Tip: Salt and Drain Cucumbers and Zucchini
I first noticed this tip in a recipe for a zucchini and potato frittata. It called for salting the zucchini ahead of time and draining them. I noticed the difference in the final frittata; it was firm and compact and not so soggy.
And then I decided to make a sour cream and cucumber salad for Easter. It is a very simple salad, prepared in a flash, but I was worried again about all that watery liquid. I wanted the salad to be creamy, not watery.
So I sliced all my cucumbers, laying them down in layers in a bowl, and salting each layer lightly. Then I put two plates on top and covered the whole thing with plastic wrap. I left them in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning I poured off at least a cup of water! The cucumbers were still quite crisp and fresh — not rubbery at all. But the dressing stayed creamy and thick, not watery and soggy. (Watch for the full recipe later today!)
It's an easy tip I am going to follow from now on, even when just preparing cucumbers for a garden salad. They don't have to sit overnight, too; just an hour or so would help.
Do you do this with zucchini and cucumber, or with any other vegetables?
Related: Cucumber Primer: Kirby, Gherkin, English, and More...
(Images: Faith Durand)
Comments (8)
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I also do this but place the veggies in a plastic colander and then the colander in a larger bowl to catch the water so the veggies don't sit in it for too long.
view FromTheSea's profile
This is also a good idea for eggplant.
view Kathryn Hill's profile
Every time I've tried this with eggplant, it's ended up inedibly salty. I tried rinsing it after, but still - too salty! What am I doing wrong?
view tatgeer's profile
Cabbage does well with a salt treatment when making coleslaw and for the same reason; it's better when it's not watery.
If your eggplant is too salty, then try using less salt! It's counter intuitive, but only a little salt will still draw out tons of moisture; it has to do with the osmotic concentrations in the cell walls, and just a little table salt is still very, very salty compared with the liquid inside the cells.
view wrenx's profile
wrenx - when you say it like that, I feel a little sheepish. :) Thanks, though, I'll give it another shot.
view tatgeer's profile
i do this for tomatoes when adding them raw to recipes, especially dips. they are layer 4 of my five layer taco dip, and i always sit them in a colander with a bit of salt for at least 20 minutes. actually makes a huge difference in the end product.
view marianne215's profile
it's not a vegetable but...i weight and drain tofu for a few minutes before i cut it and use it for stir fry etc. it really helps!
view splim's profile
I tried this method last night, and it worked quite well. My only comment is that after I drained the water off, I spun the cucumbers in my salad spinner to remove some of the salt. They were much less salty as a result!
view kaitlin's profile