Dewy Dill Delight Radish and Cucumber Salad
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Just as refreshing and cool as the morning dew, this crunchy spring Radish and Cucumber Salad is the perfect side dish for your next garden party. This spring salad recipe is a gardener's dream with cool crunchy cucumbers, crispy radishes, and refreshing fresh dill. Top it all off with a sweet and simple honey mustard vinaigrette.
Spring has sprung! Can you believe that we have entered into the much awaited season of flowers, warm breezes, and romantic picnics? As we begin planting our gardens, I am filled with all sorts of inspiration for fresh salads. During the winter, we hunker down to enjoy all of the filling foods that we preserved and stored from the previous growing season. Now with the weather warming up, my body is craving fresh spring salads. How about you?
delighting in the spring dew:
This crunchy spring Radish and Cucumber salad is the perfect salad recipe for gardeners. With delightfully crunchy and spicy radishes, cool and refreshing cucumbers, and the perfect flavoring of fresh dill you can certainly grow all of these ingredients in your home garden with ease. These vibrant spring flavors are sure to leave you feeling bright-eyed and chipper for the new season ahead!
gathering ingredients to make radish and cucumber salad:
To make this fresh and simple spring side dish, you will need to gather a few key ingredients. This salad is excellent for early summer gardeners as well, as cucumbers are often not ready until later in the growing season! However, you can certainly make this salad even if you aren’t a gardener by finding fresh delightful ingredients at your local market.
Cucumbers. Cucumbers are one of the base ingredients for this simple side salad. While any type of cucumber will work, I believe that Persian Cucumbers are the best choice as they are similar in size, when sliced, to a radish and look beautiful paired together. They are also quite crispy and slightly sweet.
Radishes. You can use any type of radish for this recipe, though I think a red variety like Cherry Belle or Celesta. For this recipe, I wanted lots of color so I went with a mixture of Purple Plum and Pink Beauty radishes.
Fresh Dill. For a pop of flavor, fresh dill is added to this salad! You can adjust the flavoring to your preference. Personally, I love the flavor of dill so I amped up the amount. Feel free to scale back if you are less of a dill lover than I am!
Fresh Chives. Chives are always the first plant to pop up in my garden when the world begins to warm. This flavor combination truly just sings spring!
Whole Grain Mustard. For a beautiful texture, whole grain mustard can really bring out some delightful styling opportunities and it gives the entire salad an excellent earthy and slightly spicy flavor.
Honey. To combat the bitter and spicy flavors in this salad, I used honey in the simple vinaigrette. Honey pairs delightfully with mustard and gives the entire salad a slightly sweet yet refreshing flavor.
tips for selecting the best cucumbers:
For this salad, you can’t go wrong with any type of cucumber or radishes! However, there are some recommend varieties to try using if you enjoy pairing together certain flavors, or even if you enjoy food styling.
Persian Cucumbers. I believe that Persian cucumbers or a variety that has been bred to be on the smaller, skinnier side is the perfect type to use for this salad. As the radishes are quite small in comparison to the girth of an English cucumber, using a smaller variety is the better option for a stunning visual. These varieties of cucumbers are also preferred for snacking or charcuterie boards, making them an excellent option for a quick fresh side salad!
prep ahead and store your radish and cucumber salad:
If you want to make this salad ahead of time, it stores beautifully mixed together in the refrigerator. Simply make the salad, place in an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for about 4 to 5 days.
This refreshing Radish and Cucumber Salad with Dill is the perfect make-ahead salad to prep for your busy week. Whether you want to pack a garden-fresh salad for work, school, or to share at a garden party or potluck, this is a great mix for a busy schedule.
If you’d like to wait until the day of serving to slice up your vegetables and herbs, you can always mix up the vinaigrette dressing in advance to save yourself some time. It will store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 to 5 days.
final thoughts:
I absolutely loved tossing together this vibrant, crisp, and colorful spring salad! As the weather becomes warmer, I crave fresh spring greens and roots from my garden. I can’t wait to be outside more and have my hands in the soil. This little recipe is a gardener’s dream salad, the perfect way to enjoy spring in every bite!
xoxo Kayla
Dewy Dill Delight Radish and Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 6 mini or Persian cucumbers, sliced about 1/8th-inch thick
- 12 to 16 radishes, about 1/2 lb (226 g), sliced about 1/8th-inch thick
- 3 tbsp (9 g) fresh dill leaves, chopped
- 1 tbsp (3 g) fresh chives, chopped
- Flaky sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) avocado or olive oil
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) whole grain mustard
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) honey
- 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 ml) fresh lemon juice, to taste
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Pinch of coarse salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, gently toss together the cucumbers, radishes, dill, and chives. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Set this aside for now.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, mustard, honey, lemon juice, vinegar, pepper, and salt.
- Drizzle the dressing over the cucumber and radish mixture, then toss gently until everything is well coated. Adjust any seasonings, if needed.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to allow the flavor to marinate. Serve the salad chilled.
Notes
Store this salad in the refrigerator for about 4 to 5 days in an airtight container.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
191Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
