Preserves

Quick Salted Cucumbers

These are the fastest preserve there is: pour in the evening, eat in the morning. The crunch depends on two things — cold brine and cucumbers picked no more than a day ago. Hot brine works too, but then they soften by the second day.

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Quick Salted Cucumbers — the finished dish
Prep
15 min
Rest
12 h
Total
12 h 15 min
Servings
8
Level
Easy
Per serving
35 kcal

Ingredients

Makes: one 2 l jar

Method

  1. Step 1: Soak the cucumbers

    Cover the cucumbers with cold water for 2 hours. Shop-bought ones are often slightly limp and take up brine unevenly without this.

  2. Step 2: Mix the brine

    Dissolve the salt in cold water, stirring until no crystals remain. The ratio is simple: 2 level tablespoons per litre.

  3. Step 3: Pack the jar

    Put some dill, currant and horseradish leaves on the bottom. Stand the cucumbers upright, packed closely but not squeezed, tucking garlic between them.

  4. Step 4: Pour the brine

    Add the peppercorns, cover with the remaining greens and pour in the cold brine so it covers everything.

  5. Step 5: Leave at room temperature

    Cover with muslin or a loose lid and leave in the kitchen for 10–12 hours. The brine will turn slightly cloudy — that is normal.

  6. Step 6: Taste and chill

    Try one: if it is salted through to the middle, move the jar to the fridge. If not, give it another 3–4 hours.

Tips & variations

  • Tip

    Trim the blossom end of each cucumber — the brine gets in faster and they salt evenly.

  • Tip

    Iodised salt clouds the brine and softens the cucumbers. Use plain rock salt.

  • Variation

    For heat, add half a chilli or a teaspoon of mustard seeds.

  • Storage

    Keeps 5 days in the fridge. After that they go on salting and become proper pickles — still good, just different.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per serving and for the whole dish
1 serving Whole dish 8 servings
Energy35 kcal280 kcal
Protein1 g8 g
Fat0 g0 g
Carbohydrates6 g48 g

Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.

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