A sharp, lightly spiced quick pickle of sliced cucumber in a white wine vinegar brine with dill, mustard seeds, black pepper, and a pinch of chilli. It keeps its crunch and suits anything that benefits from a clean, acidic counterpoint — cold meats, smoked fish, grilled vegetables, or a simple sandwich.
1piece
1tsp
1tsp
2tbsp
2tbsp
1tsp
0.25tsp
3piece
1pinch| # | Product | Quantity | Notes | State | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 1piece | — | — | |
| 2 | | 1tsp | — | — | |
| 3 | | 1tsp | — | — | |
| 4 | | 2tbsp | — | — | |
| 5 | | 2tbsp | — | — | |
| 6 | | 1tsp | — | — | |
| 7 | | 0.25tsp | — | — | |
| 8 | | 3piece | — | — | |
| 9 | | 1pinch | — | — |
Place the whole cucumber in a colander.
Cucumber · 1 piece
Hold the cucumber under cold running water, turning it to rinse the skin all over.
Cut the cucumber into thin, even rounds, working steadily along its length.
Tip the cucumber slices into the colander.
Sprinkle the fine sea salt evenly over the cucumber slices.
Fine sea salt · 1 tspToss the cucumber and salt together with your hands until every slice is lightly coated.
Leave the cucumber to stand and release its liquid for 15 minutes.
Rinse the salted cucumber slices briefly under cold running water to wash away the excess salt.
Pat the cucumber slices dry with kitchen paper, pressing gently to absorb the moisture.
Gather the dill fronds into a small pile and chop them finely.
Fresh dill · 1 tspPour the white wine vinegar into a small saucepan.
White wine vinegar · 2 tbsp
Add the water to the saucepan with the vinegar.
Water · 2 tbspAdd the caster sugar to the pan.
Caster sugar · 1 tspAdd the yellow mustard seeds to the pan.
Yellow mustard seeds · 0.25 tspAdd the black peppercorns to the pan.
Black peppercorns · 3 pieceAdd the dried chilli flakes to the pan.
Chilli flakes · 1 pinchSet the pan over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then let the brine simmer gently for 2 minutes.
Pack the dried cucumber slices into a clean jar, pressing them in so they sit snugly.
Scatter the chopped dill over the cucumber in the jar.
Pour the warm pickling brine over the cucumber and dill, making sure the liquid covers the slices completely.
Screw the lid onto the jar.
Place the sealed jar in the refrigerator.
Leave the pickle to cure in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving. It is a fridge pickle, not a preserve: keep it chilled and eat it within a week. The peppercorns are left in; push them aside as you eat.
| # | Product | Tool | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 piece | | Place the whole cucumber in a colander.⏱ 10sResultCucumber |
| 2 | — | | Hold the cucumber under cold running water, turning it to rinse the skin all over.⏱ 15sResultRinsed cucumber |
| 3 | — | | Cut the cucumber into thin, even rounds, working steadily along its length.⏱ 1 minResultSliced cucumber |
| 4 | — | | Tip the cucumber slices into the colander.⏱ 15sResultSliced cucumber |
| 5 | 1 tsp | | Sprinkle the fine sea salt evenly over the cucumber slices.⏱ 10sResultSliced cucumber and fine sea salt |
| 6 | — | | Toss the cucumber and salt together with your hands until every slice is lightly coated.⏱ 15sResultSalted cucumber slices |
| 7 | — | | Leave the cucumber to stand and release its liquid for 15 minutes.⏱ 15 minResultDrained salted cucumber |
| 8 | — | | Rinse the salted cucumber slices briefly under cold running water to wash away the excess salt.⏱ 15sResultRinsed cucumber |
| 9 | — | | Pat the cucumber slices dry with kitchen paper, pressing gently to absorb the moisture.⏱ 20sResultDried cucumber slicesused in step 18 |
| 10 | 1 tsp | | Gather the dill fronds into a small pile and chop them finely.⏱ 1 minResultFinely chopped dillused in step 19 |
| 11 | 2 tbsp | | Pour the white wine vinegar into a small saucepan.⏱ 10sResultWhite wine vinegar |
| 12 | 2 tbsp | | Add the water to the saucepan with the vinegar.⏱ 10sResultWhite wine vinegar and water |
| 13 | 1 tsp | | Add the caster sugar to the pan.⏱ 10sResultWhite wine vinegar and water and caster sugar |
| 14 | 0.25 tsp | | Add the yellow mustard seeds to the pan.⏱ 10sResultWhite wine vinegar and water mixture |
| 15 | 3 piece | | Add the black peppercorns to the pan.⏱ 10sResultWhite wine vinegar and water mixture |
| 16 | 1 pinch | | Add the dried chilli flakes to the pan.⏱ 10sResultWhite wine vinegar and water mixture |
| 17 | — | | Set the pan over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then let the brine simmer gently for 2 minutes.⏱ 2 minResultWarm pickling brineused in step 20 |
| 18 | Dried cucumber slicesstep 9 | | Pack the dried cucumber slices into a clean jar, pressing them in so they sit snugly.⏱ 5 minResultDried cucumber slices |
| 19 | Finely chopped dillstep 10 | | Scatter the chopped dill over the cucumber in the jar.⏱ 10sResultFinely chopped dill and dried cucumber slices |
| 20 | Warm pickling brinestep 17 | | Pour the warm pickling brine over the cucumber and dill, making sure the liquid covers the slices completely.⏱ 10sResultBrined cucumber |
| 21 | — | | Screw the lid onto the jar.⏱ 15s |
| 22 | — | | Place the sealed jar in the refrigerator.⏱ 10sResultBrined cucumber |
| 23 | — | | Leave the pickle to cure in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving. It is a fridge pickle, not a preserve: keep it chilled and eat it within a week. The peppercorns are left in; push them aside as you eat.⏱ 1 hrResultCucumber Pickle |
| Total Time | 1 hr 27 min | ||
Not served on its own — it goes into or alongside other dishes. Keep it until it is needed.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g |
|---|---|
| 52kcal | |
| 2g | |
| 0.4g | |
| 0.1g | |
| 12g | |
| 7g | |
| 1g | |
| 1,680mg |
A sharp, lightly spiced quick pickle of sliced cucumber in a white wine vinegar brine with dill, mustard seeds, black pepper, and a pinch of chilli. It keeps its crunch and suits anything that benefits from a clean, acidic counterpoint — cold meats, smoked fish, grilled vegetables, or a simple sandwich.
What you’ll doYou will slice cucumber thinly, salt it to draw out its water, then rinse and pat it dry. The slices are packed into a jar with dill and covered with a warm spiced vinegar brine.
