Agurkesalat (Danish Cucumber Salad)

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before but my family loves pickles.  In fact, we love them so much that we have an entire shelf dedicated to them in our fridge.  No joke!  Imagine an entire shelf lined up with gerkins, polish dill pickles, bread & butter pickles, pickle chips, pickled beets, pickled chili peppers (both hot & sweet), pickled onions, pickled carrots….  I could go on and on, but I think I made my point.  And while we love the variety of extreme flavors, sometimes we crave something quick and simple.  Thus enters the humble agurkesalat, or Danish cucumber salad.  

What is Agurkesalat?

Agurkesalat is one of the most popular dishes throughout Denmark.  And when translated from Danish simply means “cucumber salad”.  That being said it’s more like a quick pickle than what most of us would consider a salad.  Because essentially it’s just a thinly sliced cucumber that has been quickly brined in a sweet and sour liquid.  

But despite this simplicity, the method is guaranteed to result in cucumber chips that are both crisp and tender.  And the balanced sweet and tangy flavor is really great at cutting through rich and savory dishes, which the Danes are very accustomed to.  

Tips, Tricks & Suggestions

• One key to making great agurkesalat is making sure that you use the right kind of cucumber.  Specifically an English cucumber.  You see the English cucumber is perfect for pickling.  It has a super-thin skin that doesn’t need to be peeled and generally has a lot fewer seeds so there’s no need to core it.  That being said if all you can find is a regular cucumber then feel free to use it.  Just make sure that you peel it and cut out any excess seeds.
• This quick pickle can easily be made a day ahead of time and will last up to one week if stored in your fridge.
• Traditional agurkesalat is meant to be fairly simple.  That being said you can easily add additional ingredients to elevate it.  Some examples are thinly sliced onion, or even additional spices like bay leaves, cloves, or even allspice.
• The Danes love serving this salad as a side dish with pork dishes like frikadeller (meatballs), or flæskesteg (Danish roast pork).  But probably one of the most popular uses is as a garnish for Danish hot dogs.  
• Check out our other quick pickle recipes like Refidgerator Bread & Butter Pickles, and Sunomono (Japanese Cucumber Salad).

Agurkesalat (Danish Cucumber Salad) Recipe

Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 English Cucumber, sliced very thin

1 Teaspoon of salt

1 Cup of distilled white vinegar

½ Cup of white sugar

½ Cup of water

20 to 30 Black peppercorns

Fresh dill, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Prep the Cucumbers: Place the sliced cucumber and salt in a medium-sized bowl and mix to combine.  Let this sit for 15 to 20 minutes or until the salt begins to draw out the liquid from the cucumbers.  Drain the excess liquid from the bowl and transfer the sliced cucumber to a fine-mesh strainer.  Lightly press down on them with your hands so that any residual water is released.  Place the cumber slices into a clean glass jar or bowl and set aside.

2. Make the pickling liquid: Add the vinegar, sugar, water, and black peppercorns to a medium-sized pot.  Heat this over a stovetop and stir until the sugar has dissolved into the liquid.  This should only take about a minute or two, make sure that you don’t boil the liquid.

3. Pour the pickling liquid over the sliced cucumber making sure that every slice is submerged in the liquid.  Place this into your fridge to pickle for at least 1 hour.

4. Serve the Agurkesalat and garnish with chopped fresh dill, enjoy!

Print Recipe

Agurkesalat (Danish Cucumber Salad) Recipe

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Equipment

• glass jar

Ingredients

• 1 English Cucumber sliced very thin
• 1 Teaspoon of salt
• 1 Cup of distilled white vinegar
• ½ Cup of white sugar
• ½ Cup of water
• 20 to 30 Black peppercorns
• Fresh dill for garnish (optional)

Instructions

• Prep the Cucumbers: Place the sliced cucumber and salt in a medium-sized bowl and mix to combine. Let this sit for 15 to 20 minutes or until the salt begins to draw out the liquid from the cucumbers. Drain the excess liquid from the bowl and transfer the sliced cucumber to a fine-mesh strainer. Lightly press down on them with your hands so that any residual water is released. Place the cumber slices into a clean glass jar or bowl and set aside.
• Make the pickling liquid: Add the vinegar, sugar, water, and black peppercorns to a medium-sized pot. Heat this over a stovetop and stir until the sugar has dissolved into the liquid. This should only take about a minute or two, make sure that you don’t boil the liquid.
• Pour the pickling liquid over the sliced cucumber making sure that every slice is submerged in the liquid. Place this into your fridge to pickle for at least 1 hour.
• Serve the Agurkesalat and garnish with chopped fresh dill, enjoy!