Sweet and Sour Cucumber and Vidalia Onion Salad
Sweet and Sour Cucumber and Vidalia Onion Salad Recipe – This cucumber and Vidalia onion salad is light, refreshing, and perfect for springtime.
We Georgians are pretty darned proud of our agricultural products. Believe me.
Growing up as the daughter of a farmer in rural southern Georgia, I learned to have a deep appreciation for the amount of work and stress involved in getting a crop from farm to table.
When the harvest finally came about it was always a time of pride and thanksgiving. Pride in a job well done. Thanks that the rains came at the right time. Thanks that the insects didn’t eat everything before it was gathered. And thanks that you simply had the physical stamina to see it through from start to finish.
That’s why I so appreciate seeing Georgia products in my local grocery store. When I was shopping last week I saw several bundles of baby Vidalia onions. If you’re wondering just what a Vidalia onion is, take a quick peek at this post from the past. It’ll get you up to speed.
Even if you don’t have the baby Vidalias in your grocery store, you can always make this recipe with the mature onions or any other sweet onion that you like. They all work just as well for this delicious and very refreshing Sweet and Sour Cucumber and Vidalia Onion Salad Recipe.
I just love the contrasting tastes in this recipe. The bite of the vinegar against the sweetness of the sugar and the crunch of the fresh cucumbers and onions. It’s one that we enjoy again and again throughout the year. It’s a great side dish for spring and summer dinners and is always a hit at picnics and pot-lucks.
How to Make my Sweet and Sour Cucumber and Vidalia Onion Salad
I like to use the Kirby type of cucumbers for my salad. But whatever cucumbers you might have on hand is fine, too. I think that the English hothouse type is a good substitute since they have nice thin skins and relatively few seeds.
Peel and thinly slice your cucumbers. Then thinly slice the Vidalia onions and grate the carrots. Toss the vegetables together in a medium bowl.
As I said earlier in this post, you can really use any kind of onions in this recipe. If baby Vidalias are out of season, feel free to use regular Vidalias or <gasp> Walla Walla onions. Any nice sweet onion is good here.
To tell you the truth, I’ve made this with thinly sliced red onions a couple of times and even though they have a stronger taste, it was still delicious in the end.
In a smaller bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar (sugar substitute works well, too!), dill, salt, and pepper. Mix that together and pour it over the veggies. No fresh dill? Substitute dried dill weed (2 teaspoons) instead.
Pour over the veggies and toss until everything is coated well. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve later.
🧾 More Recipes You’ll Like
- Sour Cream and Onion Cornbread
- English Onion Soup
- Melange of Onions
- Green Beans with Bacon and Onions
- Ham and Black Bean Summer Salad
- Cheesy Onion and Herb Bread
- Roasted Baby Vidalia Onions and Cherry Tomatoes
HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?
I’d LOVE to know what you thought!
Leave a rating below in the comments and let me know how you liked it!
WE’RE ON FACEBOOK, TOO!
If you’d like to hang out with lots of other Southern Comfort Food lovers, make sure to join my FREE PRIVATE Facebook group.
Sweet and Sour Cucumber and Vidalia Onion Salad
Ingredients
- 4 Kirby type cucumbers peeled, thinly sliced
- 2 cups baby Vidalia onions thinly sliced
- 2 carrots peeled and grated
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar or equal amount of sugar substitute
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, toss together the cucumbers, onions, and carrots.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, stirring well. Pour over the cucumber-onion-carrot mixture and toss so that the vegetables are coated well.
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I love to know that Vidalias have such a special place for you! I visited Georgia a number of years ago, was on a tour of Vidalia onion farming. It was so very interesting. LOVE this salad. And thank you for featuring my own Vidalia recipe!
it is strange you posted about baby vidalias ’cause just the other day I held a bunch of spring onions admiring them so and wishing for your sweet Georgia gems – cannot wait for the harvest.
now I am also jealous that you have Kirby cukes now too – darn you Georgians…
Great recipe, I do a vinegar bath regularly on onions and tomatoes but I haven’t had this type of salad in a while, gonna do it again soon, so good with fresh vegetables…
This sounds perfect for this time of year and summertime!
Great with BBQs and beer…This will be a hit for the weekend!
Such a refreshing summer salad…thanks for the retro recipe!
Oh gosh, I haven’t had cukes & onions in vinegar, in years. My Mother would make it quite often when I was a child, as it was one of my Father’s favourites. It was also the only “salad” my Father would eat, as according to dear old Dad, greens were for feeding the rabbits, not humans!
Mother didn’t add carrots or dill to hers, just vinegar salt & sugar, but your addition of carrots & dill makes the dish look so much prettier, & I suspect, a lot tastier with the fresh dill.
As always, thanks for the memory nudge Lana!