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easy pickled cucumbers

Easy Pickled Cucumbers - Tart & Spicy, with Garlic and Dill

Trim and quarter cucumbers lengthwise into spears; peel and slice garlic. Lightly roast dill seeds, coriander seeds and peppercorns in a medium saucepan. Add salt, citric acid, dried red chillies and water. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour hot mixture over cucumber spears and sliced garlic (in a glass bowl). Set aside to cool to room temperature, stirring periodically. Stir in vinegar and transfer to a clean glass jar with a well-fitting lid. Ready to serve immediately, but will taste better the next day.
5 from 5 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Cooling time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Condiment
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 10 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g Cucumbers- 4 small, thin - 4-5 inches (10-12 cm) long Small Persian cucumbers are excellent- select thin cucumbers, rather than thick ones - the flesh is more tender and the seeds are smaller; other small cucumber varieties OK too; if only large cucumbers available, that's OK too.
  • 2-3 cloves Fresh Garlic cloves - halved lengthwise, then sliced thin, lengthwise about 2 tbsp sliced; omit if you wish to avoid garlic
  • 2 cups Water 475 g / 16oz
  • 2 whole Dried red chillies if not available, use 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (chilli flakes); add more/less as per taste preferences
  • 1/2 tsp Dill seeds called Vajrapushpa / Shatapushpa in Sanskrit; Baalant-Shopa in Marathi; Savaa/Suva in Hindi; Shepu in Gujarati; Sadapa Vittulu in Telugu; Shataapu in Kannada, etc.; if not available, use fennel or cumin seeds, or simply omit.
  • 1/2 tsp Coriander Seeds Dhanaa/Dhaniya seeds
  • 1/4 tsp Rainbow (black) pepper - Whole peppercorns looks colorful and pretty; if not available, use black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Citric Acid powder/crystals
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/3 cup Vinegar 80g / 2.7 oz ( about 2 3/4 oz); apple-cider vinegar. white wine vinegar, rice vinegar work well; distilled vinegar is fine too.

Instructions
 

Remove any bitterness from cucumber before slicing

  • Wash the cucumbers; trim the ends, slice a little piece from each end and taste it (take a tiny bite) to check for bitterness. If it is not bitter, proceed to cut the cucumber: quarter the cucumbers lengthwise.
    Note:
    a) If your cucumbers are "fat", you might want to make 6 spears from each cucumber - after cutting each cucumber in half, lengthwise, cut each half into 3 long spears.
    b) If your cucumbers are very long, you might want to cut each spear in half, to make shorter pieces - easier to store in a medium-sized jar, also easier to serve straight from the jar.
    cucumber quartered lengthwise
  • What to do if it tastes a little bitter?
    Firmly rub the small end slice over the cut end of the cucumber in a circular motion - this helps to draw out the bitter juices which are just under the skin.
    You will see the collected juices gather near the edges -sometimes they are a little foamy. Slice and discard about 1/4 inch (3/4 cm) piece, and taste-test a new thin slice: it should not taste bitter.
    Repeat this process for the other end, as well as for the rest of the cucumbers.
    After you make sure that both ends are not bitter, proceed to cut the cucumber as directed.
    Note: If this rubbing technique does not remove the bitterness, please discard the cucumber: unfortunately, it is NOT salvageable!
    persian cucumber

Prepare the pickling brine

  • Lightly roast the coriander seeds and dill seeds on a small frying pan for about one minute - it helps release the flavor: Do not brown the seeds.
    Remove pan from heat and add rainbow (or black) peppercorns and dried red chillies - stir for 10-15 seconds while pan is hot.
    Add salt, citric acid and cold water,
    pickling spices
  • Bring the mixture to a gentle boil - about 3-4 min.
    pickling liuid for cucumbers

Make the pickle

  • While waiting for the pickling broth to boil, transfer the cucumber spears to a medium glass bowl (1 1/2 quart / 1 1/2 liter)
    pickling cucumbers
  • Peel and slice the garlic cloves thinly.
    Note: If the garlic cloves are "fat", cut them in half lengthwise, then thinly slice each half, lengthwise.
    garlic slices
  • Transfer the garlic to the bowl with cucumber spears.
    cucumber and garlic
  • Pour the hot pickling broth on top of the cucumbers.
  • Stir and allow to cool - uncovered - for about 30 min, stirring gently a few times as it cools. The color soon changes from a bright green to a dull olive green.
    pickled cucumbers
  • When cooled to room temperature, add 1/3 cup of vinegar - I like to use apple-cider vinegar; white wine vinegar or distilled vinegar OK too.
    Stir to distribute the vinegar evenly, then taste-test the broth to check for saltiness. Add up to 1/8 tsp more salt if needed. Avoid adding too much! This is meant to be a low-sodium pickle!
    On a large cutting board, lay a medium-sized glass jar (tall enough to accommodate the 4-5 inch spears lengthwise ) on its side. With a slotted spoon, lift the spears from the bowl, one at a time, and slide them into the glass jar.
    stack the cucumber spears in a jar
  • Gently turn the jar upright and pour the pickling broth into the jar. There should be enough to cover the top of the cucumber pieces completely.
    It is ready to serve right away, but will definitely taste better the next day. Set the jar on the countertop for a day (it marinates faster at room temperature), then store in the refrigerator to prevent spoilage.
    easy pickled cucumbers
  • Serve with a sandwich, quesadilla, chop and add to pasta salad; if you eat meat/seafood, add finely chopped up cucumbers to chicken salad /shrimp salad, etc.
    Enjoy!

Notes

How much sodium / potassium per pickled spear?
So, here's how I went about determining how much sodium and potassium is in each cucumber spear, weighing about 12.5 g each.
  • The total weight of water in the pickle prepared from 200g cucumbers
    • Cucumbers consist of nearly 95% water:
    • Weight of water in cucumbers: 190 g (95% of 200 g)
    • Water used in the recipe :  475 g (2 cups)
    • Vinegar used in recipe: 80 g (1/3 cup)
    • Total weight of water in pickle : 745 g
  • Amount of sodium in 1 pickle spear:
    • Amount of sodium in 1 tsp salt: 2300 mg
    • Amount of sodium from seasonings: 6 mg
    • Concentration of sodium in pickle: about 3mg per 1 g of pickle
    • Amount of sodium in 1 pickle spear, 12.5 g : 38.7mg
  • Amount of potassium in 1 pickle spear:
    • Amount of potassium in 200g cucumber : 294 mg
    • Amount of potassium from seasonings: 100 mg
    • Concentration of potassium in pickle: about 0.5 mg per 1 g of pickle
    • Amount of potassium in 1 pickle spear, 12.5 g : 6.6 mg
Thus: For a serving size of 2 small-medium spears: 77 mg sodium, 13 mg potassium
 
  •  
Storing the Pickled Cucumbers:
Store the pickle jar in the refrigerator to prevent spoilage.
  • Use within 5-6 weeks, but may last longer
  • If you see mold around the surface, or under the lid, please discard.
Freezer: I do NOT recommend storing this pickle in the freezer:
  • The texture of the pickle spears upon thawing will be soggy and rather unappealing.
  • If you do decide to store it in the freezer:
    • Set a few spears on a cutting board for a few min and chop them up finely while they are still a bit icy and firm
      • this will be fine for adding to dips, soups, pasta, etc.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 10kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 0.3gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.02gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.02gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.03gSodium: 77mgPotassium: 13mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 93IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 0.2mg
Keyword Citric Acid, Coriander seeds, Cucumbers, Dill Pickle, dill seeds, Dried red chillies, Garlic, Peppercorns, Persian Cucumbers, Pickling Cucumbers, Vinegar
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