Name: Sesame Lemon Cucumber Salad
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 small lemon; 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil; 2 teaspoons granulated sugar; 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more to taste; 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted in a pan over medium heat until fragrant and golden, 4 to 5 minutes; 3 medium cucumbers, sliced, salted, and drained (see directions)

Why This Recipe Works

For a cucumber salad recipe with good crunch, we found that weighting salted cucumbers forced more water from them than salting alone. After many tests, we determined that one to three hours worked best for our cucumber salad recipe: Even at 12 hours, the cucumbers gave up no more water than they had after three hours.

Instructions

To prepare the cucumbers: Peel, halve lengthwise, and scoop seeds from cucumbers. Stack halves flat side down; slice diagonally 1/4-inch thick. Toss with 1 tablespoon salt in strainer or colander set over bowl; weight with water-filled, one-gallon-sized zipper-lock freezer bag, sealed tight. Drain for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 hours. Transfer to medium bowl; reserve for further use.

Whisk all ingredients except cucumbers in medium bowl. Add cucumbers; toss to coat. Serve chilled or at room temperature.