Marinated Cucumber, Onion, and Tomato Salad

By: Natalie Oslund and Campbell Sandlin

The best ingredients are fresh ones, but they are even better if they are local. Cucumbers, onions and tomatoes are some of the many vegetables that can be grown in Alabama soil. They can be purchased at your local grocery store, farmer’s market, or even better grown in your own garden.

Cucumbers

Choose firm cucumbers with smooth, firm skins and no soft spots. Cucumbers loose water quickly after they are picked and will start to show shrinking and wrinkling if they have been in storage for too long.

Tomatoes

Although the type of tomatoes to use in this recipe is not specified, you should aim to get the ripest, sweetest tomatoes you can. The best-tasting tomatoes are heirloom varieties, but unless you cultivate them yourself, they can be more expensive than regular store tomatoes. You can also use Roma or cherry tomatoes. Whichever tomato variety you decide to buy, make sure it is the greatest quality you can manage because tomato flavor is everything. If you do decide to use smaller tomatoes, be sure to slice them beforehand so the marinade has time to work.

Read more: https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-pick-tomatoes/

Onions

You can use any onion you like for this recipe: yellow, white or red. Each brings a different flavor profile to the mix. Yellow onions are inexpensive, easy to find and have a predictable onion flavor. White onions are a bit sweeter and milder than yellow onions. Red onions are a little spicier than yellow onions and carry their bright color through to the salad. Sweet onions are pricier, and as the name suggests, their flavor is milder and naturally sweeter.

Read more: https://www.allrecipes.com/article/types-of-onions/

Vinegar

The recipe lists distilled white vinegar, but here again you can substitute other vinegars to suit your taste. Some Allrecipes home cooks who made this recipe used white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, Champagne vinegar, rice wine vinegar and white balsamic vinegar.

Oil

Vegetable oil is called out in this recipe, and it is a good choice because of its neutral flavor. But you can also use good quality olive oil, as some reviewers did.

Ingredients

1 cup water
1⁄2 cup distilled white vinegar
1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
1⁄4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste3 cucumbers, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 onion, sliced and separated into rings

Steps

1. All ingredients gathered to make marinated cucumbers, onions and tomato salad.

2. Whisk water, vinegar, oil, sugar, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl until smooth.

3. Dressing ingredients whisked together in a bowl.

4. Add cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion and stir to coat.

5. Cucumbers, onions and tomatoes added to dressing, stirring to coat.

6. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

7. Bowl covered with plastic wrap and placed in the fridge.