This is my go-to summer salad whenever I need something bright, fresh, and quick. Crisp cucumbers, sweet corn, imitation crab, and a little quick-pickled onion that adds the perfect tangy bite. It comes together in about fifteen minutes and it’s always the first bowl to empty at any get-together. Light, colorful, and just really satisfying without being heavy.
- 3 fresh cucumbers
- 7 oz imitation crab meat
- 1 cup canned corn, drained
- 3 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 onion
- a small bunch of parsley
- mayonnaise or sour cream to taste
- salt to taste
For the quick-pickled onion:
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons water
Start with the onion. Slice it into thin half-moons and put it in a small bowl. Add the sugar, a pinch of salt, the apple cider vinegar, and the water. Stir it together and let it sit and marinate for 10 to 15 minutes. This little step mellows out the raw onion bite and gives it a lovely tangy flavor.
While the onion marinates, cut the cucumbers and the imitation crab into small even cubes and add them to a salad bowl. Drain the canned corn well and add it in. Chop the hard-boiled eggs into small pieces and add those too.
Once the onion is done, drain off all the marinade and add the onion to the salad along with the chopped parsley.
Right before serving, dress the salad with mayonnaise or sour cream and season with salt to taste. Don’t salt it ahead of time, because that pulls too much water out of the cucumbers and they lose their crunch. Add the salt at the last second and everything stays crisp and fresh.
The salad comes out light, juicy, and bright. It works just as well as a quick weekday lunch as it does on a holiday table, and it never sticks around long.