Many Southerners keep a steady supply of no-fuss cucumber pickles like these in the fridge all through the summer. They’re great because you don’t even have to turn on the stove: just toss everything together, let it all marinate for a few hours, and you’re good to go. Mild and crunchy, they are sort of a cross between cucumber salad and dill pickles, meaning they’re perfect scattered over a simple green salad with Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing (page 284), layered in Pimiento Cheese Burgers (page 187) or Pickled Jalapeño Meatloaf (page 191) sandwiches, or placed in a little dish and added to a relish tray.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 pint

　　1/3 cup distilled white vinegar

　　1/2 cup water

　　Zest and juice of 1 lemon

　　3 or 4 sprigs fresh dill

　　2 tablespoons sugar

　　1 1-inch piece julienned fresh ginger

　　1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

　　1 teaspoon coriander seeds

　　1 teaspoon kosher salt

　　1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

　　3 or 4 Kirby or other small cucumbers (about 1/2 pound), partially peeled to create a striped pattern and sliced into thin rounds

　　1 thin slice red onion

　　

Step 1

Combine the vinegar, water, lemon zest and juice, dill, sugar, ginger, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a bowl or glass jar and stir to mix until the sugar dissolves. Add the cucumbers and onion and toss or shake to mix and submerge the cucumbers in the liquid.

　　

Step 2

Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to allow the flavors to develop before serving. The pickles will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

　　

Sara’s Swaps

Step 3

You can use this basic recipe to make all kinds of fast and fresh refrigerator pickles using anything from summer squash, peppers, beets, and turnips to radishes, carrots, and onions.

　　Reprinted with permission from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen: Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal by Sara Foster. Copyright © 2011 by Sara Foster. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Sara Foster is the owner of Foster's Market, the acclaimed gourmet take-out store/cafés in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the author of several cookbooks including The Foster's Market Cookbook, winner of the Best Cookbook Award from the Southeast Booksellers Association. She has appeared numerous times on Martha Stewart Living Television and NBC's Today show. She has also been featured in magazines such as More, House Beautiful, and Southern Living, and is featured regularly in Bon Appétit.