Food and Recipes Veggies Your New Favorite Cucumber Salad Starts With An Empty Pickle Jar 5.0 (2) 1 Review Don't toss that pickle jar! Make a fresh and tasty cucumber salad with the leftover brine. By Nicole Hopper Nicole Hopper Nicole Hopper is a recipe tester and developer based in Birmingham, Alabama. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on August 27, 2024 Recipe tested by Amanda Holstein Recipe tested by Amanda Holstein Amanda Holstein fell in love with baking at the age of 6, and continued growing her passion through culinary school and working in bakeries for over 10 years. Learn more about the Southern Living Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Servings: 4 This might be the easiest cucumber salad you'll ever make. Instead of fussing with a complicated dressing, leftover pickle brine packs in so much flavor with minimal effort. All you need to do is add a pinch of sugar and pepper to balance the salty, acidic brine. The result is a zingy, crunchy salad. Be sure to chop the tomatoes, because as the salad marinates, the juices of the quartered tomatoes meld with the pickle brine to add a nice sweetness that really transforms the leftover liquid into something new. Robby Lozano; Food Stylist: Renu Dhar; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Ingredients 3/4 cup leftover dill pickle brine (from 1 [32-oz.] jar) 1/4 cup tap water 1 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1 medium (10 oz.) cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced into half-moons (about 2 cups) 1 cup (5 oz.) cherry tomatoes, quartered 1/2 cup sliced red onion (from 1 small [6 oz.] onion) 1/3 cup sliced celery (from 1 medium [1 oz.] rib) 1/4 cup mixed chopped fresh dill and parsley Directions Create new pickle brine: Combine pickle brine, water, sugar, and black pepper in a (32-oz.) jar. Seal jar and shake until sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Hannah Hufham; Food Stylist: Nicole Hopper; Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel Add vegetables to pickle jar: Pack cucumber, tomatoes, onion, celery, dill, and parsley into jar. Seal jar and shake until brine evenly coats vegetables. Hannah Hufham; Food Stylist: Nicole Hopper; Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel Chill salad: Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours, flipping the jar occasionally to ensure vegetables marinate evenly. Hannah Hufham; Food Stylist: Nicole Hopper; Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel Serve: Transfer salad to a bowl and serve with a slotted spoon or tongs. Serve chilled. Robby Lozano; Food Stylist: Renu Dhar; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Rate It Print