About

Cucumbers are a great vegetable to include in any low carb diet. You will love this take on pickled cucumbers with a Korean twist. A crispy, cool English cucumber is sliced thick and then soaked into a salty brine for 30 minutes. After the cucumbers have brined, they are strained and then mixed into a sauce made with red Korean pepper flakes, fish sauce, sesame seed oil, sliced green onions, and toasted sesame seeds.

What does the brine solution do?

The brine solution infuses the cucumbers with salt and keeps them ultra crispy and crunchy.

Where can I find Korean pepper flakes?

You can find them at your local Asian market or on large online retailers like Amazon.

How do I store these cucumbers?

These cucumbers are best eaten the day you make them, but if you have to store them in the fridge, store them in an airtight container.

Serving suggestion

Serve Low Carb Korean Pickled Cucumbers with a dish with a fatty cut of meat like Keto Braised Short Ribs

Ingredients

  • 1 large – 8 1/4" long cucumber
  • 2 cup water
  • 1 ½ tablespoon coarse kosher salt by morton
  • 1 ½ tablespoon organic gochugaru koren red hot chili pepper flakes by crazy korean cooking
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam)
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 medium – 4 1/8" long scallions
  • ½ tablespoon, whole pieces sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Mix the water with the kosher salt until the salt dissolves. Slice the cucumbers into ¼” slices and place them into a medium bowl. Pour the brine over the cucumbers and allow them to sit for 30 minutes.
  2. Drain the cucumbers very well using a strainer place over a sink. Place the strainer in a bowl and allow extra water to drip off as you prepare the sauce for the cucumbers.
  3. While the cucumbers are draining, mix in the Korean pepper flakes (gochugaru), fish sauce, and sesame seed oil. Mix the cucumbers with the dressing very well until coated nicely.
  4. Top with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. To toast the sesame seeds, place them into a dry skillet over medium heat until they are lightly golden and fragrant. Korean Pickled Cucumbers are like a fresh cucumber so they will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Nutrition Facts

  • Servings: 4
  • Calories: 49.8kcal/208.5kJ (per serving)
  • Fat: 4.0g (per serving)
  • Carbs: 7.9g (per serving)
  • Protein: 1.0g (per serving)