Cucumber Tomato and Onion Salad

Cucumber Tomato and Onion Salad is a simple side dish that I like serving with grilled or fried food. The cucumber and tomato make it fresh, while the cane vinegar gives it a nice sour taste. I usually prepare this while the main dish is cooking because it only takes a few minutes to put together.

I like having something fresh and sour on the side, especially when the meal is rich or fried. This also works well with grilled pork, fish, and chicken. If you want something even simpler, you can try my cucumber salad.

I mix everything in one bowl and let the vegetables sit in the dressing for a few minutes before serving.

What is Cucumber Tomato and Onion Salad?

This is a simple salad made with cucumber, tomato, red onion, and green onion tossed in a vinegar dressing. There is no cooking involved, so it is easy to prepare while you are working on the rest of the meal.

The tomato and onion combination is also something I use in my ensaladang dilis. That version has dried anchovies, while this one stays light and simple.

I like serving this cold beside rice and grilled or fried food. Everyone can just spoon some onto their plate while eating.

Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad Ingredients

• Cucumbers – Any cucumber works here because the pieces are diced rather than shaved thin. I leave the skin on and only peel when it feels thick or waxy.
• Grape tomatoes – Halve them so the cut sides pick up dressing. Cherry tomatoes behave the same way.
• Red onion – Chopped, not shaved. I like the color against the tomato, and chopped pieces keep their crunch in a vinegar dressing.
• Green onion – Both the white and the green parts go in. Chop it last so the green stays bright.
• Cane vinegar – This is what I use for the dressing. No cane vinegar in the pantry? See the substitutions below.
• Olive oil – I use more vinegar than oil here, with two tablespoons of vinegar to one tablespoon of olive oil. The salad tastes sharper for it.
• Sugar – Half a teaspoon. It is not enough to make the dressing sweet, but it helps balance the vinegar.
• Salt and ground black pepper – Both go into the bowl first, before any liquid.

Cane vinegar is made from fermented sugarcane juice. I like using it here because it tastes milder than distilled white vinegar and does not overpower the cucumber and tomato.

Taste a spoonful whenever you open a new bottle. Sharpness varies from brand to brand, and knowing which one you have tells you whether to stay at half a teaspoon of sugar or go a little above it. My guide to Filipino vinegar covers the other bottles worth keeping around.

Mix the dressing first, cut the vegetables, then toss everything together just before serving.

1. Combine the salt, sugar, and ground black pepper in a large bowl. Mix well.
2. Add the cane vinegar and olive oil. Stir until the dressing is well combined and the sugar has dissolved.

Taste it at this point and adjust before anything else goes in. The dressing should taste sharp with just a little sweetness. A swap to a sharper vinegar usually needs a bit more sugar.

1. Add the cucumber, grape tomatoes, red onion, and green onion to the bowl.
2. Toss until everything is evenly coated with the dressing.

What to Serve with Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad

• Lechon Kawali – Crispy fried pork belly. The sour dressing goes well with the rich pork.
• Inihaw na Liempo – Grilled pork belly. I set the bowl down right beside it and spoon some onto the plate along with the rice.
• Fried Tilapia – Fried fish with something sour next to it is a standard pairing at our table.
• Chicken Barbecue – Sweet and sticky off the grill. I like the vinegar dressing with the sweet barbecue glaze.
• Rice – Rice is on the table anyway, and the dressing that ends up on the plate is good over it.

Storage

Cucumber tomato onion salad is best the same day, and how you store it comes down to whether it has been dressed yet.

• Refrigerator: Dressed salad keeps about 2 days in a covered container. The cucumber softens and liquid collects at the bottom, so I pour that off and stir before the bowl goes back on the table. Day two still tastes good, just without the crunch.
• Freezer: Do not freeze this one. Cucumber and tomato both turn to mush once thawed. Keep the cut vegetables and the mixed dressing in separate containers in the refrigerator when you want to work ahead, then combine them at mealtime.
• Reheating: Nothing here gets reheated. Take the bowl out of the refrigerator, drain the liquid that pooled at the bottom, and toss once more before serving. Add a pinch of salt and a small splash of vinegar when it tastes flat after a night.

More Filipino Salad Recipes

• Ensaladang Talong – Grilled eggplant, peeled and dressed in vinegar with tomato and onion.
• Ensaladang Mangga – Green mango with shrimp paste for a tart and savory salad.
• Ampalaya Salad – Bitter gourd salad for anyone who enjoys its natural bitterness.
• Salted Eggs and Tomato Salad – A simple combination of salted duck eggs and ripe tomatoes.
• Atchara – Pickled green papaya that keeps for weeks in the refrigerator.
• Asian Cucumber Salad – Thin cucumber slices in rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

• Cane vinegar – Apple cider vinegar is the closest match. White wine vinegar also works. Distilled white vinegar is much sharper, so it is not my first choice here.
• Grape tomatoes – Cherry tomatoes are a direct swap and need the same halving.
• Red onion – Sweet onion or white onion both work. You lose some color, and sweet onion makes the bowl noticeably less sharp.
• Green onion – Chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley will each give the salad a different flavor. Pick one instead of using both.
• Olive oil – Any neutral oil is fine. The dressing is mostly vinegar, so the oil is not carrying much flavor here.
• Sugar – Honey dissolves easily in the vinegar and tastes a little different from regular sugar.

The cane vinegar and that half teaspoon of sugar are the two things I would not change. I spoon it over my rice with a little of the dressing from the bottom of the bowl, and I keep going back to it through the whole meal instead of finishing it first.