serves 4 as a side
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt, or more to taste
¼ teaspoon sugar, or more to taste
1 hothouse, unpeeled, cut into 1/8 inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)**
½ red onion, cut in half through the stem end and sliced very thinly crosswise
Place vinegar, salt, and sugar in a medium-size bowl and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or sugar as needed.
Add the cucumber and onion to the vinegar mixture and toss to coat. If you are not planning on seving the salad immediately, it can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days.
Variation: For an Asian accent, substitute unseasoned rice wine vinegar for the white wine vinegar and stir in ½ teaspoon of toasted sesame seed oil. Before serving, garnish the cucumbers with 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds.
**substitute either pickling or slicing cucumbers for hothouse cukes, as many as you need for 2 cups sliced cucumbers.