Cucumber Sandwich
Thinly sliced cucumber on buttered white bread with salt and pepper, cut into fingers: the classic tea sandwich. Four servings in 10 minutes.
Photograph credit: Flickr bitboy 204619671--Cucumber sandwiches with tea (image of cucumber sandwich on… by Bit Boy from Los Angeles, California, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
How to Cook Cucumber Sandwich
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Lay the cucumber slices on kitchen paper, sprinkle with the salt and leave for 10 minutes, then blot dry.
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Butter all the bread to the edges.
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Cover 4 slices with overlapping cucumber and the pepper, top with the other slices, trim off the crusts and cut into fingers.
What Can Go Wrong
- Slice the cucumber very thin.
- Salt and blot the slices.
- Butter right to the edges.
- Cover them until serving.
About This Recipe
The cucumber sandwich is the emblem of the English tea table, and it is harder to get right than it looks. It has only three parts, so each one has to be correct.
Slice the cucumber paper-thin, with a mandoline or a sharp knife, then lay the slices on kitchen paper with a pinch of salt. After 10 minutes, blot dry. This step stops the sandwiches weeping, as cucumber is mostly water.
Butter the bread right to the edges, using softened butter that spreads without tearing. The butter is a seal against the moisture, so be generous.
Lay the cucumber in overlapping rows, add pepper and close. Trim off the crusts with a sharp serrated knife, then cut into three fingers, or four small triangles. Cover with damp kitchen paper if you are not serving at once, since the bread dries out quickly. A little cream cheese beaten with the butter gives a richer spread, and fresh mint or dill adds a clean, cool note.
To Go With It
Egg and cress sandwiches · Scones · Pot of tea · Smoked salmon sandwiches
Leftovers
Best eaten within 2 hours. Covered with damp paper, they keep for 4 hours in the fridge.
Common Questions
How long does Cucumber Sandwich take to make?
About 10 minutes in total — 10 minutes of preparation and of cooking. The recipe serves 4.
What are the key tips for making Cucumber Sandwich?
Slice the cucumber very thin. Salt and blot the slices. Butter right to the edges. Cover them until serving.
What should I serve with Cucumber Sandwich?
Egg and cress sandwiches; Scones; Pot of tea; Smoked salmon sandwiches.
Is Cucumber Sandwich suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is vegetarian, low-carb, keto and no added sugar. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
What's in a Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
Reader Reviews
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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