18 Cool Cucumber Appetizers So Delicious, You'll Want to Eat Them for Dinner

This fresh, tangy cucumber salsa is perfect for grilled fish or on its own as a simple side salad. Well balanced and easy to make, the flavor mellows and the cucumber softens as this sits, so it can easily be made a day or two ahead of time--or enjoy it right away, fresh and crisp.

A refreshing accompaniment to a main course of meat or fish, this cucumber-yogurt salad also makes a tasty filling for pita bread. If the cucumbers are grated instead of chopped, this mixture can be served as a dip.

This refreshing summer salsa combines cooling watermelon and cucumber with the kick from jalapeño. The heat from jalapeños can vary widely. For those that like the heat, use a whole jalapeño. Serve with tortilla chips on the side.

This cucumber vinegar salad has the perfect balance between sweet and sour flavors, plus a hint of fresh dill. The red onion adds nice crunch. Enjoy this salad right after you're done making it or store it away to snack on for later.

Here's a healthy salad recipe to make at the height of summer when watermelon and cucumbers are at their juiciest and most flavorful. Feta adds the perfect creamy, salty, tangy edge, and mint makes this salad taste even brighter. This is one easy side salad you'll want to serve at all your summer BBQs.

This smoked salmon platter requires little effort but the spread makes a big impression. Served with all the fixings--capers, hard-boiled eggs, cucumber and more--a smoked salmon platter is the ultimate make-ahead appetizer. Lay out everything listed in the ingredients below or just a few of the elements along with an assortment of crackers, cocktail bread and/or sliced baguette.

Enjoy this sweet, refreshing salad alongside grilled meat or fish to cut through the richness and refresh the palate. If you like a little heat, adding jalapeño will give you the kick you crave. While packs of prechopped pineapple are convenient, they're almost always more expensive. When pineapple is in season, it's best to buy fresh and chop it yourself. Look for a pineapple with a golden-yellow exterior, which is a good indicator of ripeness.

You may not typically serve your cucumbers bruised, but intentionally smashing them releases their flavorful juices. Taking the time to soak the walnuts for this dish gives them a special soft texture and plumpness. Serve this vegetable dish with pita as part of a mezze platter or as a side salad.

It's worth using that special bottle of olive oil and seeking out Parmigiano-Reggiano, which is bolder than basic Parm, for this simple salad. Use a mandoline to shave the veggies if you have one.

This healthy summer salad is bursting with Mediterranean flavors and takes just 10 minutes to prepare. Serve it alongside grilled chicken, pork or fish or as part of a vegetarian spread. If you can't find Campari tomatoes or Persian cucumbers, feel free to swap them for whatever variety looks the best at your farmers' market.

Turn classic Greek salad into finger food appetizers on a stick. The cute presentation is also super easy to prepare and makes for easy eating at a cocktail party or on game day. Just skewer tomatoes, cucumber, onion, feta and olives and serve with a side of Greek salad dressing for dipping!

Gazpacho is a delicious way to eat more veggies. Think of it as a vegetable smoothie. Not only does Chef José Andrés keep a pitcher of this healthy gazpacho recipe in his refrigerator all summer, it's also served at Beefsteak, his chain of vegetable-driven restaurants.

This crisp blend of vegetables is offered as a topping or side at Zooba, the Egyptian street food restaurant in New York City. We made it a stand-alone salad to stuff into pita with taameya (Egyptian falafel--see Associated Recipes) or serve with just about anything else. (Recipe adapted from Zooba Restaurant.)

Tangy buttermilk and fresh mint make this chilled soup a refreshing starter in the summer.