Our most-saved July recipe is so good, 'I could literally eat it every day'

This nostalgic summer recipe will quickly become a go-to.

Looking for a delicious way to use up all those fresh cucumbers that seem to overwhelm gardens and farmers' markets this time of year? Your search ends with our most-saved July recipe of all time: Cucumber-Tomato Salad.

With a near-perfect average rating from more than 800 members of the Allrecipes community, this classic and colorful side dish will be the star of your next summer spread—and it'll quickly become a go-to in your seasonal rotation. 

Why We Love It

There's a lot to love about this top-rated cucumber recipe. Here are just a few reasons we're obsessed: 

• It's full of old-fashioned flavor. Recent 5-star reviewer Donna Warner-Raskin puts it best: this classic dish tastes "just like grandma used to make." Other community members agree, likening the summer salad to nostalgic recipes from their own mothers and grandmothers. 
• It uses in-season ingredients. This cucumber-tomato salad is a gardener's dream (at least in the summertime, that is). If you don't have a vegetable garden in your backyard, a quick trip to the farmers' market is all you'll need. 
• It's the perfect make-ahead side dish. Because the marinade flavors take a few hours to reach their full effect, this is a great recipe to make in advance. It's important to note, though, that the cukes might lose some crispness after a while—so we don't recommend making this dish more than a day before you plan to serve it. 

"I've been craving this all week and finally made it. It's been a while! Letting it marinate for at least 2 hours is the key here...My 3-year-old daughter even loved it, and my husband, who has shockingly never had it (and hates tomatoes), loved it. It's just a simple, great combination, and I could literally eat it every day."

Allrecipes member Tay Nicole

Tips From the Test Kitchen

The colorful salad is also beloved by culinary producer and test kitchen expert Nicole McLaughlin, who calls it "summer's favorite side dish." Here are some of her best tips and tricks: 

• Leave out the water. McLaughlin omits the water from the recipe, as she prefers the strong vinegar flavor that "makes her cheeks tingle." She suggests keeping the water in, though, if you're looking to "tame some of that tang." However, she does recommend waiting until the end to add more liquid. You'll be surprised how much juice the veggies create when mixed with the marinade!
• Choose the right cucumber. You can use any cucumber variety you have on hand, but McLaughlin strongly recommends using straight-out-of-the-garden pickling cucumbers (aka Kirby cucumbers) for the crunchiest results. 
• Leave some peel on. McLaughlin tweaks the recipe a bit by peeling her cucumber only halfway, using a potato peeler to peel in stripes. Doing this adds a little extra color and flavor. 
• Choose the ripest tomatoes. "When it comes to the tomatoes, you can use whatever variety you want—just choose the ones that are the brightest red and the ripest. Those are going to have the sweetest flavor," advises McLaughlin.

Read the original article on Allrecipes