Steirischer Gurkensalat mit Kernöl

The first time I saw Kernöl poured over a salad, I was maybe eight years old, sitting at a wooden table somewhere in the Salzkammergut on one of those summer trips with Gretel and my grandmother Eva. A woman at the next table drizzled something nearly black over sliced cucumbers and I thought she'd ruined them. Eva saw my face and laughed. She ordered the same salad for me. One bite and I understood. That dark, nutty oil tasted like nothing I'd ever had. I've been in love with it since.

Steirischer Gurkensalat is the salad Austrians eat all summer long. You'll find it on every Gasthaus menu in Styria from June through September, and in my restaurant in Salzburg it's on the table before you've even decided what else you want. The cucumbers must be sliced paper-thin, almost translucent. The Marinade is sharp with good cider vinegar, softened by a whisper of sugar, and thinned with a splash of water so it soaks into every slice. Then, right before serving, you pour the Kernöl over the top in a dark green swirl and let it sit there, glistening.

Gretel always said Austrian salads are honest food. No thick dressings hiding what's underneath. No complicated technique standing between you and the ingredient. Good cucumbers, good vinegar, good oil. That's the whole secret. The Kernöl does the talking, and if you've never tasted Steirisches Kürbiskernöl before, this salad is the place to start.