Fire and Ice Salad
This is a staple at barbecues, family gatherings, and reunions. During our Southern Summers, we love the juicy and refreshing experience of eating this salad! Although I had seen it plenty as a child, the first time I actually tasted fire and ice salad was when I was pregnant with my daughter. My husband’s company hosted family night at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, renting the entire Museum out for the night and having a catered banquet.
Now most of y’all probably think the Space museum is a pretty neat place. After all, it is home to the first Space Camp (a great deal of the 80’s movie by that name was filmed there), it is a part of our Marshall Space Flight Center and hosts the IMax along with countless priceless artifacts and memorabilia.
I thought it was pretty cool, too, the first fifty or so times I went there. You see, when you are born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, you tend to have an awful lot of family and school field trips to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center (Two of my grandfather’s even built rocket engines). As a little girl, my enthusiasm remained so long as Miss Baker was there. Amidst all of the rockets and space suits which I knew little about and understood even less, it was still a thrill to get to see a space monkey eat a banana.
But Miss Baker passed away in 1984 and 14 years (and many more field trips) later I married someone whose childhood dream had been to visit the U.S. Space And Rocket Center. ~sighs~. We got annual passes. We went, and went, we did the tour, we walked around the museum. We had a son – who loved to visit the U.S. Space And Rocket Center. We renewed our membership. We visited. We walked, we watched, we participated, we rode, we ate, we oohed, we ahhed, we photographed.
So now I’m standing here at this banquet sponsored by my husband’s company in a museum filled with people just bursting with zeal over seeing an astronaut’s space suit that probably knew my face as well as I knew it, and I spied what amounted to a vat of Fire and Ice Salad on the buffet. Being several months pregnant, NOW I had something to get excited about.
Katy says babies sit in their Mama’s tummies and wait on her to drop food down so that they can catch it. If her theory were true, she would have been covered in tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions on that day! I don’t know how much I ate, but the next day I came home and wouldn’t you know it, I made me some more and ate that too!
If I had to describe the flavor of this salad in two words, I’d say “Refreshing” and “Fresh”. Alright so perhaps my description is a little redundant but you try it and see if I’m not right! This is the embodiment of everything a body craves on a hot summer’s day. Well, everything a body craves that doesn’t come with a little paper umbrella in the glass!
You’ll need: Two fresh tomatoes (I’m using three because mine are small), Two cucumbers, one red or purple onion, sugar, water, and…
White vinegar. Go for the cheap kind here, make me proud. 
You know, speaking of drinks that come with umbrellas, people talking openly of alcohol is really strange to me. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it. Up until a few years ago, I had lived in towns that weren’t even allowed to sell alcohol, “dry counties” is what they were called. Ordinances like this are prevalent in the old south, where are cultural roots are held deeply in the Baptist traditions. When I was in Los Angeles, I went in a drug store and they had an entire cooler of alcoholic drinks! I was really surprised to see that.
It’s amazing when the old gal gets out of the house, huh?
Cut up your tomatoes.
You can cut them in chunks, slices, or dice them. I’m doing little thin slices because it’s pretty that way.
Peel and cut cucumbers.
Allow cute little dimpled hands to steal a few slices even if it does make your picture blurry.
Cucumbers are for stealing. I wholeheartedly encourage it.
Cut up your onion.
I slice mine and then cut the slices in half, still leaving pretty big pieces.
This way, those of you who don’t care for the raw onions can pick them out easily enough.
By “those of you”, I really mean my mother.
See, Mama? There is a point to my onions being big sometimes. Now you don’t have to eat them.
Dump all of that into a bowl.
Now we have to make our dressing.
For this all we are going to do is combine equal parts water, vinegar, and sugar and stir it up.
I start with 1/2 cup of each but you can do more if you like. I wouldn’t do any less though.
This is me adding my sugar to the vinegar and water mixture.
~waves~
Stir that up good.
Don’t worry if your sugar isn’t dissolved all of the way because we’re going to let all of this marinate in the fridge for a spell before we eat.
Pour this over your veggies and stir.
Cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
It will make more juice but I like to go give it a good stir after an hour or so.
Save some for me!
Oh and if you’re ever in Huntsville and decide to go to the Space And Rocket Center, give me a holler. My family and I will probably be there, too!
Fire And Ice Salad
- 2 Tomatoes
- 2 Cucumbers
- 1 purple onion
- water
- white vinegar
- sugar
Peel and slice cucumbers. Chop tomatoes and onion. Combine all in a large bowl. Mix up a dressing of equal parts Vinegar, Water, and Sugar. Pour over vegetables and refrigerate.
*I start with 1/2 cup each of my dressing ingredients.
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Be more concerned about your character than your reputation because your character is who you are and your reputation is just what others THINK of you.
~Submitted my Southern Plate Reader, Emily. To submit your quote, and make someone’s day a little brighter, click here.
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I love this too-sort of similar to the Amish style swett and sours. I often add a big glob of mayonnaise too and some diced bell pepper. A glob is a scientific term for all a serving table spoon will hold in one dig!
Oh yes, I am also a fan of the ancient measurements such as globs! You know, its crazy that I have never thought of using bell pepper in this because I LOVE bell pepper! Oh my! Now you have me wanting to add corn, too! lol
If it is similar to ANYTHING the Amish make, that right there gives it five stars and a sixth star as a bonus! Amish food is amazing.
Gratefully,
Christy
As far as I know I have never had Amish food! I’ve never been to Amish country! I’ve hardly let Louisiana!!! Boy, I need to get out more!
How much is the cookbook with postage.
Love you site!
WOW, GREAT question! I always forget something!
Shipping is 2.50 and the cookbook is $14.95 so total is $17.45.
Ouch! I did math!
lol
I went in and added all of this into the post thanks to you. I really appreciate you reminding me!!
Gratefully,
Christy
Hey ya’ll wow I get to be the first to comment! Yeah me. Well we call it another name but the same taste it is sssoooo yummy!!! Ya’ll can add some mircle whip too and make it creamy if ya wish.
Both way are great
Well looks like ya’ll beat me to bein first oh well
Thanks Christy for reminding me of this wonderful recipe.
You’re right it is a light, refreshing dish that I’m going to serve tonight with beans and cornbread and sweet tea.
My family loves this salad but I have never made it with cukes. Next time I will throw them in (the cukes not my family)!!
Love the name… Fire and Ice!
Bountiful Blessings!
Will be sending in my cookbook order! Thanks so much for the update!!
LOL ! I like the idea of throwing your family in, personally. I know mine would get a real hoot out of it!
Thank you so much!
Christy & Tina….couldja at least have the kids take their shoes off first???
Puuuul–eeeezzze?
My sister and I were just talking about this salad this morning on the phone. I don’t like raw onions…
I forgot to tell you that I passed on your one dish pork chops and my girlfriend loved it.
You and my mama and the onions! lol If you ever eat at my house I’ll just set you near her and y’all can pick onions out of things for each other, lol.
My husband doesn’t like onions either. ~breathes out~ but as you can tell, I do!!
So glad y’all liked it!! Thank you for passing it on!
Gratefully,
Christy
Ya know.. after runnin around town all day gettin parts for my truck and trying to have the A/C fixed.. this salad would hit the spot.
I bought the truck from a friend who said he had never had the Air Conditioner serviced. A/C man tells me different. I now realize that friend who didn’t remember he was married on at least three occasions and is now getting a divorce, probably forgot a repair or two on the truck.
Ok.. sorry for the tangent…
Man that salad looks good! I love sweet and sour type stuff.
Thanks Christy!
Funny how some people suffer failing memories like that. Although I have to admit that I’ve seriously considered driving on past my house for an extended mountain vacation myself from time to time.
But in the end, I come home. The kids are just too darn cute to stay away from for long!
Gratefully,
Christy
Thanks for the recipe. I love all those ingredients. Right now I am getting tons of tomatoes. Just waiting on some cukes.:) And My red onions didn’t make it.:( I will have to try this when dh is home for R&R. I think this would go good with a nice piece of steak.:) Whatcha think?
Sharon:)
I think my mouth is watering and I’m looking for my place setting at your table as we speak!!!!!
This is good, we have also used italian dressing on ours, yummy!
Christy I love this salad. I use Italian dressing on mine but I am so glad to see the dressing you make because that is the one my grandma use to make and now I can do it that way…yummy!
Alright ya’ll, noooow I have something in common with Mama Janice…..I “prefer” (like the lady that my mama taught me to be) not to eat that onion …..raw ….buuuuuut iffens it is Vidalia, ya might jes twist my arm. Of course, when I am “company,” I will politely eat it all after a long hard day at the Space center ;} Sooooooo bring on those delish cukes, really red ripe tomatoes and pour on a gob (my scientific term) of vinegar etc and watch me haul my fanny back into the kitchen for more. Does anyone in the South (Sharon?) have ripened tomatoes yet…….I just planted mine as we had low 30 temps/frost not more than a week ago here in the northeast. I wannna be in the South nowwwww……..wahhh.
We used to have a similar salad when we were growing up. It was just cukes and vinegar. mmmmm was it ever tasty. Can you believe that none of my kids or my husband like cukes OR vinegar???!!! I should make me some just for myself. I’ll have to try it with the onions since I’ve never had it like that before…but you can keep the maters
Thanks Christy for reminding me how much I love my adaptation of Fire and Ice Salad.
Hey Christy,
My grandmother would make this also but she added salt and pepper to the vineagar and sugar and water. She called this her Kentucky Goullash….
I have also made it and used Zesty Italian Dressing instead of the sugar and water, I left a bit of the vineagar. I have tried Red wine vineagar Roasted Garlic. The vineagar gives it the little kick it needs. I have some in the fridge can’t wait to get home!!!!
I love your anecdotes of your family!!! They really make of think of remembrances from my family and youth! My grandmother made this same salad but it had a sour cream base instead of water (her mother came over from Germany) and it was really delish!!!!
Thanks for all your great recipes!!
Can I send a money order, rather than check, made out to Janice as well?
Whatever is best and most convenient for you is fine!
Gratefully,
Christy
This was and still is a summer dish at both my mom’s & mother in law’s but what is funny they both have different names for this dish. My mom & grandmother always referred to it as Goullash, my mother in law & her mother call it Thunder & Lightning.
I love any version of this salad but my family balks because the red or purple onions I use are always REALLY potent. I have read various tips on how to neutralize the slices a little bit, such as soaking them in milk or ice water, but none of those things seems to work. Does anyone know of a tried and true method of making those darned onions a little less zesty for my picky family? Thanks!
I read somewhere that you can tell how strong an onion will be by its SHAPE. A flatter onion will be milder than a round one or one that is tall and thin. I’m no scientist so I don’t know how reliable this is. Sweet Vidalias are usually flatter. I try to look for short, squatty onions in the store and I hardly ever get one that’s too hot/strong.
Thanks! I’ll give it a shot…nothing to lose!
I have a recipe for this as well, except mine calls for mustard seed and a scant pinch (and I do mean scant) of cayenne pepper, the dressing is then heated on the stove til the sugar dissolves and poured over the tomatoes cucumbers and onions. YUM YUM. And it just gets better as it sits.
During the summer months here, a bowl of cucumbers and “spring” onions with vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper is always on the table. The tomatoes are just sliced onto a plate. Pickled beets and some pepper vinegar as well. What we called Goulash was butter beans, corn and stewed tomatoes (sweetened of course ) in a bowl with some hot pepper cut up if you were brave!
Bring on the garden!
Oh my gosh Christy we did it again!!! I made this exact salad yesterday from tomatoes and cucumbers I had just picked out of my garden, I kid you not. I about fell out when I opened your post. You are startin’ to freak me out – how are we always on the same wave length?? I told you we were separated at birth!
Oh, I love that too & make it all the time in the summer. The only difference is, I don’t add the sugar. I just do olive oil & balsamic vinegar for a tangy salad. It is SO good! We are growing our own tomatoes & they are starting to come in now. Love Summer!! Thanks for adding my button, you’re a doll.
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I made this same salad when I was pregnant with my daughter. All. The. Time. Except I used balsamic vinigarette dressing for the marinade. I could have supported Paul Newmans favorite charity by myself for all the salad dressing I bought!
Your sugar/water/vinegar combo sounds intriguing. I may try it. Sadly, my family (esp hubby) doesn’t like cukes. He thinks I should make it with zucchini…blech. I do NOT think it would turn out the same at all!!
Two things:
1. I love the U.S. Space and Rocket Center! My class went there on a field trip when I was in the 6th grade.
2. I grew up in Atlanta, and now live in L.A., and I agree it’s so weird to walk into a drugstore and see shelves of hard liquor!! Granted, my Kroger at home always had a beer and wine section, but still!
My mom and dad make this except we don’t call it fire and ice we call it cucumber and onions. They don’t put tomatoes in it! I don’t like raw onions so I just eat the cucumbers I looooooove it tho!
Christy, thank you sooo much for this recipe. The first time I made it, even my youngest raved about it.
We recently went camping w/some friends & I decided to make this to take along. Well, as you know there’s always something you forgot at the store; I forgot white vinegar, so I used apple cider vinegar instead. Not only did my guys like it better (they like spicy/tangy), but our friends loved it as well. As a matter of fact, they kept the leftovers!
This does look good. I have had something similar before and it was great. Just need some good burgers and brats to go with it… Yumm…