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During a tour of Scotland in 1773, the British author Samuel Johnson famously dissed the lowly cucumber.

“A cucumber should be well sliced, and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out, as good for nothing,” he told his friend and future biographer James Boswell.

But Dr. Johnson may have just needed a better recipe. This week Recipes for Health author Martha Rose Shulman offers five enticing ways to serve this cool summer vegetable.

Creamy Cucumber Salad: This simple combination, originally made with French farmer cheese, requires lots of pepper for seasoning.

Cooked Curried Cucumbers: When you cook cucumbers, they soften yet retain much of their crunchy texture.

Iranian Tomato and Cucumber Salad: This Persian salad gets its flavor from a variety of fresh herbs.

Halibut With Cucumbers and Dill: This dish can be made with different types of seafood. Just be sure they are eco-friendly choices.

Cucumbers Vinaigrette: Simply slicing cucumbers as thinly as possible helps make this dish memorable.