3 kyuri (Japanese cucumbers),
scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch thich rounds
3 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or pickling)

Place cucumbers in a pickle press, add 1 teaspoon of the salt, and mix well using your hand. Add another teaspoon of the salt and mix again. Add the third and final teaspoon of salt and mix well. Clamp on the top of the pickle press, screw down the platform until it presses tightly on the top of the cucumber layers, and leave under pressure for about 10 hours to extract excess liquid.

Remove the pickles from the press and transfer to a colander; rinse well to remove all the salt, then pat dry with paper towels and serve. These salt pickles should last 1 week or more if refrigerated.

Variation: Along with the salt, you can also mix in 8 to 10 fresh shiso leaves that have been stacked and snipped into strips with scissors.

From Lucy Norris's Pickled, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2003.