Crab-Stuffed Cucumbers Are Perfect For Summer

I love seafood, more than I probably should. Even if it's the fake kind (which is all pollock, if I'm not mistaken) it can be good, and it's certainly a lot cheaper than buying real seafood, especially if you don't live on a coast or in a big city. This recipe originally came from (I believe) Dlife.com, but I had to tweak it a great deal to make it taste how we wanted it to.

What I love about these is you can do them as an appetizer, or you can do them as a main dish. I even once seeded and diced the cucumber, then mixed it in with the crab.

What's nice is how easy they are to put together (especially if you're doing them as a main dish), and how well they travel. I've assembled them on more than one picnic table, because if you travel the crab salad separately and leave the cucumbers whole until you need them, they take up very little room and it doesn't much matter if they get tipped in the cooler.

Crab-Stuffed Cucumbers 

Serves 14

Ingredients:
8 ounces imitation crabmeat, chopped (if using real crab, use only 6 ounces)
2 tablespoons red bell pepper, minced
2 tablespoons green onion, thin sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh dill weed (or 1 tablespoon dried)
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 medium cucumbers 

Combine crab, bell pepper, onion, mayonnaise, dill and pepper in a bowl; cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours.

Cut cucumbers into 1-inch thick slices; hollow out seeds to form cups, leaving about 1/4 inch on the bottom. I've found a grapefruit spoon works well for this. If making boats, simply cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.

Fill each cucumber slice (or half) with crab mixture and serve. 

If you're feeling particularly fancy, you can peel the cucumbers in stripes so the cups have an alternating green and white pattern. You could also garnish them with sprigs of fresh dill or snipped fresh chives if you'd like.

Odds are really very good you'll have some of the crab salad left over. It's excellent as a dip for vegetables, spread on English muffins with melted cheese (like a tuna melt, but oh-so-much better!), or croissants, or simply eaten with a fork. I sometimes use green bell pepper instead of red, and sometimes I'll add some fresh chives (about a tablespoon). If you've got fresh dill, use it! Some people claim dried dill has no flavour, but I've found it tastes just fine. The fresh is definitely better, though.

If you make these, I'd love to hear from you!

Serving Size: 1 (23 g)

Calories 46.5

Total Fat - 3.8 g

Saturated Fat - 3 g

Cholesterol - 0.8 mg

Sodium - 53.3 mg

Total Carbohydrate - 2.7 g

Dietary Fiber - 0.3 g

Sugars - 1.3 g

Protein - 0.8 g