Crab Salad on Cucumber Rounds

NOTES: This citrusy crab salad on crunchy cucumber rounds makes a refreshing appetizer. You can prepare through step 3 up to 3 hours ahead. Cover crab mixture and lime-juice mixture separately; chill until ready to serve.

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1  or 2 stalks fresh lemon grass (each 10 to 12 in. long) or 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel (yellow part only)
• 12  fresh or thawed frozen kaffir lime leaf sections (each 1 1/2 to 2 in. long) or 1 tablespoon grated lime peel (green part only)
• 1/3  pound  shelled cooked crab
• 1/4  cup  thinly slivered shallots
• 1  tablespoon  finely shredded carrot
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh cilantro
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1  tablespoon  chopped green onion
• 2  tablespoons  lime juice
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  Thai roasted-chili paste (purchased or homemade)
• 1  teaspoon  Asian fish sauce or salt to taste
• 1  teaspoon  sugar
• About 8 ounces English cucumber

Preparation

1. Rinse lemon grass. Cut off and discard tough tops and root ends; peel off and discard tough outer green layers of stalks down to tender white parts. Finely chop enough to make 1/4 cup.

2. Rinse kaffir lime leaves. Stack three or four leaves at a time and cut crosswise into very fine shreds.

3. In a bowl, mix lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, crab, shallots, carrot, cilantro, mint, and green onion. In a small bowl, mix lime juice, chili paste, fish sauce (but not salt, if using), and sugar.

4. Just before serving, stir lime-juice mixture into crab mixture. If not using fish sauce, add salt to taste. Rinse cucumber and cut crosswise into about 24 rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Top each slice with a scant tablespoon crab mixture.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

36 (18% from fat)

Protein:

4.4g

Fat:

0.7g (sat 0.1)

Carbohydrate:

3.1g

Fiber:

0.5g

Sodium:

84mg

Cholesterol:

19mg