Cucumber & Surimi Bites

📝 Ingredients

• 2 cucumbers (about 300 g each)
• 250 g surimi sticks
• 200 g fromage frais, 3% fat
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise + 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ unwaxed lemon (zest and juice)
• 10 g fresh chives
• 1 pinch sweet paprika (to garnish)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Chopping board
• Paring knife
• Melon baller or teaspoon
• Mixing bowl
• Fine grater (for the zest)
• Freezer bag (as a piping bag)

📖 Steps

1. Wash the cucumbers, trim the ends, then cut them into 2.5 cm thick rounds, 8 to 10 per cucumber. Leave the skin on: it adds crunch and helps the bites hold their shape.
2. Hollow out the centre of each round with a melon baller or teaspoon, about 1.5 cm deep, leaving a 1 cm base so the filling doesn't fall through.
3. Very lightly salt the inside of the rounds and place them upside down on kitchen paper for 10 min: the cucumber releases its water and the filling won't get soggy.
4. Meanwhile, finely chop the surimi sticks with a knife (or shred them with a fork), snip the chives and finely grate the zest of the half lemon before squeezing its juice.
5. In the mixing bowl, combine the fromage frais, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon zest and juice. Add the surimi and three-quarters of the chives, season with pepper, taste, then add salt only if needed: the surimi is already salty.
6. Spoon the surimi cream into the freezer bag, snip off 1.5 cm of one corner and generously fill each round, forming a small dome. If you don't have a bag, fill them using two teaspoons.
7. Sprinkle with a pinch of paprika and the rest of the chives, then serve well chilled, ideally straight away. Once filled, the bites keep for 3 h at most in the fridge: any longer and the cucumber softens and releases water.