🦀🦐 Creamy Crab and Crisp Cucumber Delight! Elegant ‘Crab & Cucumber Rice Balls’ Recipe
Refreshing and Flavorful! 🍣 ‘Crab & Cucumber Rice Balls’ (Cucumber Rolls)
With cucumbers in season, let’s create these simple yet elegant ‘Crab & Cucumber Rice Balls’! The delightful combination of tender crab meat and fresh, crisp cucumber will tantalize your taste buds. Perfect for special occasions, a fun kids’ snack, or a light and satisfying meal.
Main Ingredients
- 1 pack crab meat (or 100g smoked crab meat)
- 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
- Pinch of salt (adjust according to crab meat’s seasoning)
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1/2 cucumber
- 2 servings rice (approx. 400g)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt (for pickling cucumber, optional)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the crab meat. If using smoked crab, place it in a plastic bag and shred it with your hands or finely chop it with a knife. If you’re using crab sticks with a salmon color, they add a lovely visual appeal. Shredding the crab finely will enhance the texture when mixed with the rice.
Step 2
In a bowl, combine the prepared crab meat with 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Mix gently. If the crab meat is already seasoned, you might want to omit the salt or use only a tiny amount to adjust the taste. The mayonnaise will make the crab meat wonderfully tender and flavorful.
Step 3
Wash the cucumber thoroughly. Then, using a vegetable peeler, peel long, thin strips from the cucumber. These thin cucumber slices will be used to wrap the rice balls, so it’s important they are not too thick. Aim for the thinnest, longest strips you can manage.
Step 4
Finely chop the remaining cucumber after peeling the strips. Sprinkle the chopped cucumber with 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt and let it sit for about 10 minutes. This step helps to draw out excess moisture, keeping the cucumber crisp, and seasons it lightly. If this step feels like too much effort, you can skip it. After salting, thoroughly squeeze out any excess water from the chopped cucumber.
Step 5
Prepare the rice for the rice balls. In a bowl of warm rice (about 2 servings), add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and a pinch of salt. Mix well to season. Using rice that is slightly cooled rather than piping hot will prevent the cucumber from wilting. If the rice is too hot, mix gently to avoid mashing the grains. Add the squeezed chopped cucumber to the seasoned rice and mix.
Step 6
Now, add the prepared crab mixture to the rice. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, gently ‘cut’ and mix the ingredients together, rather than stirring vigorously. This technique ensures the rice grains remain intact while evenly distributing the crab. Be gentle to avoid crushing the rice.
Step 7
Put on a pair of disposable gloves. Take a portion of the rice mixture and firmly press it into a compact ball shape. Pressing firmly is key to ensuring the rice balls hold their shape and don’t fall apart. Another tip: you can wrap each finished rice ball tightly in plastic wrap to help maintain its form.
Step 8
Finally, wrap the shaped rice balls with the thin cucumber strips you prepared earlier. Make sure to arrange the cucumber so the thinnest part is on the outside; this helps the edges stick together and prevents the roll from unraveling. Arrange the finished ‘Crab & Cucumber Rice Balls’ attractively on a plate. For an extra touch, garnish with gold kiwi or other fruits!
