A Bridal Shower Tea: Cucumber Cups Filled with Crab

These little cucumber cups combine two traditional tea party flavors, cucumber and crab, into one simple treat. To make the cucumber cups, start with an English or Hothouse Cucumber. They are longer and more uniform than the regular cucumbers that I used. Peel the cucumbers if they are waxed. Slice the cucumber into pieces about 1 1/2 inches long. Use a melon baller to scoop out the inside, leaving a 1/4 inch rim around the side and a 1/2 inch base. The cucumber cups can be held in the fridge for up to 4 hours before filling.

For the crab salad filling, combine 8 ounces crab meat with just enough mayonnaise to moisten. Add a bit of very finely chopped sweet onion and celery. Don't overpower the crab with extras.

I used King Crab instead of our local Chesapeake Bay crab because of the cost. The Chesapeake Bay crab was about $27.00 a pound and the King Crab was about half that. It is indeed a splurge. To go even less expensive, use imitation crab meat. Or fill the cucumber cups with another salad altogether.