Name: Caviar in Cucumber Baskets
Yield: Makes 6
Cuisine: Japan
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon wasabi powder (fiery Japanese horseradish); 2 ounces ikura (salmon roe); 1 teaspoon cold water; 1 teaspoon usukuchi shōyu (light soy sauce); 1 unwaxed cucumber, about 5–6 ounces

Preparation info

Makes
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

An American Taste of Japan

By Elizabeth Andoh

Published 1985

About

These charming, elegant little hors d’oeuvres are meant to be consumed in just a bite or two.

Ingredients

1 unwaxed cucumber, about 5–6 ounces
2 ounces ikura (salmon roe)

Method

Wash the cucumber well and slice off about ½ inch from the stem (darker green) end. Using this stem piece, rub the cut surface in circular motions until a thick white foam appears; rinse it away. This is what the Japanese call aku nuki or “bitterness removal.” Trim off the flowering (lighter-col