In the early days of our Maine summers, I remember catching crabs in a little trap off the dock float. I loved eating steamed crab, but it was so much work and messy for so little appetite-satisfaction. Eventually, we started to order and pick up already-cooked and picked crabmeat from the local grocery in Lincolnville. At the end of our summers, Gma would put in a large order to take home to Boston as this crabmeat was a family favorite. I don’t think this is a traditional recipe, just one that combined Gpa’s favorite combo of fresh cucumbers, a little mayo and fresh crabmeat. Like all simple recipes, the quality of the ingredients matters more than skill, so this is such a pleasing dish to treat yourself to and requires very little prep.
- 1 medium-sized english cucumber
- 1/2 pound picked Maine crabmeat (see note*)
- 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
Peel and thinly slice the cumber and place in a strainer, salt generously and toss (same technique as the potato salad) and place the strainer in a bowl to drain the cucumber liquid. After 20 minutes, squeeze any extra liquid from the cucumbers. They will be soft and transparent but still have a nice bite to them.
Gently mix the cucumber, mayonnaise, and crabmeat until well combined. When we first started making this salad, we served it with hot popovers. It’s still my favorite way to eat it but it also goes well with a really nice Stone and Skillet english muffin.
*I have not tried this recipe with any other type of crabmeat but I’m interested in how they will compare to the Maine crabmeat. I’ve been ordering my crabmeat from Young’s Lobster Pound to make this recipe for Christmas dinner. The crabmeat freezes well and you might as well “order up” as you’ll be paying twice as much for overnight shipping!
https://www.youngslobsters.com/