Cucumber Sushi Boat Recipe
Anything sushi at home is so delicious and fresh, and a welcome change to regular meal rotation. Perfect for snacking on the go, these Cucumber Sushi Boats are so good! A cored out mini cucumber is stuffed with rice and imitation crab, and drizzled with a creamy sweet chili mayo. The result is a portable, stackable, but-enough-for-a-meal recipe.
Cucumber Sushi Boat Recipe
For this recipe, we use a mini cucumber cored out, and then rice is added. The sushi boat is then topped with an imitation crab mixture. I like to top it with black sesame seeds, but furikake is also delicious and adds a nori element similar to seafood!
Cucumber Sushi Boat Ingredients:
- Mini Cucumbers: Cored out.
- Rice: I used regular white rice. I added a small touch of rice vinegar and sesame oil for added flavor.
- Imitation Crab: I mixed imitation crab with mayonnaise and greek yogurt, salt and a little bit of granulated garlic. If you don’t like imitation crab, you could use cooked chopped chilled shrimp.
- Sesame Seeds: I used black for better color variation.
- Chili Sauce (optional): I mixed a little bit of mayonnaise with sweet chili sauce and drizzled it over the sushi boats. You could also use teriyaki sauce, ponzu sauce, or sesame dressing.
Making Cucumber Boats
It’s a super easy process to put together sushi boats. You can customize these how you like. If you want a low carb version, skip the rice and double the crab filling!
- I use small cucumbers but you could make these larger and use full size and slice them. Cut a cucumber lengthwise in half. Core out the soft center with a spoon, leaving the skin in tact, which will naturally form a boat shape. Set aside.
- While the rice cooks, mix together imitation crab, Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, salt, and granulated garlic. I use half Greek yogurt half mayonnaise because I like the lower the fat content. You can use all, half, or a mixture of both Greek yogurt or mayonnaise. Chef’s choice!
- Once the rice is cooked, stir in the rice vinegar, along with the sesame oil and salt, and stir it until absorbed and mixed throughout.
- Finally, stuff the cucumber with rice, then the crab mixture, and top with sesame seeds.
I also like to drizzle a little sauce on these! I mix 2 tbsp mayonnaise with 1 tbsp of sweet chili sauce for a little heat. It’s not super spicy, and the added flavor is so good!
Serving & Storing Sushi Boats
You can serve these right away, or you can refrigerate them if making them ahead of time. I like them served when the rice is still a little warm. If you want to assembly them quickly, you could core out the cucumber, make the crab salad mixture, and keep the rice warm in a rice cooker. You could have them assembled and made in about 5 minutes with some simple prep work.
If you have leftovers, you can refrigerate cucumber boats for about 2 days if you plan to eat them cold. The rice does not keep up super well in the refrigerator, and these can’t be reheated, so these are truly best made fresh.
More Sushi Inspired Recipes
If you love sushi inspired recipes, here’s some more you might enjoy!
- Teriyaki Sushi Bowl
- Hawaiian Poke Recipe
- Low Carb Sushi Cucumber Bites
- Chicken Gyoza Bites
- Charcuterie Sushi
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Hope you enjoy this one as much as we did! – Kathi and Rachel
Cucumber Sushi Boats
Ingredients
- 6 mini cucumbers
- black sesame seeds (garnish)
Rice
- 1/2 cup white rice
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
Crab Filling
- 3/4 cup imitation crab
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
Creamy Chili Sauce
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
Instructions
- Make rice according to package directions. When finished cooking, remove lid, and stir in salt, rice vinegar, and sesame oil until fully incorporated. Set aside.
- While rice is cooking, prepare cucumbers and crab filling. 1. Slice cucumbers lengthwise. Use a spoon to core out the cucumber 'meat'. Set aside. 2. In a bowl, combine imitation crab, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, salt, and granulated garlic. Stir until crab is flakey, and ingredients are fully combined. Set aside. Prepare chili mayonnaise if desired in a small dish; whisk sweet chili sauce and mayonnaise together with a fork.
- Assemble cucumber sushi boats. Stuff each sushi boat with rice, then crab mixture. Garnish with sesame seeds and chili mayonnaise mixture if desired.
- Serve immediately & enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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