Shrimp, Lobster and herbed cucumber salad.
Although I am not of Lithuanian descent I have taught Lithuanian cooking classes for many years and spent July 2005 taking a Lithuanian language course at the University of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania and researching the foods and culture. This is my favorite of various recipes I have seen or tasted. Traditionally, Lithuanian cuisine uses a lot of sour cream and dill and we all know how cucumbers take over when you grow them yourself. Some recipes add chopped hard boiled egg, horseradish and mustard to this recipe. I like the clean, fresh taste of this one. Sometimes I go slightly crazy with too much dill and it tastes a bit bitter, so just be aware of that. Also try smoked trout, fresh trout or smoked salmon instead of the shrimp. You can, of course, make this without the fish as an excellent cucumber salad. Lithuanians would have tended to use 100% sour cream which gives a phenomenal difference in taste in certain dishes, I tend to use lite sour cream, and don’t even think of using non fat sour cream.
Makes about 3 cups of cucumber salad and then add shrimp and lobster, which makes about 4 lunchtime portions.
This is an easily made salad, made special by the addition of the lobster and shrimp. Lobster transforms this salad into a celebration meal, for a bridal shower, college graduation party, small wedding. I made this as part of a Royal Wedding Breakfast on Wednesday 27 April (just 2 days before the Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton) on WMUR's ABC's Channel 9 Cooks Corner but clip is no longer available.
1 European/English seedless cucumber, peeled, and quartered lengthwise. I then slice off most of the seeds and cut the cucumber into roughly half inch pieces. You can also thinly slice the cucumber. I used a 4 mm slicing blade in my food processor and cut the cucumber in half lengthwise so I cut semi circles of cucumber. I have tried grating the cucumber but it collapses down too much. I like the texture of cubes of cucumber.
3-4 tsp hot pepper jelly. Optional (this is not traditional Lithuanian but I like it this way.)
1/2 tsp salt
1 c sour cream – My students of Lithuanian descent love the Friendship brand of sour cream as being the most authentic tasting sour cream, but it is 100% not lite.
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill or more to taste, plus additional dill for garnish
2 tbsp chopped green of green onions
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp sugar
freshly ground pepper
½ lb cooked, shelled salad shrimp and some lobster tail or claws, meat removed.
Melt the hot pepper jelly in the microwave in a 2 c jug or bowl for about 15 seconds, then stir in the sour cream with the salt, dill, parsley, green onions, pepper and sugar. Add the cucumber and mix well. The pepper jelly gives a slight bite to the salad and the sugar in the jelly mellows the acidity.
Add shrimp and some of the lobster chopped. Keep the nicest whole pieces of lobster as a garnish. Taste for seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
Stir and sprinkle with additional dill to serve. Scoop portions of salad onto either complete Romaine lettuce leaves or cups of Bibb lettuce. Garnish with slices of lobster tail or complete piece of claw meat. Serve with tiny fingerling potatoes and a tomato bruschetta salad or carrot salad for more color. Asparagus without the orange dressing is a good match.
The sauce seeping out is a tasty dressing when you serve this salad on top of shredded lettuce.
Options.
Apart from the sour cream version above, I love making this with crème fraiche. You can also make it with half lemon yogurt and half lite mayo. Calorie totals vary according to brand, but as a rough guide:
1 cup lite sour cream is 280 calories,
1 cup mix of GF lemon yogurt (Chobani state their yogurt is gluten free) and lite mayo is 380 calories (and also more friendly for lactose intolerant),
1 cup of crème fraiche is 540 calories. (I make my own crème fraiche with a 50/50 mix of heavy cream and lite sour cream, warmed and left to thicken)
The original recipe also added capers for an extra pickle flavor. In Lithuania and Eastern Europe, pickling was one way of preserving vegetables during the long, cold winters and these pickles would last until the next harvest.
1-2 tbsp capers drained .Capers are the unopened flower bud of a Mediterranean shrub. The term ‘non pareil’ frequently shown on jars of capers means that they are top quality, small and tight buds, as compared to large, open buds. Both types are preserved in a vinegar/salt solution. Think of them as a mini pickle. Normally sold in about a 4 oz glass jar containing about 4 tablespoons capers. Remove from solution but make sure remaining capers are still covering by vinegar solution.
