A cucumber appetizer is a small food item made from cucumbers, and it is usually served as an appetizer before a meal. Ripe, blemish-free cucumbers should be washed before making appetizers with them. For simple appetizers, cucumbers can simply be sliced and served with dip, or seeds can be scooped out of thick slices and filling can be added. Small cucumber finger sandwiches can also be used as cucumber appetizers.
An appetizer, or hor d'oeuvre, is a pre-dinner snack. These are typically served before the start of a meal, but they can also be served as the main food at parties. Appetizers are usually small finger foods that can be eaten with no utensils. Cucumbers can be used as appetizer foods, and a cucumber appetizer is usually very easy to prepare.
When choosing cucumbers to make a cucumber appetizer, be sure to choose bright green, healthy looking vegetables. The flesh of the cucumber should be firm with no soft spots or broken areas. Before using cucumbers, they should be washed to remove any dirt, bacteria, or wax.
Cucumbers can be thinly sliced to make a simple and easy cucumber appetizer. While some people prefer to remove the cucumber peels before slicing them, the peel can also be left on. This peel will add color and texture to the cucumber slices. For a more decorative look, strips of peel can also be removed from a cucumber before it is sliced.
Sliced cucumber served as a cucumber appetizer should usually be served with a dip on the side. Salad dressings make excellent cucumber dip. One dip can be served with the slices, or several dips can be served for a variety.
A cucumber appetizer can also be made from thick cucumber slices as well. These slices should be roughly 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) thick. Small bowls can be made from these thick slices by scooping out the middle of them. Filling can then be added where the seeds are removed. Cream cheese mixtures often make tasty fillings for these cucumber cups.
Cucumber sandwiches, sometimes known as finger sandwiches, are another type of cucumber appetizer. To make these, a cucumber is first thinly sliced; some individuals also prefer to season or pickle these slices. A sauce or dressing can then be spread onto two pieces of bread, and the cucumber slices are placed between them. The crusts should be cut off of the bread, and it can be cut into four even squares to make four small finger sandwiches. Other food items, such as cheese or meat, can also be added to these sandwiches.