Wasabi crab and avocado on cucumber

This is the sort of summer lunch that I want when I can’t be bothered to make lunch, when it’s hot outside and I’m not that hungry. These are the days when I want an instant treat, when a quick slice of toast would feel like a sorry option, but I don’t want to invest much more time.

I was mooching around my favourite spice stall at the market a couple of weeks ago, trying my best, as I always do, to limit my purchases to just three things, when wasabi powder caught my eye. I’ve only really used wasabi paste before and had visions of using it to add some zip to a summery seafood dish, so it made its debut appearance with this crab. A little wasabi adds a delicate, fresh heat to the rich crab and avocado mixture. I popped this mixture on top of some chunky slices of cucumber for a lovely cool crunch, although needless to say, this would also be lovely on the carb of your choice.

Start by putting a 100g pot of mixed fresh crabmeat into a mixing bowl. Peel and dice half an avocado into small cubes and add to the crab. Add about 1 tbsp mayonnaise and a few snipped chives and stir to combine. Season with 1/4 – 1/2 tsp wasabi (add heat to your own taste), a generous spritz of  lime juice and a little salt and pepper.

Thickly slice some cucumber into rings, I used 6 slices for this amount of mixture although it would easily stretch to 8. Top with the crab mixture and add a few extra chives on top.

Makes 1 lovely lunch, although I can happily imagine these being served alongside a nice G&T as a pre-dinner snack.

Shopping list:

100g pot mixed crab meat (I used a 50/50 pot of dark and white crab meat, although all white would work nicely too)

1/2 avocado

1 tbsp mayonnaise

About 1/3 cucumber

Wasabi powder or paste

1 lime

Chives