These Cucumber Shrimp Bites with creamy avocado, succulent shrimp, and crisp cucumber are the appetizers you’ve been looking for.
As one of my go-to summer picnic recipes, these bites offer a light, refreshing appetizer that’s both easy to prepare and visually stunning.
Jump to:
Here’s Why This Recipe Works
I love cucumber appetizers. They always look great and usually require little effort. My Salmon Cucumber Roll-Ups are a testament to this.
These Cucumber Shrimp Bites tick all the boxes:
- Quick and Easy: You can whip these up in about 20 minutes. Perfect for last-minute gatherings.
- Easy to Prep in Advance: You can have all the components ready and assemble before serving. For this reason, they make a great picnic finger food idea.
- They Look Chic: These shrimp bites are one of those effortlessly elegant appetizers.
- Healthy-ish: With cucumber, avocado, and shrimp, they’re delicious but still on the healthy side.
- Customizable: Don’t like spice? Skip the cayenne. Want it zestier? Add more lemon. This appetizer lets you do you.
Ingredient Notes
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements and notes.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Seasonings: Cajun or Old Bay seasonings are good alternatives to smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. They provide a robust and well-rounded flavor that complements shrimp well. Lemon pepper is another great seasoning that compliments the shrimp and avocado.
- Cooked or Raw Shrimp: I often use cooked shrimp for this recipe because it is easy to buy fresh and so much easier to peel and devein (call me lazy). You can also use uncooked shrimp (I give cooking instructions for both). If you can find fresh shrimp, great; otherwise, large frozen shrimp are fine. Defrost in the fridge and rinse before marinating.
- Fresh Herbs: I use parsley but sometimes use cilantro. Either works really well with these flavors.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Wash the cucumber and slice it into 15 rounds approx. 1/4-1/2 inch thick.
Step 2: Add avocado, garlic, parsley, 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice, and salt to taste to a blender. Blend until smooth.
Step 2: Peel and devein the shrimp and place it in a small bowl. Add cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and salt to taste. Stir gently to coat the shrimp.
Heat a pan over medium heat. Add the butter and wait for it to melt. Add the shrimp and cook –
- For cooked shrimp: quickly toss them in the hot pan, only a minute or two to heat the spices and make them crispy. You don’t want to dry them out.
- For raw shrimp: add the shrimp in a single layer and sauté 2 min per side or until cooked through.
Step 3: Add a spoonful of avocado mix to each cucumber slice, and place a shrimp on top of each. Drizzle with a little lemon and sprinkle with chopped parsley. You can also use a star-shaped nozzle on a piping bag if you want to get a little fancy.
Recipe FAQs
You can prep the components ahead of time, but I’d assemble them just before serving to keep everything fresh and crisp.
Absolutely! This recipe uses pre-cooked shrimp. Coat them in the spices and toss them in a hot pan.
Expert Tips
- Use English Cucumbers: English cucumbers are great for this recipe, as they have fewer seeds and a crisper texture, making them ideal for this type of appetizer.
- Cucumber preparation: To create a more stable base, don’t cut the cucumber slices too thin. Aim for about 1/4 inch or slightly more. If the cucumber is watery, lightly salt the slices, let them sit for 5 minutes, and pat dry. This will prevent soggy bites.
- Shrimp marination: You can let the shrimp sit in the spices and lemon in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse.
- Avocado: Use ripe but firm avocados to maintain a good texture. You don’t want your avocado mix to be too sloppy.
Related Recipes
Did you try these Cucumber Shrimp Bites?
Please leave me a ⭐ rating below and let me know in the comments how you enjoyed them.
Cucumber Shrimp Bites
Ingredients
- 15 shrimp - raw or pre cooked – peeled and deveined
- 2 avocados
- 1 small cucumber - 15 slices
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 lemon - juice only
- ½ bunch parsley or cilantro
- 1 tablespoon butter - or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the cucumber and slice it into 15 rounds approx. 1/4-1/2 inch thick.
- Add avocado, garlic, parsley, 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice, and salt to taste to a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Peel and devein the shrimp and place them in a small bowl. Add cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and salt to taste. Stir gently to coat the shrimp.
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Add the butter and wait for it to melt. Add the shrimp and cook – For cooked shrimp: quickly toss them in the hot pan, only a minute or two to heat the spices and make them crispy. You don’t want to dry them out. For raw shrimp: add the shrimp in a single layer and sauté 2 min per side or until cooked through.
- Add a spoonful of avocado mix to each cucumber slice, and place a shrimp on top of each. Drizzle with a little lemon and sprinkle with chopped parsley. You can also use a star-shaped nozzle on a piping bag for the avocado if you want to get a little fancy.
Notes
- Seasonings: Cajun or Old Bay seasonings are good alternatives to smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. They provide a robust and well-rounded flavor that complements shrimp well. Lemon pepper is another great seasoning that compliments the shrimp and avocado.
- Cooked or Raw Shrimp: I often use cooked shrimp for this recipe because it is easy to buy fresh and so much easier to peel and devein (call me lazy). You can also use uncooked shrimp (I give cooking instructions for both). If you can find fresh shrimp, great; otherwise, large frozen shrimp are fine. Defrost in the fridge and rinse before marinating.
- Fresh Herbs: I use parsley but sometimes use cilantro. Either works really well with these flavors.
- Use English Cucumbers: English cucumbers are great for this recipe, as they have fewer seeds and a crisper texture, making them ideal for this type of appetizer.
- Cucumber preparation: Don’t cut the cucumber slices too thin to create a more stable base. Aim for about 1/4 inch or slightly more. If the cucumber is watery, lightly salt the slices, let them sit for 5 minutes, and pat dry. This will prevent soggy bites.
- Shrimp marination: You can let the shrimp sit in the spices and lemon in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse.
- Avocado: Use ripe but firm avocados to maintain a good texture. You don’t want your avocado mix to be too sloppy.
Leave a Reply