Inspiration to create these delicious finger hors d'oeuvres came after eating a Vietnamese salad by Jasper White, a Boston chef and James Beard Best Chef of the Northeast. Don't be overwhelmed by the ingredient list, the preparation is quite easy. Summer squash and zucchini may be used also.

Vietnamese Maine Lobster Salad In Cucumber Cups

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
4 teaspoons peanut oil
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
8-ounces cooked Maine lobster
1 small carrot
1/2 cup chopped green cabbage (Chinese or Napa is the best)
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh cilantro
2 Japanese burp less cucumbers, each about 6-inches long
Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, fish sauce, peanut oil, chili garlic sauce and creamy peanut butter. Season with sugar and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a stainless steel blade, coarsely chop the peanuts. Add the lobster meat and pulse until chopped.
3. Then add the carrot and cabbage and pulse. Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the dressing and mix well to combine. Fold in the cilantro. Taste the salad and if necessary, add more vinegar or chili sauce. The salad should be a nice balance between sweet, hot, spicy and salty.
4. To prepare the appetizer, slice the cucumbers into pieces 1/3-inch to 1/2-inch thick.
5. Using the small end of a melon baller, remove the center and the seeds from the cucumber slice, forming a "cucumber cup".
6. Mound a tablespoon of the salad on the cucumber cup and garnish each slice with a leaf of cilantro.

Makes about 24 individual cucumber cups (serving size is 1 cucumber cup).

Nutritional analysis per serving: 37 calories, 3 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fat, 100 mg. sodium, less than 1 gram fiber.

Ingredient notes: The cabbage wilts quickly, so this appetizer should be served the same day it is made. Rice wine vinegar, fish sauce (nam pla), and chili garlic sauce are available in the Asian section of larger supermarkets, at health food stores, or in Asian markets.

Recipe provided courtesy of Maine Lobster Promotion Council.