Cucumber Shrimp Appetizers

White tray filled with shrimp cucumber cream cheese bites.

4.34 from 6 votes

Cucumber Shrimp Appetizers

You won't be able to stop eating these easy Cucumber Shrimp Appetizers! Seared shrimp sit atop herb cream cheese and cucumber slices. Serve them up at your next holiday party or game day get-together.

Prep Time20

Cook Time2

Total Time22

Course: Appetizers, Appetizers For Entertaining

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cream cheese bites, New Year's Eve recipes

Servings: Servings

Calories: 24kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

16 (6 ounces) peeled, raw large shrimp (See Note 1)
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 ounces Neufchatel cheese or ⅓-less fat cream cheese room temperature (See Note 2)
¾ teaspoon minced fresh dill
¾ teaspoon minced chives plus more for garnish
16 (½-inch thick) English cucumber slices not peeled

Instructions

Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel.
In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp, olive oil, lemon zest, rosemary, garlic powder and salt. Toss to coat the shrimp.
Heat a large nonstick or enamaled cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp. Cook for 1 minute. Flip the shrimp and cook for 1 more minute. The shrimp should be just cooked through. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Place the room temperature Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese in a large bowl. Use a hand mixer to whip the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Start on a low speed so the cheese doesn’t splatter out of the bowl.
Add the dill and chives. Blend again to combine.
Using an offset spatula or butter knife, spread about 1 teaspoon cheese on each cucumber slice. Top each with a cooked shrimp.
Garnish with extra chopped chives. Serve.

Notes

Note 1: Large shrimp are often labeled as 31-35 (meaning there are 31-35 shrimp per pound). Use peeled, raw shrimp without the tails.

Note 2: Neufchâtel is often sold with the cream cheese in most grocery stores. Alternatively, you can use ⅓-less fat cream cheese.

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I provide nutritional information for my recipes as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using the LoseIt! calculator. While I attempt to provide information that is as accurate as possible, you should calculate the nutritional information independently before relying on it.

Nutrition