Greek Shrimp Canapes

Greek shrimp canapes shine as a pretty appetizer on a loaded party table or a light start to a garden-fresh meal or seafood feast. These canapes stand out—literally!—with tall curls of seasoned shrimp in a swirl of cream cheese perched on crisp cucumber rounds. Yet they’re a snap to prep and assemble.

It’s usually best to cook shrimp quickly over a high heat so they sear on the outside and stay juicy inside. This recipe takes a different approach: Marinate the shrimp in lemon and herbs, cook the sauce in a slow cooker and then add the shrimp. These slow-cooked shrimp get intensely flavored while the sauce reduces.

Even though they cook low and for a relatively short time, shrimp risk becoming rubbery in a slow cooker. Keeping them submerged in the sauce is essential so they don’t dry out too fast. Slow cookers vary in temperature settings, so start checking on the shrimp about halfway through the cooking time and remove them as soon as they turn an opaque pink and curl into a C shape.

Ingredients for Greek Shrimp Canapes

• Marinade: Olive oil, lemon juice, white wine, Greek seasoning and fresh garlic meld together for this marinade. Use inexpensive extra-virgin olive oil or other cooking oil instead of the good stuff. The same goes for the wine; you don’t need a top-shelf bottle. Use store-bought or homemade Greek seasoning, which usually contains garlic and onion powder, black pepper, oregano and other herbs.
• Raw shrimp: Medium shrimp (31-40 per pound) fit nicely atop the cucumber slices. Because they spend a lot of time in the marinade and slow cooker, be sure to start with uncooked shrimp. Precooked ones will come out tough and unappealing.
• Cucumbers: When choosing a cucumber variety for this recipe, opt for English or Persian cucumbers, which have fewer seeds and a tender skin you don’t need to peel. The skins of regular slicing cucumbers are so thick that you’d have to peel them, leaving slices too wobbly for the toppings.
• Cream cheese: A block of softened cream cheese has a more pipeable consistency than a whipped tub. Reduced-fat cream cheese can be used to make a lighter version of this recipe.
• Fresh parsley: Sprinkle minced fresh parsley over the canapes for bright color that echoes the cucumber peel. For a professional look, arrange the cucumber slices on a serving tray, add the cheese and shrimp, hold your hand high above the tray and sprinkle on the parsley to land lightly on the canapes and the surrounding tray rim.

Directions

Step 1: Marinate the shrimp

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, white wine, Greek seasoning and garlic cloves until blended. Pour 1-1/2 cups of marinade into the bowl. Add the shrimp and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

Step 2: Reduce the sauce

Meanwhile, pour the remaining marinade into a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker. Cook, covered, on high for 45 minutes.

Step 3: Cook the shrimp

Drain the shrimp, discarding the marinade in the bowl. Add the shrimp to the slow cooker and cook, covered, on high until the shrimp turn pink, about 20 minutes, stirring once. Drain the shrimp.

Step 4: Cut the cucumbers

Cut each cucumber into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Scoop out the centers, leaving the bottoms intact.

Editor’s Tip: If the cucumbers break when you try to scoop out the centers, just leave the slices whole. That shallow indentation helps to keep the cream cheese from sliding off the sliced cucumbers, but it’s not essential. To minimize sliding, pat the cucumbers dry before you top them.

Step 5: Decorate the cucumber slices

Pipe the cream cheese onto each cucumber slice. Top each slice with the shrimp and parsley.

Ellie Crowley for Taste of Home

Editor’s Tip: Piped cream cheese looks prettier than a spread layer and gives you plenty of depth to sink the shrimp into so that they stay upright. Cut the cheese block into cubes to soften the cream cheese more quickly. Stir the soft cubes together until smooth before transferring them to a piping or Ziploc bag with a snipped corner. A small, open star or drop flower tip creates a pretty pattern beneath the shrimp.

Greek Shrimp Canapes Variations

• Flavor the cream cheese: Add extra minced garlic or parsley to the cream cheese for easy bonus flavor. Or, mince a little fresh dill, mint and basil, along with mellow roasted garlic, for flavors that complement the Greek seasoning and use one of these herbs instead of parsley for garnish. Finely minced chives or shallots and sun-dried tomatoes taste delicious, too. The flavors develop the longer the mixture sits, so mix the add-ins into the cream cheese in advance and refrigerate it until softening time.
• Add a little sweetness: To offset the tanginess of the cream cheese and lemon shrimp marinade, stir 1 tablespoon of honey into the softened cream cheese. If your honey has gone grainy, use one of these tricks to decrystallize honey.
• Make the appetizers dairy-free: Pipe on dairy-free cream cheese to hold up the shrimp. When choosing between the best vegan cheese brands, look for a thick, sturdy block rather than a spread so that it doesn’t become runny when piped.

How to Store Greek Shrimp Canapes

Store leftover Greek shrimp canapes in the refrigerator in a wide airtight container so that the cucumber slices rest flat side by side. Ideally, the container should be fairly shallow but tall enough that the shrimp don’t brush the lid when sealed. Even when carefully packed, the leftovers will lose their crisp texture and pretty appearance within hours, so it’s best to eat them freshly made.

How long do cooked shrimp last?

When packed in an airtight container, cooked shrimp lasts up to four days in the refrigerator. Shrimp canapes taste just as delicious with fridge-cold shrimp as with warm, just-cooked ones, but only if you store the shrimp, cream cheese and cucumbers separately. When fully assembled, shrimp and cucumber canapes can look soggy and unappealing after a few hours.

Can you make Greek shrimp canapes ahead of time?

Greek shrimp canapes look their best when served immediately. Still, you can prep the individual components and store them in the refrigerator until needed. Marinate and cook the shrimp up to three days in advance. If you decide to flavor the cream cheese, stir in the add-ins up to three days ahead. Hollow out the cucumber slices the night before you plan to serve them, stack them like they were still whole cucumbers, and wrap them in airtight packaging.

Greek Shrimp Canapes Tips

Ellie Crowley for Taste of Home

What are other ways of cooking shrimp for canapes?

To prepare shrimp for canapes more quickly, cook them in a stovetop skillet or grill. Either method slightly sears the shrimp, instead of steaming them, so you only need to make a half batch of the marinade. Use most of it to marinate the shrimp, setting aside about 2 tablespoons for cooking. In a skillet, heat the reserved marinade over medium-high heat until it bubbles, toss in the marinated and drained shrimp and cook until they curl and color, about one minute per side. For the grill, nestle the shrimp on skewers and cook them on a hot grill for one to two minutes per side, basting them with the reserved marinade.

What else can I serve with Greek shrimp canapes?

Serve Greek shrimp canapes as part of a party spread with other seafood canapes, like smoked salmon bites and spicy crab salad tapas, or set them out alongside other one-bite appetizer recipes. Serve the canapes as an appetizer for a seafood feast, followed by seared sea scallops or salmon with creamy dill sauce and a tossed green salad. Or use these cucumber canapes to start a garden-fresh meal of vegetable frittata and flamenco summer salad, ending with summer squash pound cake.