This is a wonderfully light dish that works a subtle and refreshing
magic. It’s especially good to eat when it’s warm outside. The
cucumber juice is clean and pure tasting and it’s pepped up by the
pickled cucumber coins. If you have trouble finding togarashi, you
can skip it, though it certainly adds an unusual note to the whole
affair. This, of course, is a stripped-down version of Duffy’s work
of art (see photograph, left)—a dish that included a layer of
crystallized sugar, and a floral cream shot through a whipped
cream canister—but I think you’ll find this take on it very
satisfying and doable.
3 cucumbers, peeled
½ cup white wine vinegar
½ cup sugar
Kosher salt
1 red jalapeño, sliced very thin
½ pound fresh lump crabmeat
Togarashi* (Japanese spice mix; see Resources)
Trout roe (optional)
Lay a cucumber horizontally on the cutting board. Plunge an apple
corer into it vertically, removing several rods of cucumber. Cut
those rods into coins about ¼ inch thick, discarding any that have
too many seeds. Continue with the other cucumbers until you
have ½ cup of cucumber coins. In a bowl, whisk together the white
wine vinegar, sugar, and ½ cup water. Add the cucumber and let it
soak as you continue the recipe.