It’s the middle of December, and I’ve got holiday gatherings on my mind. I’m thinking: simple decadence, flavor-forward starters and interesting culinary moments that are as fun and festive as the ornaments displayed all over our homes.
One of my favorite ways to share seafood with a group of friends and family over the holiday season is to serve it as an appetizer. It goes without saying that everyone has different food traditions that they return to this time of year. I find that serving wild-caught seafood is a fun way to treat guests to something unexpected and special right off the bat.
In my mind, the best holiday appetizers are uncomplicated, but festive. Having incredible seafood in your kitchen is half the work! From there, whether you’re serving seafood that is sweet, briny, flaky or perfectly tender, you don’t need much to take things over the top. I think it’s important, too, that these can be made mostly ahead of time so that you have plenty of time to enjoy the act of entertaining itself.
Here are a few of my favorite holiday appetizer ideas this year:
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Snap-and-Eat Crab Legs, delicious on their own, are a party on a plate when paired up with a trio of dipping sauces. You can make the sauces ahead of time, then heat up the crab legs just before your guests arrive. Make sure you provide plenty of napkins for this one.
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My favorite morning bagel topping — Cold Smoked Sockeye — becomes an evening treat when layered with sour cream over blini, those bite-sized pancakes of Slavic culinary origins. Hot Smoked Sockeye is not the classic blini topper, but it’s equally delicious. Either way, having a pack or two of ready-to-eat smoked salmon is a great time-saver. By the way, blini can be prepared days in advance and frozen until you’re ready to heat them up!
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If you enjoy showing off your culinary skills to your friends, I’d recommend serving Weathervane Scallops as a hot-off-the-skillet appetizer. Seared simply and perfectly, you can finish them with a little bit of lemon-herb compound butter to give them some extra flair. Compound butter is something you can make and have stashed in your freezer for just such an occasion. And while the weathervane scallops ought to be cooked on the spot, they won’t take you more than 10 minutes to make.
You can find all of these recipes collected in one blog post, with suggestions on serving sizes to help you plan. Don’t have any of these seafood options in your kitchen? You can log in to your Member Special page this week to reserve a pack or two of Snap-and-Eat Snow Crab. And, while you’re logged in, you can always add Cold Smoked Sockeye to the mix as an add-on.
You have until 7pm EST this coming Monday (12/19) to schedule your next WAC box so that it arrives by 12/25. For a New Years Day arrival, you’ll need to place your order by 7pm EST the following Monday (12/26).
Live Wild,
Monica
Pictured above: A stunning platter of cold smoked and hot smoked sockeye salmon, ready to be layered onto blini for a festive holiday gathering.
