Ring in the New Year with Seafood!
We’ve put together a list of our favorite seafood snacks to serve at your next swanky cocktail party. Some are a little fiddly, but the good news is that most can be made well in advance of your guests arriving and heated or assembled as drinks are poured.
We’ve broken these down into two groups: finger foods for passing and charcuterie boards for sharing.
For canapes and finger foods, look for small bites that deliver big flavor. Smoked salmon, ikura (salmon caviar), and dungeness crab all pack loads of flavor.
Crispy Potato Latkes, Smoked Salmon Puffs, and Mini Dungeness Crab Cakes can all be baked or fried hours ahead and re-crisped in a 350°F oven for a few minutes. And the Pickled Crab and Lemony Brown Butter Halibut Salad can be made a day ahead and assembled just before serving.
As part of a seafood charcuterie board (“seacuterie”), serve an array of warm spreads and dips and cured or raw seafood, and invite guest participation. Set out cute cocktail plates, napkins, and spreaders. And accompany the board with a variety of breads, crackers, nuts, and fruit. All can be made ahead of time and heated, sliced, or assembled just before serving.
Warm Spinach and Smoked Salmon Dip and Curried Crab Dip have an elegant retro vibe and are certain to be devoured long before they cool off. No “seacuterie” platter would be complete without Gravlax, Salmon Tartare, and a creamy, luscious smoked seafood spread such as this one made with smoked sablefish and horseradish.
