Seafood Appetizers Tips
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Shrimp Cocktail with a Twist
An all-time favorite seafood appetizer dish is Shrimp Cocktail. It makes for a delicious finger food appetizer and can come in a variety of ways. It can be prepared with shrimp of all sizes, from small/petite up to colossal, and it can be accompanied by several different dipping sauces.. It just depends on what you want.
Many seafood markets sell prepared shrimp cocktail dishes. And, most seafood sections of grocery stores will prepare them for you. In the freezer section, you can find trays of peeled shrimp with a container of cocktail sauce in the center. Sometimes, however, the peeled and frozen shrimp have a mushy texture and little flavor. Be forewarned.
Making your own shrimp cocktail is easy and quick. Here is a recipe that gives an extra twist to the traditional shrimp cocktail you are familiar with. It makes for a tempting and alluring finger food, indeed.
Shrimp Cocktail with a Twist
serves 4
1 lemon slice, thin
pinch of salt
20 large shrimp (1 pound), cleaned and deveined
Sauce: Horseradish-Mustard
4 t lemon juice
4 t Dijon mustard
2-1/2 T olive oil
1 T horseradish
2 t sour cream
¼ t salt
1/8 t black pepper, ground
2 t scallions (or onions), finely chopped
Prepare shrimp:
In a saucepan, combine 1-1/2 quarts of water, lemon slice, and pinch of salt.
Bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat and boil for 5 minutes.
Add shrimp to lemon water.
Cook for 2-3 minutes, until they are pink and opaque in appearance.
Drain. Discard lemon slice.
Prepare sauce:
Mix lemon juice and mustard together in a large bowl.
Whisk in the oil, gradually, until a slightly thickened texture is reached.
Stir in horseradish, sour cream, salt, and pepper.
Pour into small bowl.
Place sauce container in center of serving plate. Surround with shrimp. Dip shrimp into sauce and enjoy!
Do It Yourself Seafood Appetizers
When preparing for your next get-together, you need to think about having a variety of finger foods available. You know, something quick, easy, and not very messy to eat. Here are a couple great seafood appetizers that do just that.
Salmon Spread
12-ounces canned salmon, drained
2 T red onion, chopped
2 t lemon juice, freshly squeezed preferred
4 t sour cream, fat free variety
2 t mayonnaise, low fat
1 t horseradish
Place all ingredients into small bowl.
Mix with fork until of spreadable consistency.
Place in serving dish.
Serve with wholegrain crackers and fresh veggies such as: celery sticks, baby carrots, zucchini slices.
Roasted Garlic & Salmon Spread
For a variation on the above seafood appetizer, this is for the garlic lover amongst us.
Roasted Garlic
2 heads garlic
¼ c veggie broth
Preheat oven to 350. Cut just the tops of the garlic cloves off to expose the cloves.
Place cloves into small baking dish.
Add veggie broth, it should be about 1/4" deep.
Cover with foil.
Bake for one hour.
Add roasted garlic to above salmon spread. Viola! A quick and easy way to convert your plain (but scrumptious!) salmon spread into a Roasted Garlic Salmon Spread. What a tasty seafood appetizer for everyone to enjoy!
Red Lobster's Seafood Appetizers
Whenever you find yourself in the mood for some delicious seafood appetizers, head over to Red Lobster. They have a variety for you to choose from including:
Chilled Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail
Six jumbo shrimp served with their signature cocktail sauce.
The New England Seafood Sampler
Lobster, crab and seafood-stuffed mushrooms, bacon-wrapped scallops and lightly breaded clam strips
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The ever popular Create Your Own Appetizer Combo Choose from: Crispy Calamari and Vegetables, Clam Strips, Chicken Breast Strips, Mozzarella Cheesesticks, Stuffed Mushrooms (additional) Choose any two or three, depending on your appetite.
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| Ultimate Fondue - Shrimp and sweet crabmeat in a creamy lobster cheese sauce served in a warm and crispy sourdough bread bowl.
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| Parrot Bay Jumbo Coconut Shrimp - Hand-dipped in coconut and Captain Morgan's Parrot Bay Rum batter, then fried to a golden brown. Served with piña colada sauce.
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| Crispy Calamari and Vegetables - A generous portion of hand-breaded, golden-fried calamari, broccoli and red bell peppers. Served with tangy marinara and creamy ranch.
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| Chicken Breast Strips - Lightly breaded and fried to a golden brown. Served with honey mustard.
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| Southwestern Lobster Rolls - Crisp-fried shells filled with lobster, crawfish, black beans, corn, bell peppers and a spicy five-cheese blend.
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| Lobster Pizza - A crisp thin-crust pizza topped with langostino lobster meat, melted mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes and sweet basil.
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| Lobster, Crab and Seafood-Stuffed Mushrooms - Fresh mushrooms stuffed with seafood, smothered in Monterey Jack cheese and baked until golden brown.
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| Lobster, Artichoke and Seafood Dip - A creamy three-cheese blend with artichokes, spinach, Maine and langostino lobster, and seafood. Served with chips and fresh pico de gallo.
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| Pan-Seared Crab Cakes - Two crab cakes made with sweet lump crabmeat, celery, onions and bell peppers. Drizzled with remoulade sauce.
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Creamy Crab Nachos
For another tasty seafood appetizer that is in the finger foods category, here is a recipe from the Red Lobster site. It can be served as a seafood appetizer, light lunch, or light dinner meal.
20-30 nacho chips
2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
¼ c pepper jack cheese, shredded
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 c cooked crab meat
1 large plum tomato, diced and seeded
¼ c canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 T fresh cilantro, chopped
2 T salsa
2 each jalapeños, seeded and diced
or
2 T canned mild green chilies
½ t ground cumin
½ t chili powder
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350.
Arrange tortilla chips on an oven proof plate.
Combine cilantro, tomato, jalapeños, black beans, pepper jack cheese, and salsa.
Add crab meat and toss to mix.
Combine remaining cheeses and spices.
Spoon crab mixture over the chips, then top with the spiced cheeses.
Bake until heated through and the cheeses are melted.
In addition to these delicious seafood appetizer, you can get more by going onto Red Lobster's website. This recipe was taken from their Chef's Kitchen section. You can find a variety of tempting finger foods and seafood appetizers by visiting their site.
Crab Cheese Fondue
Fondues provide a sense of elegance and sophistication. Plus, they taste good. Red Lobster has a delicious one called 'Ultimate Fondue' on their Starter Menu. By dipping some bread into it, it makes for what is known as one of the great finger foods and seafood appetizers. Try it the next time you are dining at Red Lobster. Here is another recipe for a great seafood fondue. The mild crab flavor will have you hooked:
Crab Cheese Fondue serves 3 cups
¾ cup milk
½ cup condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
or
½ cup condensed cream of celery soup, diluted
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup processed cheese (Velveeta), cubed
1 cup crabmeat
2 t lemon juice
1 garlic clove, halved
Cubed French bread, cherry tomatoes, baby zucchini, cooked new potatoes for dipping.
In a large saucepan, combine milk and soup until blended. Add cheeses. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Stir in crab and lemon juice. Remove from heat. Rub interior of fondue pot with the cut side of garlic. Discard garlic. Pour cheese mixture into fondue pot. Keep at gentle simmer over low heat. Serve with bread cubes, tomatoes, zucchini, new potatoes. This fondue makes a great finger food, seafood appetizer, or main dish.
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| Jennifer Mathes, Ph.D. |
