Christmas assemblies are only spent once a year, a very wonderful time when loved ones meet and observe and share the essence of the season. As such, your Yuletide dinner (or lunch) spread should be more than the usual.
One way to make an impact whether it’s a family reunion at home or a potluck party at the office is to dish out something unexpected. Rather than spend a lot of time preparing a conventional roast turkey with all its usual accompaniments, keep that for Thanksgiving this year and program a spectacular seafood banquet instead.
Your theme is already very uncommon that is likely to be remembered by guests. Make it more so by carefully considering your menu. Ascertain you have all your bases covered. Set an appetizer course of salad, soup and/or hors d’oeuvres, followed by a couple entrées. And don’t forget, there’s always room for dessert which you can fix without any seafood though spirulina, an extremely healthy blue-green algae (therefore also considered seafood) can be used in sweets, chocolate preparations.
With a little imagination, one can unquestionably create a feast solely employing the bounty of the sea. The key is to have an assortment of flavors and textures which you can accomplish with different ingredients. Use fresh and seawater products like shellfish, shrimp, crabs, squid, mussels, clams and if your budget allows, impress guests with a nice juicy lobster or black tiger prawns. Ensure you have a great deal of herbs, spices, lemon or lime to eradicate any fishiness and give a nice zesty flavor.
Do not exaggerate it, i.e., pile up every single dish with marine life. Your guests might feel that they’re in the underwater region of King Neptune! Also, do not feel too pressured to spend too much on your ingredients. The prime priority, especially since you’re dealing with seafood, is freshness. You can get a pricey cut of salmon or a whole lobster but if it isn’t fresh, no manner of cooking can mask the off taste and smell.
You can still serve more established Christmas fare like eggnog, fruitcake, pudding and roast chestnuts to draw the spirit of the holidays. Complement this with a fresh green salad optionally topped with more seafood like chilled shrimp, squid or shellfish. Achieve a holiday look and flavor by adding bright red ingredients like dried cherries or cranberries.
Finally, do consider if you have guests who have sensitivities or allergies towards shellfish and make a dish or two for them! After all, you certainly don’t want to have a sad, discontented (and swollen) dinner guest for the holidays!
Recipe Corner 