List of Seafood Appetizers

Lobster turns into a luxurious seafood appetizer.

Seafood makes impressive appetizers that satisfy a wide variety of tastes. For people who don't like seafood or the unfortunate few who may love it but are allergic, always offer a selection of other appetizers. Keep all seafood cold unless the dish is cooked and meant to be served hot.

Raw

Oysters on the half shell; sushi and sashimi; salmon and tuna carpaccio; and ceviche are all raw seafood appetizers. Some purists would argue that since the seafood in ceviche is exposed to lemon juice and the lemon juice changes the structure of the protein it's actually cooked. Raw fish must be extremely fresh and from a reliable source to avoid contamination. The oysters must be live. Serve with condiments including lemon slices, minced onions, capers, chives, dill, parsley, hot sauce and cocktail sauce. It's possible to make sushi and sashimi at home but it takes a certain knack to get the seaweed wrapped around the perfectly seasoned rice with the raw fish in the middle.

Crab and Lobster

A platter of crab claws and sliced lobster tails is a seafood lover's dream. The seafood must be kept cold so keep it on ice if it is part of a buffet. If servers are passing the platters, have them refilled often with crab or lobster kept in the refrigerator rather than heaping the platters full and keeping the seafood out at room temperature longer. This really isn't an option if you're on a budget. Stretch the seafood by spacing the crab claws an inch or two apart rather than in piles. Serve the lobster tail meat on toothpicks and put the speared meat back in the now-empty lobster tail shells.

Shrimp

Bacon-wrapped, grilled or deep fried, shrimp is scrumptious. Large deveined shrimp with the shells removed but the tails on are one- to two-bite appetizers. Unshelled shrimp are messier but since they take time to get the shell off they take longer to eat, so people eat less. Get the flavor of shrimp at less expense by making potted shrimps to serve on toast points.

Cooked Shellfish

Oysters Rockefeller, stuffed mussels and stuffed clams make perfect appetizers that come in their own serving dish. The cooked meat of the shellfish is usually removed, mixed with other ingredients such as bread crumbs, butter and herbs, then replaced in the empty half shells and reheated. Another method is to open the shellfish, add the stuffing on top of the raw meat and broil until the meat is done.

References

• Food Network; King Salmon Carpaccio; Emeril Lagasse; 2002
• "Party Food: Small and Savory"; Barbara Kafka; 1992
• What's Cooking America: History of Ceviche, Seviche, or Cebiche