The holiday season is upon us. This means extra cooking, more entertaining opportunities, and parties where bringing a dish is common. But how many more basic cheese balls and fruit or veggie trays does one really want to see? This year, stand out from the crowd with a delightful seafood appetizer.

For those who have spent a day aboard the Finest Kind, chances are good that you have some great fish on hand for creating seafood appetizers that are delightful for both the taste buds and the eyes -after all, we eat first with our eyes! So, get out your calendar and start deciding which dish(es) to make for what party – you know you can’t wait. J

Seafood Appetizers to Tantalize the Taste Buds

From grouper and snapper to shrimp and crab there are many ways to incorporate seafood into a holiday event. Here are a few to get you started.

• Crab Mushroom Caps
• Shrimp & Cucumber Bites
• Seafood Phyllo Cups
• Bacon-Wrapped Snapper
• Cajun Grouper
• Cheesy Seafood Dip
• Seafood Cream Cheese Ball
• Seafood Salsa

Crab Mushroom Caps

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. mushroom caps (can be Portobello or Bellas)
• 1 lb. crab meat
• 1 Tbs. minced garlic
• 1/4 cup finely diced bell peppers (any color)
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 Tbs. Italian seasoning
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 Tbs. Worcestershire
• 2 eggs
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350* F
2. Gently clean mushroom caps using a damp paper towel. (Do not run them under the water!) Take off the stems and spoon out any gills. (opt. you can also cut off the end of the stems and dice them to go into the filling mixture).
3. Place the prepared mushrooms caps “bowl-side” up on a baking sheet.
4. Mix the remaining ingredients together thoroughly. If the mixture seems to wet, add a bit more Parmesan cheese or some bread crumbs.
5. Spoon filling into the mushrooms.
6. If desired, sprinkle some extra parmesan on top.
7. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes.

*These are great for entertaining as the filling and prep work can be done ahead of time, then the dish can be put together just before the event starts.

Shrimp and Cucumber Bites

Although this calls for shrimp, it could easily be done with grouper, snapper or any other white fish that you have caught while fishing aboard the Finest Kind!

Ingredients

• 2 English cucumbers – sliced into ¼” rounds
• 1 lb. shrimp (26-30 count)
• 4 oz. cream cheese – softened
• ½ tsp. garlic
• ½ tsp. parsley
• ½ tsp. oregano
• Package of Old Bay

(If you wish to save a step, use the herb infused Boursin cheese spread in place of the cream cheese and seasonings.)

Directions

1. Steam shrimp in Old Bay, drain well and let cool. When the shrimp is cool enough to handle, peel the shrimp, taking off the tail.
2. If not using Boursin, mix garlic, oregano, and parsley into cream cheese. Feel free to adjust seasoning levels based on preference.
3. Spread cheese mixture on to cucumber rounds, and top off with a piece of shrimp.

****If you choose to use a white fish in place of shrimp, follow the instructions for the Cajun Grouper recipe below.

Seafood Phyllo Cups

• Ingredients
• 1 lb. seafood (ideally crab, shrimp or even scallops)
• ½ lb. bacon
• 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 16 oz sour cream
• 2 tbs. cream cheese softened
• 1 Tbs. Worcestershire (or to taste)
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 pkg. ranch salad dressing mix
• 5 – 2.1 oz. pkgs. frozen phyllo cups
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper (opt.)

Directions

1. If you opt to use shrimp or scallops, cook, cool then cut them into small pieces. If using crab, then no advanced prep is necessary.
2. Cook the bacon -be careful not to overcook as it will be baked again. Drain off the grease, let cool, then crumble.
3. Mix all ingredients-except phyllo cups- together. (This can be made a day in advance and stored in the fridge, to save time on party day.)
4. On party day, place the phyllo cups on an ungreased baking sheet, and put a spoonful of the filling in each cup.
5. Bake at 350* F for 15 minutes.
6. Best served warm, but are also good room temp.

***If you want to add a bit of color into the mixture, dice a red bell pepper into small pieces and add to the mixture.

Bacon-Wrapped Whitefish

Like many recipes, this one has a great deal of flexibility. whether your Finest Kind excursion resulted in amberjack, grouper, snapper, sea bass, etc. this is a great way to serve it- be it as part of holiday entertaining or a family dinner this is sure to be a hit.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. fish fillets
• 1 lb. smoked bacon
• Olive oil
• Garlic Powder, Salt & Pepper – to taste

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven at 400*
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Lay the raw bacon on the paper-lined sheet, so that each piece slightly overlaps the one before.
4. Lay the fillets down the center of the bacon strips. Drizzle with the olive oil, then sprinkle with seasonings.
5. Wrap the bacon around the fish, then carefully turn the bacon-wrapped fillets over so that the “seam” is on the paper. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, and seasonings.
6. Place in oven and bake 20-30 minutes. Check periodically to be sure that fish isn’t getting dry.
7. When finished cooking, take out of the oven and allow to cool slightly. Then using a sharp knife cut into slices.
8. It can be served as is, or pairs great with a Ritz cracker.

Cajun Grouper

Ingredients

• 2 lb. grouper, cut into cubes
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 package Old Bay seasoning
• 1 Tbs. minced garlic
• ½ tsp. crushed red pepper
• 2 lemons, sliced into ¼ inch slices (don’t worry about the seeds!)
• 1 Tbs. Worcestershire

Directions

Heat oven to 350*F

1. Place sticks of butter on a large baking sheet, and place in the oven. Watch closely, and remove from oven when melted (typically 3-5 minutes).
2. Place the baking sheet on a hot pad, then add the Worcestershire sauce, garlic, Old Bay, and crushed red pepper to the butter, stir carefully to distribute around the pan.
3. Then lay down the lemon slices on the butter “sauce”.
4. Top with the grouper.
5. Place back in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until grouper is finished cooking.
6. Provide toothpicks for “skewers” to make eating easy.

Cheesy Seafood Dip

The great thing about this seafood appetizer is it is made in a single skillet – no need to have an abundance of dishes to wash!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. seafood (Diced shrimp or scallops, lump crab, or even finely ‘shredded’ white fish)
• ¼ cup celery
• 1/2 cup diced bell peppers (any color will work)
• ½ cup finely diced onions
• 1 Tbs. minced jalapeno
• ½ cup chopped spinach
• 2 Tbs. butter
• ¼ tsp. parsley
• ½ tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. garlic
• ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
• 4 oz. cream cheese softened
• ½ cup gruyere

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350* F.

1. Prep seafood as needed, then chop up; ideally, seafood pieces and diced veggies need to be close in size.
2. In an oven-safe skillet (best choice would be a cast-iron one), sauté the veggies in the butter, EXCEPT the spinach.
3. When these veggies are tender, add in spinach. Sauté until spinach begins to wilt, then add in seafood and all of the dry seasonings.  Only cook until seafood begins to turn opaque – about 1-2 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, then stir in the cheese.
5. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until bubbly and golden.
6. Serve with toasted baguette slices.

Seafood Cream Cheese ‘Ball’

Ingredients

• 1 block of cream cheese, softened
• 1 lb. diced, cooked seafood (Shrimp is perfect for this but any seafood could be used)
• 1 tsp. crushed garlic
• 1 Tbs. Cajun seasoning
• 1 tbs. liquid smoke
• 1 tp. Lemon juice
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 cup crushed pecans
• 2 Tbs. parsley

Directions

1. In a skillet, sauté onions until translucent.
2. Mix all ingredients, EXCEPT pecans and parsley, together until everything is evenly distributed.
3. Roll mixture into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until slightly firm.
4. In a bowl, mix the parsley and pecans.
5. Roll cheese ball in the mixture until the ball is covered then place back in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Can be served with crackers, and/or raw veggies such as bell peppers, pea pods or celery,

Seafood Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 lb. seafood, cooked (Shrimp, scallops, white fish, crab, etc.)
• 1 cup (packed) fresh cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 2 jalapenos, finely diced
• 1 lime (juiced)
• 1 lb. tomatoes, diced small
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 cup kernel corn
• 1 avocado, diced (opt.)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook seafood of choice, and dice into pieces approximately ½ inch in size. Set aside.
2. Finely chop the cilantro into a medium to a large bowl.
3. Add in crushed garlic, cumin, jalapenos, onion, tomatoes, and kernel corn. If using avocado, dice it, and douse well with lime juice (this minimizes the avocado turning brown), then add to bowl.
4. Add in seafood and stir gently.
5. Serve with lightly toasted tortillas, nacho chips or for a fun presentation, opt for the Scoops chips and let people make their own seafood salsa cups.

So What Seafood Appetizers Will You Make?

A deep-sea fishing excursion aboard the Finest kind is a great way to get some fantastic cuts of fish for your freezer, making it easy to have some of the key ingredients for several of these easy appetizers. Whether it’s the seafood cups or the cheeseball, these are just a few of great seafood appetizers available. They are easy to put together, making them the perfect additions to all your holiday parties (and beyond). If you have recipes for seafood appetizers of your own, we would love to hear about them. Feel free to share them below.

And, if you find your freezer lacking in the fish department, now is the time to book a saltwater fishing trip on the Finest Kind with Captain Jason and his crew. Give us a call today!