Seafood Catering Ideas For A Daytime Special Event
When planning a special event, you'll need to decide on what type of menu you'd like to serve your guests. If you want to treat them to fresh seafood but are worried about breaking your party-planning budget, consider hosting a daytime event, as lunches are often less expensive than dinners.
When picking the perfect event food, consider using a local fresh seafood restaurant lunch menu as inspiration. You can either make the food yourself if you're planning a small, intimate party or hire the eatery to cater the event to avoid wasting time in the kitchen and on post-event clean up.
A seafood-filled menu will work for almost any type of special event or occasion, including birthday parties, business and family holiday celebrations, bridal and baby showers, anniversaries, graduations, family and class reunions, and wedding receptions. A menu containing fresh seafood will give any event an elegant feel.
When planning the perfect menu, be sure to include a few non-seafood items as well, for guests that have allergies or who are vegetarians. Provide a selection of kid-friendly offerings for children who don't like seafood.
Here are some additional seafood catering ideas to consider for your next special event:
Appetizers
If you want to work fresh seafood into your party menu but don't want to break the bank, appetizers or small plates may be the way to go. For instance, you can start the meal with bacon-wrapped scallops or shrimp ceviche or cocktail.
For an event held at an outdoor location, such as a winery or farm, consider grilling skewers filled with shrimp or scallops, as well as a variety of fresh fruit or vegetables. Some ideas include tropical-inspired shrimp and pineapple or mango and scallop skewers, shrimp and bell pepper skewers, or portobello skewers for the vegetarians in the group.
Main Courses
When it comes to seafood-inspired main courses, your options are almost endless. If possible, choose local, in-season seafood for the best price and taste. If you want to serve the food buffet-style, treat guests to a build-your-own taco bar featuring grilled fish and shrimp, along with other protein options.
For individually plated meals, you can't go wrong with a surf-and-turf-style lunch featuring grilled steak and shrimp. Because you're serving lunch, you can go with smaller cuts of meat to save money. You can also serve chicken instead of steak if you'd like.
Another lunchtime favorite is shrimp scampi, or any other type of seafood pasta dish. Serve the pasta alongside a small green salad for a complete meal.
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