How to Throw a Christmas Seafood Party

This holiday season, why not deviate from the traditional Christmas turkey for your party and go with something exciting, delicious, and unique? Throwing a seafood party for Christmas can be simpler and more adaptable than you might think.

With so many delicious seafood options out there, from crab to lobster to oysters, putting together a stress-free seafood menu is half the fun.

Becoming a Seafood Aficionado

You don’t have to have years of experience serving up coastal cuisine in order to throw a Christmas seafood party that makes it seem like you’re a pro. You just need a great company from which you can order seafood online!

This year, shuck the idea that seafood is only a rare luxurious extravagance. If you know what to include on your menu and how to present it, you’ll be a seafood star this Christmas in no time.

Getting Started: The Drinks

Holiday drinks are pretty simple. You can set up a classic bowl of holiday punch for guests, have everyone grab a hearty beer or wine, or greet them at the door with a Caesar cocktail. All of these choices go great with a Christmas seafood dinner.

Some excellent options for beer that do quite nicely with certain seafood varieties include:

• Pale Ale: Shrimp and fish
• American IPA: Lobster and scallops
• Wheat Beer: Lobster and mussels
• Pilsner or Lager: Crab legs
• Stout: Oysters

If you’d like to add cocktails to the drink menu, in addition to a Caesar cocktail, you might want to offer choices like:

• Gin and Tonic: Saltwater fish
• Tom Collins: Crab
• Daiquiri: Oysters
• Bloody Mary: Shrimp
• Mai Tai: Lobster

Other popular cocktails that will pair beautifully with seafood at your Christmas party include mojitos, cucumber gin cocktails, gin martinis, Moscow mules, and champagne punch.

If you’re looking for brilliant nonalcoholic drinks to pair with your seafood feast, consider options like these:

• Lemonade
• Shirley Temple
• Arnold Palmer
• Virgin piña colada
• Nonalcoholic sangria
• Ginger ale
• Sparkling water
• Green tea
• Grapefruit juice
• Pomegranate juice

Don’t forget to provide drinks to suit guests with special dietary requirements or preferences, too!

Next Up: The Appetizers

You’ll want to keep appetizers simple and light, but you also want them to be a delicious precursor to the other delectables you have in store for your guests. A couple of great ideas include cocktail shrimp with sauce and P.E.I. mussels with broth.

Cocktail Shrimp with Sauce

To impress your guests, serve cocktail shrimp in a small martini-shaped glass. Arrange the shrimp around the rim and pour the sauce into the glass. You can purchase a premade cocktail sauce or make your own by combining the following:

• ½ cup high-quality ketchup
• ¼ cup strained horseradish
• Juice of one lemon
• 3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• Freshly ground pepper
• Salt to taste

Some hosts like to offer a mild cocktail sauce along with the traditional stuff. In that case, just omit the strained horseradish! Easy, right?

Cape Cod Oysters

Our oysters are sourced directly from Cape Cod waters and are a great addition to any Christmas party spread. Top with cocktail sauce for some extra flavor.

P.E.I. Mussels with Broth

These couldn’t be any easier when you order from Lobsters Online! Two delicious pounds are enough to feed up to four people, and they can be refrigerated for up to four days.

All you need to do is steam the mussels and either serve them on their own or with a hearty broth. Tomato and garlic broth is a classic, but there is no reason not to stretch your creative muscles. You can find excellent recipes online for Thai curry broth, garlic miso broth, and more.

Ideas for the Main Course

When it comes to throwing a Christmas seafood party, the main course should be the star of the show! What you decide to offer is entirely up to you; that’s the beauty of it being your party. Some suggestions include fresh lobster, mahi-mahi, or ahi tuna steaks.

Fresh Maine Lobster or Lobster Tails

A popular alternative to whole Maine lobsters is lobster tails. You can present your guests with live lobster or tails that have been prepared fresh. When you receive your lobsters from Lobsters Online, they will be best when eaten as soon as possible. You can grill, bake, steam, or boil them!

Regardless of whether you serve lobster tails or whole lobsters, make sure to offer rich, warm, clarified butter on the side. To make clarified butter, gently boil the butter until the milk solids separate, then strain it through a coffee filter or cheesecloth.

Mahi-Mahi Filets

Mahi-mahi is a fish that is found in warm waters. This type of fish has a sweet taste and semi-mild to moderate flavor. Its flesh is lean and firm, with a delicate texture that is similar to halibut in flakiness and similar to swordfish in denseness.

Because mahi-mahi filets work well in almost any recipe, this fish is a popular option for seafood gatherings. In addition, the filets won’t break apart during cooking. Make sure you buy filets that are vacuum-packed individually for long-lasting freshness. You can grill the filets, sear them, or bake them.

Ahi Tuna Steaks

Yellowfin tuna steaks are always a crowd favorite for gatherings of all types! Often just called ahi, these tuna steaks are flaky and firm. They are enjoyed for their distinct meaty flavor and can be pan-seared, baked, broiled, or grilled. This type of tuna is also popular for sashimi and sushi.

If you’d like to sear the ahi, brush it with soy sauce and coat it in a sesame seed blend. For grilled ahi tuna steak, just add salt and pepper to taste, but make sure you heat the grill between 500 and 700 degrees Fahrenheit for the best sear.

The Side Dishes

Adding a few side dishes to the presentation is always a great idea whenever you plan to throw a seafood Christmas party. Some traditional favorite sides that pair beautifully with any of the seafood mentioned so far include:

• Dinner biscuits, croissants, or rolls
• Stuffed quahogs
• Sweet potatoes
• New England clam chowder
• Lobster bisque
• Bacon-wrapped scallops
• Roasted brussels sprouts
• Roasted asparagus
• Roasted potatoes
• Quinoa

You can elect to have seafood-free sides if you like, or you can opt for seafood-based ones. Most people offer a mix of both!

Take care to up your game on seafood-free sides if you expect any guests who don’t eat seafood due to an allergy or personal preference.

Don’t Forget the Dessert

Don’t let your guests leave for the night without a dessert to wrap up the holiday gathering! There are so many types of desserts that are perfect for bringing a seafood celebration to a close, some of which include:

• Chocolate mousse
• Blueberry pie
• Fresh fruit kabobs
• Apple galette
• Tiramisu
• Crème brûlée
• Mint granita

While some of these desserts are better for keeping it light after a robust main course, others are sweet, full, and rich. You may want to select two or more to satisfy your guests’ preferences. Include at least one lighter option, like fruit skewers.

If you’re not yet familiar with mint granita, you should be: It’s an incredible dessert that cleans the palate and quiets the mouth after all the excitement of the seafood! Mint granita is a frozen dessert that uses real mint leaves and is very easy to make, requiring just four ingredients.

Order the Freshest Seafood Online

Lobsters Online is the most reliable company for providing all of your seafood favorites this holiday season! We deliver overnight to anywhere in the U.S., Tuesday through Saturday, including to Hawaii and Alaska. Whether you’re looking to order Maine lobster, Maine lobster tails, scallops, shrimp, fish, or anything else, we guarantee it will reach you at peak freshness.

We buy and ship only Canadian and Maine lobster that comes from the cool North Atlantic Ocean. Contact us with any questions you have, or order today from Lobsters Online and enjoy the freshest seafood any time of the year, no matter where you live!