How to Plan an Easy Feast of the Seven Fishes Menu

An Easy Way to Serve the Seven

Our Feast of the 7 Fishes Kit contains fully cooked octopus, a tin of colossal crab meat, halibut fillets, Gulf white shrimp, lobster tails, scallops, and a 2½ lb. bag of wild-caught calamari (only available in this kit). The tubes and tentacles are cleaned and trimmed, and the tubes are 4-6 inches - the perfect size for stuffing. Quickly pan-seared, simmered in tomato or curry sauce, or breaded and deep-fried, this clean-tasting calamari is a must for the party. Order the kit and avail yourself of our selections.

Always Tender Fully Cooked Octopus

Our wild Spanish octopus is ready for the party. Tender and delicious, these octopus tentacles are perfect for the feast and so easy to work with because no cooking is required. Enjoy cold, right out of the package, in a bright salad with fennel and lemon juice, or in slices dressed with olive oil. We like to sear briefly with slices of chorizo and smoked paprika for an easy appetizer that is quick and impressive.

Serve Sensational Salmon - Raw and Smoked

Use our portioned Coho salmon filets for a simple sheet-pan recipe with asparagus or the vegetables of your choice. Or for a make-ahead dish, whip up simple salmon rillettes - a savory spread that’s ideal for a party. All it takes is cooked salmon filets, shredded, then combined with chopped smoked salmon and quality mayonnaise.

Smoked salmon is another easy way to get your fish count up - served on crackers, with avocado, creme fraiche, and caviar (that counts as another fish). Mini salmon croquettes are always welcome at a party and can be made ahead and served at room temperature.

Shrimp Goes with Everything

Versatile shrimp may be the easiest to include in a festive meal. We have cooked white shrimp that comes with zesty cocktail sauce for a quick and convenient solution. Or spice, sear, and serve Gulf white shrimp on a simple Greek salad for a refreshing cold dish that can be made ahead. Other tasty options include wrapping shrimp in cured ham on a skewer or making Southern staple hush puppies with bacon and shrimp mixed into the batter. Or go Italian and make pasta - shrimp scampi or puttanesca will be welcome additions to the feast. Another stunning dish is white lasagna with shrimp and scallops tucked between pasta layers and enrobed in a creamy sauce.

Tender and Versatile Sea Scallops

Our jumbo sea scallops make great ceviche - which is a pretty and easy dish for the feast. Like shrimp, they are also perfect for buttery pasta, herbs, and tomatoes. Sear them and add to Caprese salad made with heirloom tomatoes and mini mozzarella balls. For a great make-ahead idea, try seafood chowder with scallops served in a mug or small bowl. Coquille St Jacques is a French classic - a scallop gratin baked with cream and breadcrumbs - that is best served as a starter, in individual ramekins or scallop shells for dramatic effect. Because our scallops are sizable they are also nice to serve intact - wrapped in bacon and skewered.

Everyone Loves Lobster

Roasted on a sheet pan with garlic and butter, lobster tails can be chopped into bite-sized pieces and served with bamboo picks and a cup of drawn butter for dipping. Or try lobster fra diavolo with spicy tomato sauce over linguine; while the tails might be served one per diner, to accommodate a larger feast just split the tails or remove them from the shell and break the tender meat up. In the Italian style, serve lobster ravioli, lobster risotto, or lobster arancini. Or use our cooked lobster meat- from the claw and knuckle.  It is pure convenience, with no shells to fuss with and nothing but tender, sweet meat to enjoy. It’s a fantastic option for the feast.

Elevate with Elegant Langoustines

Scottish langoustines are a popular shellfish in Europe, though less well-known in the U.S. They are the rarer cousin of the lobster; larger than most shrimp, but thinner and smaller than lobster, and prized for their uniquely intense flavor with a lingering sweetness, and the tender, velvety texture of the tail meat. There is a traditional Iceland langoustine bisque served at Christmas - something like the New England lobster version - called humarsúpa. The langoustine shells contribute to a bold broth that becomes a creamy soup with a touch of curry. Langoustine tail meat poaches in the soup which gets a lacing of yogurt after a little cooling. Try it for something creatively different.

Ready-to-Eat Crab

Our fully-cooked colossal crab is a great addition to any special meal. The easiest way to serve beautiful colossal crab is cold with cocktail sauce. Alternatively, stuff lobster tail with chunky crab meat and breadcrumbs then roast in the oven for a dramatic dish. Dress with butter and lemon and serve warm on mini brioche buns for an elegant take on crab roll. Place a few pieces on a bisque soup or make an epic crab cake.

Christmas Caviar

Caviar is best when enjoyed simply – atop a round of brioche toast, blini, or steamed baby red potato, with or without a dollop of crème fraîche. Double up on seafood by serving caviar on seared scallops or mini crabcakes. Caviar will also pair with smoked salmon canapes or even salmon tartare. For a very swanky way to eat caviar, serve it on raw oysters in the shell. Go high-protein and serve caviar on hard-boiled or deviled eggs instead of crackers. We like tiny quail eggs for this purpose and have an easy recipe for parties. With caviar on the table, this feast will be a memorable one.

Fantastic Finfish

Pan-seared or sheet-pan roasted, white fish is a welcome addition to any feast. Enjoy the snow-white and flaky meat of halibut or lingcod, one of the most popular West Coast fish. The sweet and tender white fish with Mediterranean flavors - including cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers, lemon, oregano, or parsley, and olive oil. Our premium monkfish and Chilean sea bass are two chef favorites and will take starring roles on your table.

Yellowfin tuna can be made into ceviche, chopped for tartare, or pan-seared and combined with olives and capers for a Sicilian dish. Make a classic Niçoise salad with warm potatoes and green beans as one of the options and let guests serve themselves from a platter.

Whichever seafood options you choose, enjoy the feast and the creative challenge of including seven fish on the menu.