This is a Seafood Dinner Party Menu that you can use for a party with friends!
In my old neighborhood, we used to have a gourmet dinner group. One of the times I hosted, I used this seafood dinner party menu. The most important thing to begin with when you’re hosting a party where seafood is the star is to confirm that none of your guests have a seafood allergy. I’ll be sharing the entire menu with all recipes on this post- just click recipe titles below to reach actual, printable recipes.
Seafood Dinner Party Menu Details:
I hosted a dinner party for 18 with this menu, but you can certainly adjust the recipes to serve however many people you’d like. Since hosting a big party like this is a lot of work, I suggest you offer to “host” the party, plan the menu and then assign a dish for each couple to bring. That’s much more manageable.
Table Decor:
For my table decor, I went with some simple white tablecloths, blue dishes, sand-colored napkins, sea-inspired candles and a few shells and starfish. Oh, and the most important table decoration of all… fish swimming in vases! (Don’t worry- the fish were ALL taken home by my guests to add to the fish tanks in their homes!) They make for pretty cute centerpieces.
If you look closely, you’ll see some salt-water taffy scattered on the table too. My guests enjoyed nibbling on those after dinner, and they fit into the theme just right. Warning: black striped taffy usually means that it tastes like black licorice. Avoid those!
We set up a simple serve-yourself bar in our backyard. Something for everyone.
Featured beverage: the Sea Breeze Cocktail, of course!
First Appetizer: Bacon- Wrapped Scallops with Spicy Cilantro-Mayonnaise
Second Appetizer: Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs
Third Appetizer: Hot Crab and Artichoke Dip
Fourth Appetizer: Shrimp Ceviche
Side Dish: Summer Gratin
Main Dish #1: Baked Salmon with Creamy Coconut-Ginger Sauce over Coconut- Ginger Rice
Main Dish #2: Tequila-Lime Shrimp Tacos with Chipotle Cream
Dessert: Key Lime Pie
This dinner party menu is a smashing success! Plates will be licked clean, and you’ll have happy people all-around.
Favorites of my guests were the scallops and the salmon. It’s a lot of food! A couple of appetizers would be plenty, and you can choose one of the two entrees, if you’d like. The key lime pie was much loved too. Enjoy!
Looks like the dinner party of the summer – I will have to look for Anderson’s Seafood. Terrific post, Lori.
My mouth is watering! What a lovely collection of dishes! I think my man and I might just have to try the Tequila-Lime Shrimp Tacos this weekend! Thanks!
Oh my! I want to be your friend and invited to a dinner party! 😉
I love the idea of a 70’s party with old school recipes!
What a fun party, everything looks so wonderful!
we belonged to a dinner party group years ago and I think the part I liked best was the menu planning and portioning out who would make what . . . I LOVE this seafood theme . . . I may have to borrow it . . .
meantime, I’ve only been following you for a short time so I don’t know if you’ve done these before, but here are some of the menu plans I can remember from our dinner club days:
Fondue – with everything from appetizer to dessert being fondue-d in some way
Things you wouldn’t eat when you were a kid but love now – included rabbit, cabbage and such
I’m italian and so one year we did a traditional italian Christmas Eve feast which was mostly traditional fish and seafood dishes
Brunch for dinner (we all wore pjs to dinner that time) – the main course was eggs benedict but the “ham/bacon” was replaced by pan fried salmon trout filets . . . yummmm!
Game night – where each course featured some sort of wild game . . .
thanks again for a great column!!!
Awesome ideas- thank you!
What an wonderful array of seafood delights..I want those deviled eggs now!
This is one of the best themed dinner party ideas I have EVER seen. Bravo.
Oh how fun! I love the theme, too. While your hard work was evident, it looks like a delicious and relaxing time was had by all 😉 I’ve always wanted to host a murder mystery party, where guests come dressed in character and all try to guess the whodunit hints!
Lori you throw a party like no other….WOW!
It all looks…fabulous!!!
18 Dinner guests! Eek! I don’t think I have as much crockery and cutlery to serve 18. Well done on what looks to be a sumptuous meal Lori! The bacon wrapped scallops and the salmon with coconut and ginger sauce are the front runners for me 😉