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Charcuterie boards are not all about cured meats. You can make these with multiple things, including sweets and even seafood. Seafood charcuterie is a unique dish that seafood lovers admire. This guide contains everything you need to know about it.
What is Seafood charcuterie?
It is a combination of multiple seafood items to make a remarkable feast. A seafood charcuterie board not only contains multiple types of meat from the sea, but you can also include some veggies, dip sauces, and, most importantly, wedges of lemon for adding flavor.
What are the main ingredients of seafood charcuterie?
Before moving towards the recipe, you must gather everything on the board. Below are all the different categories of ingredients that you want to be on your seafood charcuterie board.
Seafood of your choice
Starting with the seafood of your choice, you can include:
- Hot smoked trout
- Crab rolls
- Halibut cheeks
- Octopus meat
- Shrimps
- Scallops in half shell
- Salmon
- Crabs
- Mussels
- Cramps
- Lobster meat, etc.
The best part is that you can add or remove any of the seafood items on your charcuterie board. Any of the seafood items can be prepared with the recipes you like.
Seasonings
Moving toward the seasonings, you can start with lemon, salt, pepper, and spices. Apart from that, any dips you choose will be a great addition to the board.
Aromatics
There is not much to add for aromatics, but rosemary and parsley leave not only add a good aroma to the board but also add vibrance.
Olive oil and butter, etc.
The charcuterie board's the most important part because it adds texture and taste to regular seafood items. Place some olive oil and melted butter that can be brushed on the meat when eating. It adds richness to the meat's taste. Apart from that, put a good amount of green pickled olives on the charcuterie board. To complete off your seafood charcuterie, put a good amount of crackers and pieces of toasted bread.
Why a unique seafood charcuterie makes a great choice?
Seafood is a special category of meat with a unique salty taste. However, different types of meats can be prepared with savory recipes, and just like regular cured meat charcuterie, seafood charcuterie can contain everything you like. There are some other benefits of having a seafood charcuterie on your table, including the following:
- It makes a unique addition to the dinner table.
- Seafood charcuterie is rich in nutrients and delicious with multiple flavors.
- It is a low-carb, gluten-free, and keto-friendly meal if that's a consideration.
- The seafood charcuterie can be taken as your main meal, a party starter, and a side dish to increase the menu.
How to make seafood charcuterie?
Once you have gathered all the ingredients, you can follow the steps below to make your seafood charcuterie.
1. Preparing the meats
You can start making your seafood charcuterie by preparing the meats. So, begin with cutting salmon into small bite-sized pieces. Add some salt, garlic powder, and olive oil. Next, steam the crab legs in a covered pot for 6-7 minutes. Once steamed, you can cover them in aluminum foil to keep them warm.
Dry halibut cheeks, season them with pepper, salt, and butter, and cook them for 3-4 minutes on each side. For shrimp, sauteing them in olive oil with minced garlic and shallot for under 2 minutes will get the job done. Similarly, prepare all other meats of your choice, and next, you can move to the sauces.
2. Preparing seasonings and sauces
Now you need to prepare all your sauces. Take small bowls and fill them up with sauces that you have. The selection depends on your flavor preferences. Anything from the barbecue, honey mustard, buffalo cheese sauce, garlic and olive oil, and Thai sauce would work. You may prepare the sauces by yourself or take ready-to-serve ones. However, the readymade ones work better to reduce the work for you.
3. Assembling
Now you can move towards assembling everything on the board. Create sections of all meat types, like keeping shrimp in a bowl. Placing the bigger things like crab legs in the middle and surrounding them with veggies and olives for vibrance works well. Also, place all the dips and sauces near the type of seafood they pair the best.
Lastly, place some parsley and rosemary leaves in different sections to make the charcuterie look more attractive. These also work as aromatics to give your charcuterie board a better smell. Garnish the charcuterie board with lemon wedges, crackers, and bread, and you will be done.
Tips to make your seafood charcuterie even better.
If you want to make things even better, here are a few tips that may improve your seafood charcuterie.
- Serving the seafood charcuterie board warm or chilled works great. You can also serve it at room temperature.
- Don't focus too much on one type of taste; add smoked salmon, trout, and crab cakes, and work on other customizations to satisfy your craving.
- The seafood meats have little vibrance, so keep the board attractive by strategically placing all your ingredients.
- Don't forget the cutlery. Serving with kitchen sheers and the seafood charcuterie allows everyone to easily open crab legs. You can also remove the cutlery by making everything ready to eat.
- Be very careful about the cooking time of things like shrimp and halibut cheeks. You want them to be perfect and not rubbery.
- If something comes in various sizes, even them out by cutting it into bite-sized pieces. It works great with halibut cheeks.
- Ensure to thaw everything before cooking it.
- You can add brown sugar or monk fruit sweetener to make the salmon taste better.
And with that, you are ready to serve.
Final Remarks
A seafood charcuterie is heaven for seafood lovers. As it contains multiple types of seafood meat, you can have a complete experience of savory and sweet salmon bites, tender crab legs, juicy lobster meat, and sautéed shrimp. The best part about it is that there are no restrictions on how to make it and the ingredients to use. So, you can follow the recipe shared above or make any changes you like.
