Lighthearted. Dd would like "an array of seafood"

[sundaydayisnotmyfundayday]

Pain in the bum daughter turns 20 tomorrow. As per tradition, she picks dinner.

Previous years have included spaghetti tacos, a toastie banquet, the Feast of 10 types of potato..

This year she has refused my plea offer to go out to eat and would like me to make her a spectacular array of seafood. The only thing she dislikes is scampi..

Please help me decide what to include!?

M and S or Waitrose

@sundaydayisnotmyfundayday when you did the toasties did you keep them in a warm oven until the banquet was all ready? Did you make sweet and savoury? Did you branch out into croques?

get loads of different kinds of fish cakes and play fish cake roulette 🤣

She sounds amazing I want to hear all about her previous feasts they all sound fantastic

You could try a local fishmonger - ours does the most beautiful seafood platters if you order them in advance

Iceland Prawn Ring?

Love a skate wing with capers and buerre noisette with crispy potatoes (also done in butter). One of my absolutely faves and apparently used to be poor man's food. Not so now!

You could probably get the individual parts of this platter prepared in m&s or waitrose off the shelf and assemble into a platter

Your daughter sounds amazing and obviously enjoys giving you a challenge. I hope she receives the most stunning "array of seafood" ever and has a brilliant birthday 😀

Oh yeah that's my fave! Sometimes I used to get like two massive skate wings from waitrose for about £2.50 when I timed it right at the fish counter! About two years ago. X

Haha she sounds like my DD! The downside of raising a child who eats well and has a refined palate is that you end up with a child who eats well and has a refined palate!

Edit to add: she sounds great and I bet she's fun to go to restaurants with.

I do a range of seafood for Christmas Day starter. This consists of:

oysters with red wine vinegar and shallot dressing
smoked salmon and salad with lemon vinegarette
smoked mackerel pate (so easy - mackerel, cream cheese, grated lemon rind and juice, capers and dill blitzed up in the food processor) with oatcakes
crab toastie bites - dressed crab mixed with finely chopped red chilli, a little olive oil, coriander and a good amount of fresh lime juice and grated lime rind) served on little Melba toasts
grilled scallops, preferably served in the shell, in garlic or herb butter

I would do lobster, calamari, and big tiger prawns. There are my favourite. Ideally grilled in butter garlic with a dash of cream and parsley at the end. Lip smacking goodness!

Oh, also, little portions of prawn cocktail served in little gem lettuce cups.

Seafood sticks need to feature 😂
our local fishmongers would be able to prep you something that looked quite impressive, do you have one nearby?

We had that on NYE it was delicious but only just serves two and I had to give a few days notice.

She sounds fabulous!

Tempura prawns
Prawn toast
Salmon wellington
Fish chowder
Seafood paella
Fish curry
Lobster roll
Fish finger tacos
Smoked salmon bagels

Oh man, that platter looks so good.
Does she like sushi? It shouldn't be too hard to add to the mix. I also put together some different smoked or cured salmon types recently - think it was Aldi that could supply beetroot cured, Gravadlax, and a lemon pepper one from the same section, all good.
I have also been known to do a chicken nugget tasting platter with different types and sizes, although it was when DD was small and had been ill and needed tempting to eat. Different dips (healthier than chicken nuggets) and veg sticks were served up alongside it with everything on a nice oval plate!

I'd do a fish finger sandwich

Play finding Nemo for her as she walks in the room???

Haha brilliant ideas, thank you all.
Great point about the world food shops. Going to nip to the Asian supermarket for a look there tomorrow 😊

For the potatoes I am trying to remember but I am sure I did a cheesy mash, hassleback, gratin, parmentier, potato salad, roast potatoes, buttered new potatoes, patatas bravas and canarian potatoes.

So the toasties were cooked to order but I put out 3 different breads, loads of savoury fillings and sweet fillings and borrowed a couple of sandwich toasters and they just helped themselves to what they wanted and then I toasted them

I know it sounds a bit rubbish but she always loves it.

This is DEFINITELY happening

I suggest the East London seafood array of delights. Jellied eels, whelks, winkles, crab sticks and cockles. With lots of vinegar, white pepper, white bread and butter and very sweet milky tea. Give her that and she’ll definitely want to go out to eat next year.

I was going to suggest Nordic style fish Tapas
We do this occasionally - different styles of fish, hot smoked and cold smoked salmon, herring both fresh (fried in breadcrumbs) and rollmop pickled, in curry sauce, fried plaice with prawns, fish cakes, salad of whatever is in season with dressing (crab, lobster, salmon), seaweed, fresh langoustines or whole prawns,
Some good crusty bread, rye bread, crispbreads, fresh salad, capers, onions, pickles, remoulade sauce, dill and mustard sauces. Throw it all on the table with a decent bottle of wine and share.

But whoever came up with fishcake roulette is a genius