Pescatarian for Christmas dinner - Gravy?

[IvyHollyberry]

This is taking up too much room in my head.

I’ve asked and they said they will eat around not to make a fuss just for them!

I’m going to have to make a little fuss otherwise they’ll be having a very dry plate of veggies and stuffing balls.

Will practice doing roast potatoes in olive oil and ditch the animal fat ones so we’ll all have those, no fuss.

Gravy needs to be special just for them - do I make this using fish stock, I’m not convinced it goes with sage & onion and cranberry sauce. I know the guest loves my homemade cranberry. Would veggie stock be better? Am overseas so can’t guarantee I can get a tub of pescatarian suitable ready made gravy.

Then I feel bad our guest will be eating only side dishes. Poaching or pan frying a fillet of fish is no trouble really. Not sure it will go with gravy thinking a herb or wine sauce may be better? Fish encroute could go only the guest dislikes pastry so that’s out.

Then I think I should add other vegetable sides that better go with fish? We usually have roast potatoes, honey roast parsnips, roast onions, carrot swede mash, boiled sprouts, carrots, baby potatoes, sage &onion stuffing balls and cranberry sauce. Also tempeh but guest dislikes texture so won’t have.

Then I think our guest will be uncomfortable that we’ve made too much fuss even though it’s not really a fuss and I should stick with olive oil roasted spuds and a pescatarian suitable gravy.

And around it goes in my head. Please make it stop, someone tell me what to do and then I don’t need to think about it until nearer the time.

I would love to know what you think these 2 words mean.

You could do a filet of salmon and one of those ready made tubs of white sauce providing they are suitable.

Veggies don't eat potatoes cooked in goose fat.

Don't use olive oil for roast potatoes @IvyHollyberry , use sunflower oil. I can't believe you're making such a drama about this. It's really no big deal at all. Do you not like the person? Why else would you want to make gravy out of fish stock? 🤮

OP, forget the fish.

They've said they're happy with the normal version minus the meat, so just do a veggie gravy and some extra (veggie) stuffing.

DP is pescatarian- agree completely with just thinking of them as a veggie in this scenario. Tbh ‘side dishes’ at Christmas dinner make a full meal. Are you having cauliflower cheese? That’s a main meal in our house so on its own it makes a pretty good option, then adding all the other things and it’s fantastic.

Agree with those saying cauli cheese and/or veggie sausages. Honestly don't make it difficult for yourself. Most shops sell a tub of ready made veggie gravy thats a bit posher than the red bistro if you're weird about that, but honest red bistro is fine!

Gravy with fish?🤢 I wouldn’t normally suggest Hollandaise from a packet but that what I’d do in this case. Or a jar of Béarnaise.

Just use veggie gravy granules.
Bisto meaty granules are actually veggie, but I don’t like them because they taste too meaty after 40 years of not eating meat.

Bisto, Tesco and others do actual vegetable gravy granules. Stirring some marmite and mustard makes it more festive.

Give them parsley sauce.

How could you possibly be both?

The OP is overseas so there’s no guarantee she will be able to get hold of Bisto or similar, or any other ready made products that you would get in the UK.

Just do a roast dinner with bisto. You can get some lovely nut roasts or veggie mains. Buy one chuck it in the freezer in the next 8 weeks. Chop the potatoes, take a handful out. toss in olive oil and salt, chuck in a separate roasting tin then duck fat the rest.

Yes, forget the fish!
cauliflower cheese, but makes lots as everyone else will eat it (speaking from bitter,bitter experience here)

Fish based gravy- no!
So a mostly veggie diet but they eat fish?
So many veggie mains options in all supermarkets and they’re lovely! Also most gravy granules are veggie/vegan.

I’d get a 3 fish roast for the pescatarian guests and just whack it in the oven - do all the same sides etc…
For me personally, I don’t think gravy belongs with fish, and I’d just do a parsley sauce or something but also gravy for the meat eaters.

Oh hell no! You can't serve them fuck fat roasters, they'll feel sick! DB once gave me chippy chips cooked in dripping (he just didn't think) and I felt ill all night.

Pescatarian doesn't mean he has to have fish; he's just vegetarian plus fish. So a nut roast with onion gravy is great, or any other veggie friendly type food.

Most powdered gravy is vegetarian, just check the label. Don’t do a fish gravy 😂

I think a meat free alternative is better than fish with a roast dinner. I’ve recently started a pescatarian diet and we’re eating out for Christmas lunch. The veggie option is a chestnut and mushroom wellington. Look in the frozen section at supermarkets for something you can cook.

I never do my roast potatoes in meat fat. I’ve always done them in vegetable or sunflower oil. They come out crispy and delicious. Just get the oil really hot in the oven, par boil your potatoes and bash them up and they’ll come out perfect. You can always do them a small, separate batch, if you prefer.

Gravy isn’t essential, you know! I hate gravy unless it’s part of the dish (e.g. a casserole) and never have it. To me, it spoils a meal because it makes everything taste of the gravy instead of letting their own flavours be the important thing. I used to make gravy for the rest of my family but they started saying they weren’t bothered, and just leaving it (I used to provide Bisto in a jug so it wasn't just because of my bad cooking) so now none of us have it.

If you provide a couple of choices of sauces / chutneys that will be fine. Bread sauce? Tartare sauce from a jar if you’re actually giving them fish? Caramelised onion chutney?

My DD is a vegetarian and has usual dinner with us with Richmond no meat sausages instead of meat (they are very tasty).

When we have a roast I make dil a leek and mushroom pie with a little white wine and cream sauce. She then has all the veggies and I always cook my roasties in oil anyway.

Tub of vegetarian gravy, enough into a small jug for dil, the rest is tipped into the meaty gravy.

pescatarian is a red herring 🤭
just think of them as veggie for xmas dinner purposes

Most vegetarians/pescatarians you've known don't check ingredients and would eat goose fat? That is HIGHLY unusual for a non meat eater.

Fish of any kind doesn’t go with a roast dinner. I’d be gutted if someone made it for me as I’d feel obliged to eat it since they’d gone to all the bother 🤢

A big plate of roasties, veg, stuffing and vegetable-stock gravy is fine. If you still feel bad add some yorkshires or get them an M&S nut roast type of thing. Don’t overthink it x

eta: just noticed you’re overseas, so forget the M&S suggestion! BBC has nut roast recipes though.

This is what I do. My fish eating family members love a roast with salmon rather than meat. They always have vegetarian gravy for the roast potatoes, vegetables and Yorkshire puddings.

🤮 at salmon with gravy. Just no.