Ideas for starter to gow tih fish main course

[Pennies]

Got friends coming over for dinner on Saturday and we're serving sea bass for the main course and pannetone bread & butter pudding for dessert.

Can anyone recommend a starter that would go with ther est of the menu, bearing in mind that I'm pregnant so can't eat the usual choices (pate, cured meats etc etc)

TIA

wild mushroom pate

thai soup

A very colourful salad with a vinagrette?

What about a small portion of risotto? I found a great recipe for butternut squash & sage risotto on bbc.co.uk - very seasonal too!

Or vegetarian anti pasti - olives, sundried tomatoes, preserved artichokes & mushrooms etc.

Or a pasta starter?

Hth

ooooh some lovely ideas here (Thai soup - yum, had that yesterday). I think hubby will want something with meat in (doesn't think he's eaten unless there's some meat on the table). I like the idea of a risotto very much. Keep 'em coming...

Soak e,.g whoel canembert chees in wine (Iguess you'll need a pasterised one) Bake in a hot oven for 15 min . Serve with hot crusty bread and let everone dig in. Can add parma ham or diced bacon to cover it.

Soaps are always delicios and easy for dinenr parties. In fact since birth of ds I serve thee more than anything as I can prepare it the day before. Artichoke soap is absolutely delicious.

Like the cheese idea but unfortunately DH isn't a fan of cheese at all - VERY annoying!

Rare fillet of beef, marinated in an Eastern way with soy, ginger etc., sear over high heat in a heavy pan, then roast for about 10mins before your guests arrive. Take it out of the oven and leave aside, then cut into thin slices and serve slightly warm or at room temperature on a bed of rocket, or use noodles as well as the rocket if your guests are the hungry types. garnish with coriander and thinly sliced spring onions. You could eat the edge slices, as they won't be rare!

mini chicken and sweet pepper kebabs with leaves

marinade the chicken pieces in yogurt lightly spiced, thread onto soaked wooden kebab sticks with peper and bake for 10 to 15 mins

serve with satay sauce
if particularly greedy put them in mini pittas

Let us know what you go for Pennies.

Gorgeous looking pears in wine on This Morning's slot with Lesley Watters today (recipe is probably on their website), you can serve with blue cheese and salad, omit the cheese for those who don't like it or can't eat it.