Seafood birthday party - does this sound ok? Ideas welcome!

[TeddyIsaHe]

It’s for 4 people in total before anyone kicks off!!

I’m having a seafood dinner party for my friend’s bday on Sunday. Menu so far is:

Dressed lobster w/ either tarragon butter or bearnaise to dip. Half one each
Crab souffles (might rethink this one as I don’t particularly want the stress!!)
Moules mariniere
Potted shrimp
Crevettes/shell on prawns
Pan fried scallops

With frites, a watercress, orange and fennel salad with a mustard dressing & lovely bread and good butter.

There’s just smallish portions of each thing, so it’s not a huge amount of food. More something to soak up the champagne!

Sounds fabulous 😋. Are you cooking it from scratch yourself?

That sounds amazing. I adore crab, but agree the souffle is going to be a logistical arse. Never tried (or heard of) a twice baked crab souffle, but could it be a less pressured option?
Additions are not necessary, sounds perfect as it is, but I do like oysters in a fruits de mer.

Ooh im in - what time shall I arrive?

Smoked salmon roll ups realfood.tesco.com/recipes/salmon-roll-ups.html

Coquilles St Jacques 🍤

You can two more! When shall i arrive?! Sounds divine!

Delicious - we have a family tradition of a seafood feast on Christmas Eve (all shipped in from M&S - it’s the most expensive meal we eat all year but it’s so worth it!) We’d tend to have squid with it too but everything you’ve listed sounds amazing (and good bread and champagne are the most important accompaniments so you’ve nailed it in my book!)

I might want a second vegetable. Roasted green beans to go with the lobster perhaps?

How about crab tians or Thai style crab Cakes?

Oh and good bread for mopping up juices, palate cleansing etc

Please can I come? It sounds amazing. Maybe some fish/fishcakes instead of the crab if it’s high stress

Sounds amazing masses
If food without the soufflés- enjoy the company and champagne and don’t make it too
Much work.... xx

Sounds wonderful - can I be your friend?

Too many courses. Sounds fishy to me.

Thai style crab cakes or crab ravioli would be lovely.
I hope you’ll have some good Marie Rose sauce or garlic mayo to dip the prawns in

Sounds amazing but crab is the bomb without doing much to it. Just serve up dressed crabs with a decent white/brown meat ratio (twice as much white to brown, at least, I would say) and let them speak for their delicious little selves.

I’d also like some cockles with this if this was my birthday, but I am from the East End. However I’ve been to some pretty fancy places where they did feature on the Fruits de Mer so don’t think it’s just us ageing Cockneys that like them.

Oh and oysters- oysters and the shallot vinaigrette and Tabasco!

I would say crab cakes too instead of soufflés.
I'd want something fresh with it, like a slightly pickled cucumber salad.

Just wanted to say that the Hairy Bikers crab soufflé is easy and practically bomb proof though if you do it as a single soufflé, rather than individual servings, it takes 30-50mins depending on dimensions of container.

Oh my goodness, that sounds wonderful. I would do Thai crab cakes instead, which could be made ahead and reheated, serve with coriander, finely sliced chilli, fish sauce and soy mixture. Or, as pp have said, just dressed crab and whole meal bread and butter or melba toast.
To make it absolutely perfect, oysters would be amazing, raw with garnishes, deep fried, grilled in the shell with a drop of cream and dusting of Parmesan and black pepper.