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By Joyce Taylor, sea grant seafood education and safety agent 



With the holiday season at hand, 

 many cooks are looking for fresh ideas 

 for hors d'oeuvres. Whether you're 

 having a big party or a small gathering, 

 let seafood be part of your menu. 



You can serve a diverse selection 

 of appetizers when you use seafood. 

 And since many seafood preparations 

 are light, your guests can enjoy them 

 and still look forward to the main 

 course. 



Or you can serve a selection of 

 seafood appetizers, in combination with 

 other foods such as raw vegetables, 

 crackers and fruit, as a light meal. Some 

 hors d'oeuvres, such as Baked Oysters 

 with Bacon, can be a main course. 



Plan to have mostly cold appetizers 

 with only a few hot ones. Then you can 

 enjoy your guests with minimal time in 

 the kitchen. 



Some of the simplest appetizers are 

 also the tastiest. And many, such as cold 

 spreads and dips, can be prepared ahead 

 of time. In fact, they're often better 

 when made a day before serving. 



Many popular publications contain 

 recipes for seafood appetizers. But I find 

 that many of them are not well-tested 

 and are often not as good as they sound. 

 And often they are complex and time- 

 consuming to prepare. 



The recipes that follow have been 

 evaluated. We use a scale of 1 to 5 

 (5=excellent, l=poor). All recipes have 

 a 4.5 or higher rating. 



Enjoy seafood hors d'oeuvres 

 during the holidays and all year. 



Shrimp dip 



1 1/2 pounds small or medium shrimp 

 3 ounces cream cheese, softened 

 1/2 cup mayonnaise 

 3 tablespoons finely chopped onion 



1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard 



2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce 



1 cup light cream 



Cook shrimp in salted or seasoned 

 water. Drain, peel and devein. Chop 

 finely. (Food processor works nicely.) 



Combine cream cheese and mayon- 

 naise. Add onion, mustard, lemon juice, 

 Worcestershire and Tabasco. Blend in 

 cream and mix until smooth. Add 

 shrimp. Chill. Serve with assorted 

 vegetables. May also be used as a spread 

 with crackers. Makes about 3 cups. 



marinated shrimp 

 With Fine Herds 



1 pound large shrimp 

 1/2 cup margarine 

 1/2 cup vegetable oil 

 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce 

 1 bay leaf 



1 teaspoon pressed garlic 



3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 



1 teaspoon parsley 



1 teaspoon chives 



1/2 teaspoon tarragon 



1/2 teaspoon chervil 



1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 



1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 



Cook shrimp in salted water. 

 Drain, peel and devein. 



Melt margarine in medium 

 saucepan. Add oil, Tabasco, bay leaf, 

 garlic, lemon juice, parsley, chives, 

 tarragon, chervil, Worcestershire and 

 pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat 

 and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove 

 from heat. 



Add shrimp to sauce. Marinate in 

 the refrigerator 1 hour. Spoon onto 

 serving dish with slotted spoon. 



TANGY 



Crab dip 



1 cup backfin crabmeat 



8 ounces cream cheese, softened 



1/2 cup light sour cream 



1/2 cup mayonnaise 



1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 



1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce 



4 tablespoons minced green onions, 



including tops 

 1/2 teaspoon pressed garlic 



1 teaspoon horseradish 



Combine cream cheese, sour 

 cream and mayonnaise. Add lemon 

 juice, Tabasco, onion, garlic and 

 horseradish. Gently fold in crabmeat. 

 Chill thoroughly. Serve with chips 

 or assorted crackers. Makes about 



2 1/2 cups. 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 19 



