Outdoor Dining Crab & Shrimp Seafood Feast
Enjoy the wonderful Spring weather with all things al fresco dining. Picking seafood together with friends or family is such a fun social activity and a great way to serve a large group of guests with minimal preparation! Living by the beach, I host seafood feasts year-round. We have wonderful fresh seafood here and great weather for outdoor social gatherings. We took this party to my back deck but this party can be taken anywhere from your dining room table, poolside, or even a picnic at a local park! See one of my very first beachside crab and shrimp dates here! And check out this party in Space Coast Living Magazine’s Spring 2020 Issue!
The food! And Sourcing Seafood.
I picked up all the crab, shrimp, and lobster from a local seafood market. They made it super easy by preparing everything in their steamer for me. Seasoned with Old Bay and ready for pickup all you have to do is call ahead. If you need help choosing or don’t know how much to order, or what you need to do to prepare an item, they are a great resource! For sides, I roasted fresh corn on the cob and potatoes. I added everything to one large pot and kept it warm with the lid on until my guests arrived.
How To Set A Table For Social Seafood Picking!
For this casual dining style, I simply covered 3 folding tables with old newspapers. This made cleanup a breeze at the end. Each place setting had its own basket of hush puppies, melted butter, seafood utensils, and cleanup supplies. For the napkins, I used kitchen towels instead of linens for the larger mess! I also added lemons from a friend’s tree to freshen hands and bring a little color to the table. No need for fancy floral arrangements or extra decorations at this party. The seafood takes center stage and becomes an edible tablescape! Get the wire baskets here, kitchen towels here, folding tables here, and chairs here.
Coastal Colors.
I found my romper at TJMaxx! The blue and white stripes with white fringe detailing were the perfect backdrop for seafood pictures! I love these colors together.
Adorable Seafood Cookies!
Pink Apron Confections, an amazing cookie artist made these custom sugar cookies for dessert. Crabs, lobsters, shrimp, corn with old bay, potatoes, and lemons; the perfect themed treats after such a large feast!
For an appetizer, I served a jumbo lump crab dip in this fun crab dish I found at Home Goods. Home Goods is a huge source for all my entertaining supplies! I also find a lot of my fun party items at craft stores, discount dollar stores, and shops like Old Time Pottery where I can buy larger quantities for less.
Crab Dip Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp old bay seasoning
- 8 oz jumbo lump crab meat
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese on high until light and fluffy, for about a minute.
- Add the remaining ingredients except for the crab meat and whip until incorporated. -Gently fold in the crab meat with a rubber spatula.
- Add to a baking dish and bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
- Serve hot.
