Seafood events are some of the most challenging jobs for busy caterers. From unique food safety concerns to the need to please pickier palates, there are many extra considerations you’ll need to account for. Here are a few things that you and the food supply companies you work with can do to make sure your next seafood catering event goes off without a hitch.
1. Invest in Good Seafood
Anyone who orders catering for an event wants to make a good impression on their guests. Be sure to use fresh, high-quality seafood from fresh seafood distributors you trust. Choose the best quality available, even if it means having to stick with mid-range options like shrimp and crab legs instead of fancier options like lobster. You’ll get better, more consistent results that will wow guests instead of potentially leaving them disappointed.
2. Offer Dishes Without Seafood
Seafoods dishes are as divisive as they are delicious. To make sure that everyone who attends the event has something to eat, recommend that the host add a non-seafood dish or two to their spread.
One easy way to do this is to make a simple pasta dish that guests can eat alongside their seafood. This gives pickier eaters a filling option that will satisfy them without adding much extra work or expense to the event. Salads also work well for this purpose, especially if you give guests the option to top them with alternative proteins like beans, nuts, and cheeses. Commercial food distributors can help you figure out which dishes are best for your needs and budget.
3. Provide a Variety of Sauces
Seafood dishes are often served with sauce, offering hosts an easy way to cater to many different palates. Items like shrimp and crab cakes may be dunked in anything from marinara or butter sauce to hot cocktail sauce. If you’re serving fish dishes, you can branch out even more with options like lemon cream sauce, red wine sauce, and even sweet and sour sauce.
Note that as a rule, older people tend to prefer less extreme flavors than the younger crowd. Consider the age range of the group you’re catering for and let the host know which kinds of sauces you recommend.
4. Watch Out for Temperature Changes
Seafood spoils quickly outside specific temperature ranges. Taking precautions to keep each dish within its respective range will minimize the risk of bacteria growth and ensure optimal taste and texture too.
If you’re serving any hot seafood dishes, store them in warming trays until it’s time to eat them. Plate them up on heated dishes to avoid cooling them down too quickly. Don’t refrigerate them until the event is over and you know that you won’t need to reheat them that day.
Your cold seafood dishes should be kept refrigerated until right before the guests are ready to eat. Keep them chilled with ice and serve them on cold plates. If the event runs for more than an hour or so, replenish any melted ice regularly to keep temperatures stable.
5. Don’t Reuse Serving Items
It’s tempting to use plates, bowls, and other items for multiple dishes when you’re feeding a crowd, but doing so will significantly increase your risk of cross-contamination. When you’re done with any of these items, place them with the dirty dishes immediately to avoid confusion. Do the same with serving tools like ladles, tongs, and spatulas. Have more dishes and tools available than you think you’ll need so there’s no excuse for mix-ups.
6. Pay Attention to Presentation
Seafood can look extremely impressive when presented well. Take advantage of the many interesting shapes and colors in your dishes to create a striking tableau that guests won’t soon forget. Experimenting with different serving dishes (for example, a large crystal goblet ringed with shrimp or a tiered platter of scallops) will highlight the seafood even more and enhance the overall display.
Source Your Seafood from New Jersey’s Best Food Distributors
Start your seafood event off on the right foot with quality fish, shrimp, scallops, and more from Foods Galore. As one of the top meat, seafood, and wholesale produce suppliers for restaurants around New Jersey, we’ve helped countless food service business owners get the premium ingredients they need to create exceptional catering events. Contact us today and let us do the same for you.
