Nautical Food Ideas



Delectable Nautical & Sailing Themed Hors d'oeuvre Recipes

Chart your appetizer course with these original party hors d'oeuvre ideas to complement your nautical or sailing themed event. Our recipe picks include:
And for the bar, add a bowl of goldfish, Life Savers, or gummy fish, just for fun!
Marinated Shrimp with Snow Pea Sails1
Advance prep: 1-2 days before party (marinate)Last-minute prep: Add snow pea sails up to 4 hours before
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 30 Hors d'oeuvres

Ingredients
- 1-1/2 lbs large shrimp (30), peeled & deveined
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup sesame oil
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 15-20 snow peas
Directions
- Cook shrimp in boiling water until pink, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Drain shrimp and immerse in cold water to cool & prevent overcooking.
- Drain again and put in a glass or stainless steel bowl.
- Whisk together vinegar, oil, garlic, ginger, salt & pepper.
- Pour over shrimp and stir to coat.
- Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 days, stirring at least every 8 hours.
- Up to 4 hours before serving, string the snow peas and blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds.
- Drain and immediately immerse in ice water to chill.
- Drain well.
- Cut each snow pea in half crosswise to create two pieces that look like sails.
- Insert a toothpick from the cut end along the straight edge of the snow pea to peak out of the top like a sailboat mast.
- Insert a snow pea sail into each shrimp and serve.
Life Rings & Crab Buoys
Advance prep: Prepare spread the day before partyLast-minute prep: Assemble 2 hours before
Difficulty: Moderate
Yield: 60 Hors d'oeuvres

Ingredients
- 30 slices of white bread, left out 2 hours to slightly harden
- 3 artichoke hearts
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 6 oz crab meat
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Roasted red peppers, unsliced
- Round biscuit cutters: 2-3/4" & 1-3/8"
Directions
- Combine artichoke hearts, crab, onions, garlic, and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse until chopped small. Add cream cheese and puree until smooth.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Cut out a round from each slice of bread approximately 2-3/4 inches in diameter using a biscuit cutter, and store until ready to serve.
To serve:
- Spread crab mixture to completely cover each round. If necessary, refrigerate until crab mixture is firm for cutting out the center.
- Cut the center out of each round using a 1-3/8 inch biscuit cutter to create a ring and small round.
- Cut the roasted red pepper into 4 rectangles approximately 1/2 inch wide and slightly longer in length.
- Position the red pepper rectangles equally spaced around the ring.
- Cut the roasted red pepper into 3 strips approximately 1/4 inch wide with one strip about 1-1/2 inch long and the other two about 5/8 inches in length.
- Position the longer strip across the center of the small round, then place the smaller strips on each side and perpendicular to the longer strip. It should look like a red X on the small round.
- Use blue paper instead of white doilies on your serving tray to look like water.
- Serve at room temperature.
Phyllo Flag Triangles with Spinach1
A wink to Popeye the Sailorman
Advance prep: Up to 2 days before the party; day before (required)Last-minute prep: Bake 10 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate
Yield: 50 Hors d'oeuvres

Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Olive Oyl
- 1 bunch of scallions, chopped
- 2-1/2 lbs spinach, washed & dried or 2-10 oz frozen spinach, chopped
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 bunch dill
- 1/2 lb feta cheese, drained & crumbled
- 3 eggs, slightly beaten
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 lb phyllo pastry
- 1 lb unsalted butter, melted
Directions
- Thaw the phyllo dough overnight in the refrigerator, if frozen.
- Heat the oil and saute the scallions until soft.
- Add the spinach and cook until wilted, stirring often.
- Put the mixture over a bowl and press out the liquid.
- Boil down the liquid to 2 tablespoons.
- Mix the spinach, liquid, parsley, dill, feta, eggs, salt and pepper until well blended.
- Cool completely.
- Place 1 sheet of phyllo on a flat surface and brush with butter.
- Top with 2 more sheets, buttering each. Don't worry about small tears.
- Cut the sheets crosswise into 6 strips.
- Spoon a teaspoon of filling onto the end of each strip.
- Form a triangle by folding the right-hand corner to the opposite side, like folding a flag.
- Fold the triangle straight-up by folding the left-hand corner parallel to the left side.
- Next, fold the left-hand corner to the opposite side, continue to the end, and cut off any excess phyllo.
- Repeat the process until all the filling is used.
- Refrigerate triangles until ready to serve, up to 2 days, or freeze for longer. Do not thaw before baking.
To Serve
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place triangles on a buttered baking sheet and brush with melted butter.
- Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
1This recipe was modified from The Martha Stewart Cookbook.