Nautical Food Ideas

Chart your appetizer course with these original party hors d'oeuvre ideas to complement your nautical or sailing themed event. Our recipe picks include:

• Marinated Shrimp with Snow Pea Sails
• Life Rings & Crab Buoys
• Phyllo Flag Triangles with Spinach

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

1. Cook shrimp in boiling water until pink, 2 to 3 minutes.
   
2. Drain shrimp and immerse in cold water to cool & prevent overcooking.
   
3. Drain again and put in a glass or stainless steel bowl.
   
4. Whisk together vinegar, oil, garlic, ginger, salt & pepper.
   
5. Pour over shrimp and stir to coat.
   
6. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 days, stirring at least every 8 hours.
   
7. Up to 4 hours before serving, string the snow peas and blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds.
8. Drain and immediately immerse in ice water to chill.
9. Drain well.
10. Cut each snow pea in half crosswise to create two pieces that look like sails.
11. 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.
12. Insert a snow pea sail into each shrimp and serve.
    

Life Rings & Crab Buoys

Advance prep: Prepare spread the day before party
Last-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

1. 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.
2. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. 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.

1. Spread crab mixture to completely cover each round. If necessary, refrigerate until crab mixture is firm for cutting out the center.
   
2. Cut the center out of each round using a 1-3/8 inch biscuit cutter to create a ring and small round.
   
3. Cut the roasted red pepper into 4 rectangles approximately 1/2 inch wide and slightly longer in length.
4. Position the red pepper rectangles equally spaced around the ring.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Use blue paper instead of white doilies on your serving tray to look like water.
8. 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

1. Thaw the phyllo dough overnight in the refrigerator, if frozen.
2. Heat the oil and saute the scallions until soft.
3. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, stirring often.
4. Put the mixture over a bowl and press out the liquid.
5. Boil down the liquid to 2 tablespoons.
6. Mix the spinach, liquid, parsley, dill, feta, eggs, salt and pepper until well blended.
7. Cool completely.
8. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on a flat surface and brush with butter.
9. Top with 2 more sheets, buttering each. Don't worry about small tears.
10. Cut the sheets crosswise into 6 strips.
11. Spoon a teaspoon of filling onto the end of each strip.
12. Form a triangle by folding the right-hand corner to the opposite side, like folding a flag.
13. Fold the triangle straight-up by folding the left-hand corner parallel to the left side.
14. Next, fold the left-hand corner to the opposite side, continue to the end, and cut off any excess phyllo.
15. Repeat the process until all the filling is used.
16. Refrigerate triangles until ready to serve, up to 2 days, or freeze for longer.  Do not thaw before baking.

To Serve

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place triangles on a buttered baking sheet and brush with melted butter.
3. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

¹This recipe was modified from The Martha Stewart Cookbook.