Gameday is all about indulging in your favorites, from rooting for your favorite team to platters of easy-to-grab and delicious platters of snacks ready to go. There's nothing like kicking back on a couch or oversized chair with friends eating and cheering on your favorites. But let's be honest: nobody wants to be the one stuck in the kitchen all day making elaborate snacks, dips, and finger foods when they, too, could be enjoying the game.
Many of us probably think of the game day usuals like hamburgers, sliders, hotdogs, chips, and dip—all tasty choices. But many of us are also missing out on a surprisingly delectable addition to our game day menu, and that's gameday seafood!
Anything from decadent lobster dishes to finger-food-baked crab cakes can be made into a memorable, mouth-watering game day snack. Read on for our best ideas for you to stir things up for an incredible gameday seafood extravaganza!
Seafood to Change up Gameday
Lobster Guacamole
Take your classic game day party gip of guacamole and mix in freshly cooked, sweet, and juicy lobster meat for an ultimate rich upgrade. Just use your tried and true favorite guacamole recipe, then give it that unmistakable sweet seafood flavor by mixing in chopped lobster and serving with chips, crackers, or bread.
Lobster Roll Sliders
Take on the classic New England lobster roll and make it a slider that will have you, your friends, family, and guests talking about the food for weeks to come. Take roughly 1 pound of cooked lobster meat and cut it into 1-inch sized pieces in a bowl. Splash a small amount of lemon juice, sprinkle with salt, pepper, celery, and a thick and creamy mayo, then stir together. Toast your favorite grocery store buns with softened butter in a pan for about 30 seconds on each side until golden brown, then assemble the lobster roll sliders and watch them go fast!
Bacon-Wrapped Scallop Skewers
Simple, easy, and oh-so delightful in golden, crispy flavors, bacon-wrapped scallop skewers are the ultimate combination of land and sea! Crunchy bacon wrapped around tender, juicy scallops threaded on a skewer for ease of snacking is a perfect plate for dinners and game day parties. Preheat the oven to 425, melt some butter, add salt and pepper, let the butter cool, then toss your scallops in the butter. Take ten pieces of bacon, cut them in half. Wrap the bacon around the scallops, and place the bacon-wrapped scallop over the skewer where the bacon end pieces overlap and thread. Place your skewers on a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, turn them, bake for 15 more, and voila. Ready to serve!
Hot Crab Pinwheels
Another easy but flavor-packed treat for game day, these Hot Crab Pinwheels take roughly 15 minutes of prep, including chill time and baking. The ingredients for these are simple, 1 package of cream cheese, softened, one can of drained crabmeat, 3/4th of a cup diced red pepper, ½ cup shredded cheddar, two thinly sliced green onions, fresh parsley, minced for color, a dash of cayenne and six flour tortillas are all that's needed. Beat the cream cheese until smooth, adding the crab, pepper, cheese, onions, parsley, and cayenne, then spread 1/3 of a cup of the filling on each tortilla; roll up tightly, wrap in plastic and twist the end, and chill for two hours.
After chilling, preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit, unwrap the rolls and cut each into roughly six slices, place on a baking sheet that's been coated with cooking spray, and cook approximately ten minutes before serving these great pinwheels up.
Crunchy Coconut Shrimp with Pina Colada Sauce
Oh, what a tropical twist for a seafood game day special snack! In this suggestion, we humbly recommend the largest shrimp you can afford; the bigger the shrimp, the better the flavor, and of course, the more of the sauce you can pick up and enjoy.
You'll need at least 1lb of jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined. Next, you'll need a deep fryer or a sturdy, thick-walled pot on the stove deep enough to safely deep fry with, and your favorite oil for frying. Next, gather the following ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
- 2 large egg whites lightly beaten
- 1 and 1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- a jar of pineapple preserves
- set aside one tablespoon of nonalcoholic (or alcohol included, you do you) frozen pina colada mix, thawed.
Take your deveined and peeled jumbo shrimp and dip in the flour, dip into the egg whites and then coat with coconut. Heat oil to 375 Fahrenheit, and fry a few at a time for 1 to ½ minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. In a small bowl, mix the pineapple preserves with the pina colada mix, and you are ready to serve up these mouth-watering coconut shrimp!
Salmon BLT Sliders with Chipotle Mayo
These loaded sliders with perfectly baked salmon, crispy, crunchy bacon, smothered in a rich, smokey, and spicy chipotle mayo will be a home run hit next game day. Get yourself 1 pound of your favorite kind of salmon filets, and then gather these supplies: kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, 2 slices of bacon, cut into thirds, ¼ cup of mayo, at least 4 of your favorite slider buns. 2 tablespoons of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, 2 cups of spring mix or spinach and 2 thinly sliced Roma tomatoes.
Set your oven to broil, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and cut salmon into squares that will fit your slider buns. Season liberally with salt and pepper or to taste, then place filets into baking dish and broil until pink; at least 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, gently flip the salmon over and broil another 5 minutes or until you can flake the fish easily with a fork.
Next, heat your favorite skillet as you set your cooked salmon aside, about medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until brown and crispy, 6-8 minutes, transfer to a paper towel. Now, you can toast your slider buns, fry them for a little golden brown in the skillet or leave them as is and build your sliders. Serve the salmon sliders on your rolls with a generous spoonful of chipotle mayo, a slice of tomato, spring mix, or spinach, and watch them disappear in a flash of compliments!
We hope you consider these succulent seafood game day snacks and appetizers if you want to impress without the mess this game day. To make game day even more convenient, and don't forget to get the freshest, most flavorsome seafood delivered directly to your door before the big game to have everything you need to entertain!