Preparing holiday meals is challenging enough without adding dietary restrictions to the mix. However, making meat-free entrees doesn’t have to be difficult. Please every pescatarian at the table this year with these delicious recipes. They’re so good even meat-eaters will enjoy them!
1. Roasted Salmon Nicoise
The holiday season calls for lots of delicious food, which inevitably means lots of dirty dishes. Not with this recipe! The one-pot salmon Nicoise is incredibly easy to make and, as its name suggests, only requires one dish for roasting.
First, quarter the potatoes, trim the green beans and de-stem the tomatoes. Roast the potatoes at 425 °F for 30 to 45 minutes. Top with tomatoes and cook another 10 minutes. Add the green beans, garlic, olives and salmon. Cook for 15 minutes at 300 °F before topping the salmon with pesto and dishing everything up. Hint: Use festive paper platters for even easier clean up!
2. Grilled Harissa Shrimp
Maybe you only have 30 minutes to throw together a pescatarian dish for your meat-free guests. Pick an easy entree like grilled harissa shrimp. It sounds fancy, but it’s super simple to make. Plus, several of the ingredients should be in your pantry already.
Whisk together harissa, oil, lemon juice and salt and marinate the shrimp in the mixture. Cook the onions and garlic in a pan before adding spices, chickpeas and tomatoes. Let the sauce simmer while you grill the shrimp. Spoon the sauce onto a serving platter, add the shrimp and garnish with dill and feta. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts for extra flair.
3. Lobster Rolls
If you really want to impress your guests, whip up some classic New England lobster rolls. This option is perfect for Thanksgiving where foods like turkey and rolls already abound. Plus, you only need a few ingredients, but remember that each one must be high quality or something is bound to taste off.
First, spread mayo and butter on the buns and toast them to golden perfection. Then, choose a cooking method for your lobster. Boiling is the easiest choice and allows you to infuse the lobster with a saltwater flavor. Once it’s done, carefully extract the meat from the shells and combine it with a little bit of mayo. Place it in a colander over a bowl in the fridge until the excess mayo drains and you’re left with lightly coated lobster chunks. Assemble and serve.
4. Jumbo Crab Cakes
Some home chefs won’t even attempt crab cakes because they think they’re too difficult to make. Yet, as fancy as they look, these tasty cakes really are easy to prepare. Plus, you can whip up the sauce in advance so all you have to do is make the cakes come dinnertime.
Toss the crab meat with herbs and your pre-made sauce and add enough fresh breadcrumbs to bind the mixture together. Add more crumbs if need be and season to taste. Then, sprinkle some more bread crumbs onto your kitchen counter and place a ring mold on top. Pat the crab into the mold and top with even more crumbs. Remove the mold and sautee the cakes in batches, two minutes on each side. Heat for five minutes on an ovenproof platter before serving.
Dishing Up Deliciousness
Once you have these recipes in your arsenal, you'll never have to worry about satisfying your pescetarian guests again. These dishes are easy enough to make on a weeknight but fancy enough to serve at holiday gatherings, which makes them super versatile — not to mention delicious! Customize each one to suit your taste and experiment with sides that complement fishier flavors. Vegetables and starches like rice and potatoes are always good options.
