Move over charcuterie, there’s a new kid in town – the seacuterie boards. While this may be a new concept to some, the first seacuterie was served by Brooklyn Chef David Burke in 1988. It featured gravadlax – that cured salmon that’s been a Scandinavian staple for centuries – with a distinctly American twist. Burke’s was a pastrami salmon, and it’s credited to igniting a craze for pickling, fermenting, smoking, or aging seafood that’s served side-by-side with mustard, aioli, crackers, breads, pickled red onions, and more.
Part of what’s fueling the popularity of seacuterie boards on catering menus is the growing demand for shareable food. When served with a nice sauvignon blanc or chardonnay, it’s hard to beat the flavor and variety seacuteries offer. Plus, they make a dramatic statement at any event.
Seacuterie Boards, Why chefs love them.
Chefs are more than happy to accommodate a request for a seacuterie because they encourage innovation in the kitchen. Not only do they offer event guests a wide variety of tastes and textures, they are the perfect prelude to a plated meal. Chefs from some of the most popular New Orleans caterers like Messina’s Catering and Events are creating pastramis, rillettes, and terrines, and displaying them on impressive platters and boards for dramatic food stations and table centerpieces.
Why your guests will love them.
Seacuteries fit with the growing desire for clean, sustainable food – namely seafood. From smoked fish dips to octopus torchon to smoked mussel piperade, they offer your guests the chance to sample a wide variety of treats from the sea in creative new ways. (englishwithashish)
New Orleans is a great place to find ingredients for a seacuterie.
With the Gulf of Mexico and numerous bays and bayous that surround the Crescent City, it’s no wonder that Louisiana is the second-largest seafood supplier in the U.S. In fact, one-third of all the seafood consumed in the U.S. comes from the “pelican state.” That’s why Messina’s is able to begin the curing process with some of the freshest, most sustainable seafood around—including oysters, shrimp, crawfish, saltwater fish like redfish, snapper and grouper, and blue crab. All of these make excellent additions to seacuterie boards.
What are some of the more popular seacuterie combinations?
For spreads, dips and rillettes, a house-smoked mackerel dip with house-made saltines and smoked salmon rillettes with cream fraiche, chive, pickled shallot, and grilled batard fit the bill. Smoked ingredients could include smoked fish collar with yuzu, salt and lemon or smoked mussels. There’s also plenty of room for sausage on your seacuterie board but instead could take the form of shrimp linguica or scallop mortadella with pistachios and black peppercorns. (cialis) For deli flavors, how about some pastrami-sliced trout on a bagel with heirloom tomatoes, marinated cucumber, red onion, capers, and cream cheese? Accoutrements can include everything from pickled vegetables to dips to smoky sauces to crisp breads. Be sure to include caviar and roe, smoked or pickled or a confit of marinated tuna for an even more impressive presentation. Part of what makes a seacuterie board unique is its visual appearance! So go for a rustic, fresh from the pantry look.
Trust the chefs at Messina’s to bring even the most daring seacuterie to the table.
A full-service caterer like Messina’s can help you plan the perfect seacuterie complement to your catering menu. One that’s guaranteed to leave your guests hungry for more. Messina’s has serving the freshest New Orleans seafood since our start in 1961. We are proud to have been named Best of Catering for Weddings by The Knot in 2020, as well as selected by New Orleans CityBusiness readers as best cater for the 3rd year in a row. To learn more about Messina’s, visit www.messinascatering.com.
