Heavy Appetizers

by Charles Duke

 Here are five really spectacular heavy appetizers for your  parties. The only one that takes more than a few short minutes is the ceviche recipe, but it is both really fresh and healthy and can be made in advance easily, that it is worth putting on the menu.

Quail Poppers

This is the most simple and fantastic appetizer. 

Open one or several of the packages of Quail Poppers from the case that you ordered Here. Freeze the rest for a later date.

Grill Them:

Serve them:

Everybody Wins.

Classic Ceviche

 

Food and Wine, CONTRIBUTED BY  JULY 2012

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound fresh, skinless snapper, bass, halibut, or other ocean fish fillets, cut into 1/2-inch dice (the fresh fillets from To-Table make this incredible. Find all the possible fillets you will need here)
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice
  • 1 medium white onion, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 medium-large tomatoes (about 1 pound), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
  • Fresh hot green chiles (2 to 3 serranos or 1 to 2 jalapeños), stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, plus a few leaves for garnish
  • 1/3 cup chopped pitted green olives (manzanillos for a typical Mexican flavor)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
  • Salt
  • 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice or 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 large or 2 small ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
  • Tostadas, tortilla chips or saltine crackers, for serving

 

    1. In a 1 1/2-quart glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the fish, lime juice and onion. Use enough juice to cover the fish and allow it to float freely; too little juice means unevenly "cooked" fish. Cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours, until a cube of fish no longer looks raw when broken open. Drain in a colander.
    2. In a large bowl, mix together the tomatoes, green chiles, cilantro, olives and optional olive oil. Stir in the fish and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon. Add the orange juice or sugar. Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately. Just before serving, gently stir in the diced avocado.

MAKE AHEAD

Working ahead: The fish may be marinated a day in advance; after about 4 hours, when the fiInsh is "cooked," drain it so that it won't become too tangy. For the freshest flavor, add the flavorings to the fish no more than a couple of hours before serving.

NOTES 

There are many ways to serve ceviche. Here are some of our favorites: Place the ceviche in a large bowl and let people spoon it onto individual plates to eat with chips or saltines; spoon the ceviche into small bowls and serve tostadas, chips or saltines alongside; or pile the ceviche onto chips or tostadas and pass around for guests to consume on these edible little plates. Garnish the ceviche with cilantro leaves before serving.

 

Peeky Toe Crab Mornay

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup freshly grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 pound fresh Peeky Toe Crabmeat (Find Here at To-Table)
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Store-bought or homemade toast points

Preparation

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; add onions, and sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Add cream, and cook, whisking constantly, until smooth and sauce begins to bubble. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese until smooth. Stir in sherry, salt, and pepper. Gently fold in crabmeat and parsley. Keep warm in a chafing dish or slow cooker set on WARM or LOW. Serve with toast points.

Creamy Shrimp Dip with Crispy Wonton Chips

Southern Living, DECEMBER 2015

Ingredients

1 pound large cooked, peeled, and deveined Royal Red Shrimp, chopped (find here at To-Table)
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Garnish: fresh chives

Preparation

Stir together first 9 ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes to 1 day. Serve with Crispy Wonton Chips. Use fancy potato chips or tortilla chips if you don't have time to fry wonton chips.

 

Country Ham Biscuits

Ingredients

Mini Frozen Buttermilk Biscuits (Pillsbury Grands)

Thinly sliced Country Ham (Find Country Ham here from To-Table) or (two lower sodium ham alternatives here and here)

Preparation

Heat oven to 350°F. Bake biscuits as directed on bag. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Split biscuits horizontally. Spread mustard on bottom halves of biscuits. Top with ham and biscuit tops.

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