8 Fishy Ways to Entertain on New Years Eve!

What's more fun than ringing in the New Year with a glass of expensive champagne and crisp raw oyster in yer gullet? Nothing really. Even still, it is important to keep the food and drink selection funky fresh while you ball out 'til the ball drops. Here are a few suggestions from my mother Sabrina's kitchen. She is a seasoned entertainer so get with her program and you will not disappoint. 

Who will you smack gills with in 2012?!

1)  Clams Casino - THE BEST APPETIZER EV-ER. Keep it simple with just a small piece of bread, a sprig or two of parsley a teeny-tiny (less is more) piece-ola of yer finest bacon and a squirt of lemon. Don't get crazy or creative, stick to my recipe and badabing-badaboom you are in business.

2) Bay Scallops ( or something else) Wrapped in Bacon - If your bank account can't handle scallops, opt for pickled watermelon rinds wrapped in bacon.  The pickled watermelon rind brings forth enough sweet, salty and sticky element to mesh like a pro with a small piece of  bacon. hold it all together with a toothpick. 'Tis Good.

SEE HOW TINY THESE BAY SCALLOPS ARE? THAT'S WASSUP.
also, note the tiny tinnyyyyyyy pieces of bacon. That there is the ratio you are looking for.

Pickled watermelon rinds wrapped in bacon.

3) Oyster Soup - This is a classic New Year's favorite from my Uncle Tom. The ingredients include fresh shucked East-Coast oysters in their juices, cream, butter, salt and pepper to taste. Don't overcook. Add more butter and more cream until it seems ridiculous. 

WAH-LAH, pass the Lactaid.

4) Chilled Lobster Legs - A fun way to spruce up the raw bar: Collect the lobster legs off of the lobsters you cook for dinner and chill them on ice. Your guests will appreciate the ingenuity and they will also appreciate having to work to suck the meat out. Keeps calories down when mindlessly gnoshing and chatting.

Recognize these guys?
Now stop bein' a fool and add them to your raw bar.
Some purveyors freeze them and sell them by the lb. as lobster legs or lobster spaghetti.

5) Illegally Harvested Cranberry Infused Vodka - Cape Cod at its best. Go to an abandoned cranberry bog, harvest some berries and add them to vodka or grain alcohol (if your state sells it). Allow the tincture to soak as long as possible (weeks, months, whatever) and then make cran-tini's. 

6) MASSIVE Shrimp Cocktail Plate - Cocktail sauce should include ONLY horseradish (tons), ketchup (minimal) and lemon (tons). That's the ratio, it never gets old.

Fear not frozen shrimp. Most of it has been frozen at some point anyways. Freezing
 actually enhances the shrimp's texture. Also, please stay classy and peel and devein the shrimps yourself.

7) Fried Small Whole Fish - Horse Mackerels are Fish Babe preferred, but smelts work.

Make sure the fish are wicked fresh and try not to burn yourself during the frying process.
This was the Horse Mackerel at Kyo Ya in the East Village, NYC.

8) A Cold Jug of Water - No Brainer. Use a fancy schmancy water jug like this classic from Sabrina's kitchen. 

Water will sober up the drunkies enough to send them home after the party. You have limited couch real-estate after all. 

Don't wake up on New Year's Day to the horrific sounds of Wild Pete snoring away on your couch in his hot-dog suit and his new girlfriend puking in your toilet. Give your guests the H20 they need to pass the breathalyzer and GO HOME.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!