An Easy Pescatarian (& Gluten-Free) Holiday Meal

With a prep-ahead timeline & shopping list!

I love planning menus so that you don’t have to. Today I’m featuring a simple yet elegant pescatarian holiday menu with a prep-ahead timeline and shopping list to lighten your load this season. As always, the menu is gluten-free, but nobody will know.

Hello my dears!

This week I recorded a podcast episode with

Jenny Rosenstrach

(airing in January!), and, among other topics, we talked about our mutual love for planning menus. To me, it feels like a game of Tetris, with the objective of combining dishes that are dynamic in their own right but that fit snugly within the whole, creating a cohesive experience. I’m not only trying to balance flavors but also output, combining easy dishes that can be made ahead with those that take a bit more time.

While this is something that I find fun (or at least satisfying), many of you have told me that menu planning feels overwhelming or stressful. Therefore, in lieu of an essay today I have a streamlined holiday menu plan for you, including a shopping list and prep timeline, in the hopes that it will grant you a bit more ease this season. I’ve been seeing a lot of meat-heavy holiday menus so decided to keep this one pescatarian friendly, featuring the best-ever crab cakes, a foolproof (and shockingly easy) salmon main course and a flavor-packed side. The menu finishes with the dessert my mom used to make for Christmas, but which I’ve streamlined and made gluten-free (spoiler alert: it’s profiteroles!).

I’ve collated all of the recipes, along with a shopping list and make-ahead prep timeline, into a single PDF document, so that you’ll have everything you need in one place. I’ve also shared below the menu (with recipe links) that I made last weekend for James’s birthday party, which is a bit more involved, but which was wildly delicious and great for a crowd.

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