Seafood Sides for Thanksgiving

Are you wondering what to serve this Thanksgiving to partner with your roast turkey? Why not feature the bounty of the land and the sea with an assortment of seafood side dishes? We’ve broken down the traditional Thanksgiving sides into 3 categories; Potato, Veggie, and Stuffing. Each of our side dish categories are stuffed with piping hot ideas, all featuring our award wining seafood and all divinely delicious. Side dishes so good you’ll be thankful for your taste buds!  

Potato Side Dish Ideas 

Potatoes are a big deal at Thanksgiving. They provide an additional vehicle for the gravy, they add an air of creaminess to the meal, and, they’re just flat-out tasty. You can have mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and, as my brother-in-law showed me a few Thanksgivings-back, cheesy gratin potatoes. 

Cheesy Lobster and Potato Gratin 

Back to the brother-in-law comment above, I *was* a mashed potato + Thanksgiving traditionalist. It was not Thanksgiving without the requisite side dishes and mashed potatoes were a ‘do not remove’ menu item…until… Mike changed the rules (it was his house). Instead of mashed potatoes, he served potatoes gratin, and those taters were epic. Lol, now we serve two types of potatoes. 

Think of this Cheesy Lobster and Potato Gratin side dish idea as a twist on the iconic Lobster Mac & Cheese. Instead of macaroni noodles, you use thin slices of potato, and, to add the essence of elegance, oodles of lobster meat. 

Old Bay Mashed Potatoes With Crab 

Mmmm, creamy mashed potatoes heartily seasoned with Old Bay, that’s already a very delicious idea. Adding a buttery topping of sautéed jumbo lump crab, that’s stratospherically scrumptious! Everyone in the family (and probably the neighborhood) will be looking for an invite if this dish is on the menu. 

Shrimp Scampi Stuffed Sweet Potatoes 

This is one hale and hearty side dish. Instead of the sticky-sweet sweet potato casserole, opt in for a savory play on a baked potato. The idea goes like this…baked, jacketed, sweet potatoes are split and filled with sautéed shrimp scampi! Buttery, garlicky, and just a tough of natural sweetness from the fresh shrimp, nom nom nom. 

Veggie Side Dish Ideas 

We try to sneak in a few veggies onto our Thanksgiving table, adding a little reprieve from the rich, starchy side dishes. These veggie side dish ideas elevate the average with additions of savory shellfish. 

Corn and Crayfish Skillet 

This idea is inspired by the Creole maque choux. Maque choux is a tasty corn side dish heartily seasoned and sautéed with bell peppers, garlic, onion, tomatoes, and creole spices. Serving this southern delicacy with a smattering of picked crawfish, either sprinkled on top or sautéed with the maque choux, sounds fantastic, doesn’t it? 

Fried Oyster Topped Green Bean Casserole 

My family is a big fan of oysters. If we can add oysters to our Thanksgiving feast, they’ll be all the merrier. In addition or as a substitution to the crunchy onion topping typically adorning green bean casserole, why not try some fried oysters instead? We also have some handy tips to help you perfect your fried oyster game! 

Crabby Creamed Greens 

A little while back we featured an article about utilizing leftover soup. After crafting that article, I was inspired by even more alternative ways to use soup, especially for the holidays. This inspired creamed greens side dish could use our Maryland Crabmeat Bisque instead of the standard heavy cream. Whether it’s spinach, collards, chard, or kale…a creamy crab-based sauce would pair perfectly. 

Stuffing Side Dish Ideas 

What Thanksgiving feast would be complete without the stuffing!? Whether you’re a fan of “stove-top” or the chunky cornbread variety of stuffing, we have some tantalizing ideas to switch up your stuffing game. 

Classic Oyster Stuffing 

This style of stuffing is a southern classic. Chopped, shucked oysters are added to the more traditional bread stuffing recipe, usually with a little bacon action, resulting in a moist, fluffy dressing. The oysters don’t over power the stuffing. They simply provide a nice sea-salty flavor, which is delightfully delicious. 

Crab Cake Stuffing 

This idea is another seafood-themed modification on the traditional bread stuffing. While the dry stuffing ingredients are getting combined with the wet ingredients, simply crumble moderate portions of raw crab cake into the mix. Gently folding everything together before baking. The crab cake mix will infuse the rest of the stuffing ingredients with flavor as well as keeping the overall stuffing from drying out. Win-win in my book! 

Tex-Mex Shrimp and Cornbread Stuffing 

A spiced-up version of the classic cornbread stuffing. With just a few additional ingredients added to the sautéed veggie blend, you can boost the overall flavor of this stuffing. Keep the butter, onions, and celery but add in some delicious additions like red bell peppers, chipotle peppers in adobo, garlic, cumin, jalapeños, corn, and chopped spiced shrimp (peeled, of course). Even a little sprinkle of shredded jack or cheddar cheese wouldn’t hurt! Yum, yum! 

Get Stuffed on Seafood this Holiday Season 

Add some seafood to your Thanksgiving menu this holiday season. Whether you’ll be trying out one of our seafood side dish ideas or creating an entirely new, seafood-themed spread, we have quite the collection available at our online store. Crab cakes, crab meat, oysters, shrimp, and lobsters-oh my! Kick off the holidays with fantastic seafood, shipped right to your door.

Do you have a seafood side dish recipe that you’d like to share with us? We’re always looking for new and innovative was to use our seafood. Post your images or recipes on any of our social pages. We can be found @cameronsseafoodonline on Instagram or @CameronsSeafood on Facebook.

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