Summer is a party season. When your friends come around, though, you need to have a spread ready. One of the best ways to feed a crowd with food that they’ll get excited about is to go all out with the appetizers. People love them, sometimes even better than entrees, and they are easy to make. Here are ten summer appetizer ideas for some summer party fun.
Table of contents:
- Bruschetta
- Antipasto Kebabs
- Gazpacho
- Shrimp rolls
- Pizzettes
- Glazed chicken wings, Asian-style
- Greek salad
- Corn on the cob
- Grilled watermelon slices
- Steamed oysters
1. Bruschetta
Bruschetta is an Italian appetizer (an antipasto in Italian). Lightly fry slices of baguette with olive oil on a skillet and garnish with salt, pepper, and basil. Top the slices off with halved grape tomatoes.
2. Antipasto Kebabs
While kebabs are a Middle Eastern idea, there’s nothing to stop you from trying an Italian twist on them. You’ll need a great selection of sliced meats and vegetables for a colorful and delicious presentation. Choose from pepperoni, salami, cheese tortellini, olives, and parsley, among others, and skewer them on toothpicks.
More: 10 Fantastic Summer Sandwich Recipes
3. Gazpacho
Gazpacho is a cold tomato and vegetable soup from Spain and it’s the perfect appetizer for a hot day. Throw a few vegetables in the blender together with garlic, vinegar, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. When the ingredients are blended smooth, add tomato juice and put the mixture in the refrigerator. Serve with pieces of avocado.
More: 10 Quick and Easy Barbecue Recipes
4. Shrimp rolls
Anything with shrimp is a great reminder that it’s summer. Shrimp rolls start out like many other roll recipes – with rice paper. You wet rice paper in lukewarm water for a half minute until it softens, lay it on a board, put in the stuffing, and roll the individual pieces up.
For the shrimp filling, add unpeeled shrimp to boiling water in a saucepan and season with salt, vinegar, sugar, and pepper. Shrimp rolls go well with a variety of sauces.
More: 10 Incredible Summer Roll Recipes
5. Pizzettes
There’s no way that guests at a summer party wouldn’t gobble up pizzettes (or mini pizzas), three at a time. You make them just the same way you do pizzas, only you make them light and easy to eat. Your toppings need to be nothing more than a couple of tomato slices and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
More: 12 Refreshing, Low-Cal Cocktails to Try This Summer
6. Glazed chicken wings, Asian-style
You start off Asian-style glazed chicken wings the way you would any other chicken wing recipe – you fry them until golden brown in a skillet. The Asian touch in this recipe comes with the glazing. To make plum sauce glazing, add orange juice, pepper, 2 inches of peeled ginger, and tamari in a pot and stir over high heat. Once your sauce comes to a boil, pour it over your chicken wings and garnish with cilantro.
More: 10 Incredibly Delicious Summer Chicken Recipes
7. Greek salad
You make a Greek salad with all the usual salad ingredients – ripe tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, bell pepper, black olives, and parsley. For the Greek dressing, mix oregano, oil, and vinegar in a pot, stir thoroughly, and then pour. Crumble up some feta cheese (Greek cottage cheese made of goat’s milk), sprinkle it on the salad, and serve with toasted pita bread.
More: 10 Fresh Summer Salads
8. Corn on the cob
Grilled corn on the cob is a great summer treat. Grill corncobs over charcoal until they are evenly done and then rub them with a mixture of butter, garlic, chili, cumin, pepper, and cilantro.
Read also – 10 Healthy, Low-Calorie Summer Snacks
9. Grilled watermelon slices
You don’t always have to eat watermelon raw. You get interesting results grilling it, as well. Cut up watermelon into small, 1-inch-thick slices.
Coat them in olive oil and sear on a hot grill pan. Each side should take around two minutes to grill properly. To serve, decorate each slice with crumbly goat cheese and sprinkle salt and pepper over it.
More: 10 Quick and Easy Fruit Desserts
10. Steamed oysters
Steaming oysters is easy – you simply cook them in boiling water for about 10 minutes, until they open. For added taste, you can season the water in a number of ways. Onion, celery, and peppercorns are a good idea. Once your oysters are cooked, you strain them, coat them in melted butter and serve with slices of lemon.
The best part with these appetizer recipes is that they are simple to make. You don’t need to limit yourself to one or two – you can make them all. If you have other summer appetizer ideas, feel free to share them with us in the comments section.