A seafood feast worth waiting for!

It has been almost a whole year since we last made a nice meal for both our families :( We were so busy with the house and were really not in the mood to host dinners. So... in order to try and make up for it we are going to put on a seafood feast that was worth waiting for :)

But... as always... I am going to need your help :)

See, for once, I want MrB to have a break from the smoke and heat so there will be NO BBQ - everything will be done inside! We've got a steam oven, as well as a cooktop and oven of course.

My only concern is that I've got too many things that I want to do, and because we are used to a BBQ for majority of the cooking for 10-15 people, we might not be able to cope :S ... and would love to hear your tips and tricks on how to organise myself with cooking everything.

Also, I would love to hear your suggestions as to what salads best go with the seafood we've chosen. Hopefully some that can be pre-made so I don't have to stress about them when guests arrive. MrB is handy in the kitchen so he will be helping :)

What I've decided so far:

• Scallops - should I steam or fry?
• Mussels - steam
• Smoked salmon - would like to pre-prepare this before guests arrive.
• Prawns & calamari - deepfry
• Bugs - grill
• Salmon roe - which I am not familiar with and know nothing about :(
• Possibly oysters - but am scared that they might freak our guests out :)
• Prosciutto - although not a seafood but we love it :)
• Patties - would love to hear your recipe suggestions
• No-taste fish fillets - deep fried for the non seafood person :(
• Sweet potato chips - will these go with our "theme"?

Now, there will be 10-15 of us. Should we do everything at once or one by one or two by two perhaps since there will be two of us cooking?

Would love to hear your suggestions and also what you would suggest for scallops - steaming or frying? And would asparagus wrapped in prosciutto work better than figs wrapped in prosciutto (with the seafood I mean)?

And about caviar, is salmon roe good enough or is fake black caviar better?

For dessert I am thinking chocolate mousse served in martini glasses + a tart or cheesecake, or maybe all three?



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