Seacuterie Boards Are A Perfect Excuse To Not Cook Dinner. Here's How To Build One

After a very long day of doing anything, it's always hard to justify spending one or two hours cooking, plus the cleanup. If you're like me, meal prepping for the week can be difficult (who knows what I'll want to eat by Thursday, certainly not the same thing as Tuesday! Heaven forbid.) If it's also summertime, turning on the oven or stove can ruin the delicate balance of fans and A/C you might have set up. But never fear, seacuterie is here. No oven required.

Seacuterie boards are relatively straight forward, and to assemble a good one you'll want a few things. First, get a variety of tinned fish. Sardines, salmon, mackerel, trout and squid are popular. Here's a breakdown of canned fish and how to use them if you're overwhelmed! Per our own advice on canned seafood, experts tend to agree that aiming for nice to high-end Spanish or Portuguese brands will be the most flavor for your buck.

Try adding oysters and mussels to the mix too, for different texture and flavors. For the bold you can always get smoked oysters. Various new tinned fish brands add in fun and interesting flavors like chili crisp, hot pepper and fish with preserved lemon. Grab some of those to really make your board pop. Don't forget to add lox, this will give your board a more traditional charcuterie feel (also who doesn't love lox?)

A huge board of only seafood, while delicious, isn't something you'd want to eat on your own. First, make sure you have plenty of lemons on hand — it should go without saying but lemon and seafood equals flavor heaven. You'll want some brined accoutrements to balance out the fatty and salty fishes. You really can't go wrong with a mixture of olives — I prefer green olives because they have a bitter bite that adds a layer of complexity. Don't forget something tangy like cornichons, or pickled red onion. 

Be sure to include cheese, which really is up to your preference. Most experts would recommend something tangy like goat cheese or something nutty and sweet like manchego. Adding dips and spreads never hurt — hummus, crème fraîche, mustard spread, or even just room temperature butter would make a perfect compliment to this seafood smorgasbord.

Round out the flavor enhancing part of your board with stoneground mustard, chili crisp oil and taking a cue from raw bars, some hot sauces like Tabasco. A little bit of parsley or cilantro probably won't hurt either. Just grab a crusty loaf or some crisp crackers, and raw veggies like radishes and bell peppers, and suddenly you've made a filling, flavorful seacuterie board.