When entertaining holiday guests, one of the easiest and tastiest ways to serve family and friends is by building a holiday charcuterie board. Instead of creating a basic charcuterie board, give yours a unique twist with inspiration from the sea! Here are five easy tips to create a gorgeous and creative holiday charcuterie board.

Building a Creative Charcuterie Board

Charcuterie boards are incredibly versatile and can be more than just cheese and crackers –  they can be beautiful works of art! Purchasing a store bought charcuterie board may be easier, true, but building your own allows you to mix and match colors, experiment with flavors, and play with fun textures. Before you begin building your charcuterie board, consider a few questions:

• Do you want to feature food from a specific region of the world or do you want to mix and match flavors from around the globe?

• Do you have any guests with dietary preferences or specific food restrictions?

• Do you have access to all of the items you want to feature or will you have to shop at a specialty grocer? If the latter, do you have the budget and time?

#1 Choosing a Serving Board

When choosing a blank canvas for your culinary masterpiece, the options are endless! A good starting point is to select something with a large, flat surface like a butcher block or cutting board. Large serving plates or trays can be used or even a slate shingle or pizza peel. You may want to consider additional surfaces like small bowls and plates if you plan on separating cured meats for any Vegetarian or Vegan guests.

#2 Fill Your Serving Board

Now for the fun part! Fill your charcuterie board with the following items:

• Something pre-sliced. These elements bring savory, salty goodness to the charcuterie board. Think:cured meats like salami, summer sausage, or prosciutto; crackers or a traditional melba toast; and some pre-sliced hard cheeses like swiss or aged cheddar

• Something your guests slice. Cheeses, hard meats, or bread all add a chewy texture to your charcuterie board, so include some options guests can slice themselves. Maybe a block of gouda, a wedge of roasted brie, a kelp in fused sourdough bread, or our Herb and Kelp Infused Chèvre Log.

• Something spreadable. Meat-based pâtés (or a vegetarian equivalent), spreadable cheeses, or perhaps a spicy hummus all provide richness and smoothness to guests’ palates and are a great layering item to pair with the other flavors on your board. So feature a few yummy spreads to make your charcuterie board more versatile.

• Accent pieces. After the main foods have been decided on, make sure to include some fun accent flavors. Fruits like figs, dates, persimmons, or pomegranate seeds are a beautiful addition that provide a touch of sweetness to an otherwise savory board. Other ideas include: dips, homemade spreads, local honeys (bonus if you include a piece of the honeycomb), pickles, nuts, Organic Seaweed Popcorn, preserves, seasonal items and even chocolate. These can all add not only a pop of color, but also  nutritional value, especially when you include seaweed items on your charcuterie board. Looking for something hearty yet light? Try a homemade seaweed-infused pasta dish featuring kale, shaved brussels sprouts and a lemon-accented ricotta cheese sauce or maybe try a savory yet sweet seaweed salad, which will add a gorgeously green hue to your charcuterie board.

Tip: If you have specific elements you want to showcase on your charcuterie board, place them first and then build around them. For instance, if you want to feature homemade seaweed hummus and some blue cheese stuffed olives, place them on separate plates or small bowls on your main plate so they stand out above the other ingredients.

#3 Pick Perfect Pairings

If you are looking to add a specific flavor or texture to your elevated  charcuterie board, try these pairings:

• For creaminess add bean dips, cheese or hummus

• For saltiness, include cheeses, olives or tapenades

• For spice, try some dijon mustard, pickled wax peppers or black pepper-crusted salami

• For sweetness, choose chutneys,,jellies, honey, preserves or seasonal fruit – either dried or fresh

• For tanginess, try adding pickles, dried cranberries, kimchi, or green apple slices

#4 Make Mindful Selections

Depending on your guest list, consider selections that will please all palettes and respect all dietary restrictions. Today, more than ever before, dairy-free, gluten free and meat free options are readily available so be sure to explore the speciality food sections at your local market. Look for dairy-free or Vegan cheeses, natural sweeteners, gluten free breads or crackers like the fabulous seaweed crackers on our charcuterie board. You can also include a hearty hunk of kelp in fused sourdough bread like we did. You can also include plant-based meats so all guests can enjoy your culinary masterpiece.

#5 Labels

Since your seaweed themed, holiday charcuterie board will be teeming with delicious dishes, make sure to include small labels or tags with descriptions of each food item, where it comes from in the world, and any important dietary information, so everyone can be properly informed.

The next time you host a casual gathering or formal dinner for the holidays (or any time of year) build a one of a kind seaweed themed charcuterie board that everyone will enjoy. Take some time to plan out your featured ingredients and get creative with perfect pairings. Include elements that you won’t find in stores (may we suggest some seaweed themed elements) and have fun with it. Your culinary creation can be unique as your own tastes and style, so make a masterpiece you and your guests will enjoy.