Seven fishes for 18 guests
A buffet-style seven fishes for 18: 6 dishes, about 808 g of food a guest (32.25 lb in all), 31 lines on the shopping list and around 68 drinks. 30% of the cooking can happen before the day.
- Dishes
- 6
- Food
- 32.25 lb
- Drinks
- 68
- Shopping lines
- 31
Sized by the planning engine
The menu, amounts and kitchen check
- · We set food for 7 PM — change it if your timing is different.
- · With more than sixteen guests we suggested a buffet — switch back if you have the table.
Menu for 18
To start
- Cheese board with quince & walnut3 batches · 24 servingson the day
Mains
- Moqueca3 batches · 24 servingson the day
Bread
- Bought sourdough, cultured butter3 batches · 24 servingson the day
Dessert
- No-bake pantry flapjack2.5 batches · 25 servingsday before
About 808 g of food a guest. 30% of the cooking can be done before the day.
Shopping highlights
- Fish fillets9 lb
- Cauliflower4 lb
- Cilantro4 oz
- Citrus for garnish4 ea
- Herb for garnish — mint or rosemary2 bunch
- Onion4 ea
- Pepper2.3 lb
- Potato4 lb
- Assorted cheese3.8 lb
- Butter8 oz
10 of 31 lines. The full list comes with the plan.
Kitchen check
SERVING STATIONS — What runs out first
Serving stations is the busiest part of this starting kitchen.
Checked against a starting kitchen of 1 oven and 4 burners — not yours yet. Seats are not counted here: the planner asks for your real number rather than guessing it.
Drinks and cost
- Drinks, all kinds
- 68
- Ice
- 28 lb
- Food, estimated
- $469
About $26 a guest — a planning estimate from typical supermarket costs, not a price.
Countdown
The seven fishes timeline, condensed
4 weeks before
- · Send the date, the start time, and a question about what people do not eat.
- · Seven fishes is a count of dishes in some families and a count of species in others. Plan the pans before you plan the seventh.
2 weeks before
- · Order the things that sell out. Leave the greens for the week of.
- · Decide the table before you buy anything for it.
1 week before
- · Cook whatever is better the next day. Leave the last fry for the day.
- · Count the zero-proof and the water with the rest of the drinks.
Day before
- · Clear the surfaces you will actually serve from.
- · Label what is already done so a helper does not redo it.
Day of
- · Finish only what cannot wait. Put the rest out before people arrive.
- · Keep one person out of the kitchen once guests are in the room.
Day after
- · Cool leftovers in shallow containers. Note what actually ran out.
- · Eat the food that keeps. Throw out the food that does not.
Other sizes
Seven fishes for more or fewer
Questions hosts ask
How much food for a seven fishes for 18?
About 32.25 lb of finished food, or 808 g a guest across 6 dishes, with moqueca as the main. The amounts are sized by the planning engine and include a small margin.
Should a seven fishes for 18 be a buffet or a sit-down meal?
This plan serves it as a buffet, because past sixteen guests most homes run out of table. If you do have a seat for everyone, a sit-down meal is possible — tell the planner your real seat count.
How many drinks for a seven fishes for 18?
About 68 drinks across the party, including alcohol-free ones, and 28 lb of ice.
How far ahead should I start planning?
Start 4 weeks before: send the date, the start time, and a question about what people do not eat, and seven fishes is a count of dishes in some families and a count of species in others. Plan the pans before you plan the seventh.
What does a seven fishes for 18 cost?
The food in this plan comes to roughly $469, about $26 a guest. That is a planning estimate from typical US supermarket costs, not a price for your shop.
The whole night
Plan my seven fishes for 18
Tell us about your kitchen, your seats and anyone's food needs, and the menu, shopping list and timeline redraw around them.