mermaid salad with fun ocean friends for an under the sea party!

Mermaid Salad

A healthy mermaid party food option that’s totally cute!

Move over mermaid cake – this Mermaid Salad is about to make big waves as the next best mermaid party food! OK so people are not normally excited for salad like they are for cake, BUT when you see the adorable toppings on this salad, I think you’ll change your mind! This easy mermaid party food idea is the perfect themed side dish for any mermaid party. Kids will love the fun fishy shapes and parents will love seeing their kids eat a healthy salad! It’s the perfect party dish to break up the other sugary & salty mermaid party snacks on the food table. Create this mermaid salad at home using ocean themed cookie cutters from amazon and your favorite salad toppings.

Plan ahead so you can stay stress free on party day. You can prep this mermaid salad a day in advance so you’re ready to simply set it out & serve at your party, with your favorite salad dressings on the side.

The Ocean Cookie Cutters every Mermaid Needs!

Every mermaid who loves cooking, baking, or hosting needs these adorable under-the-sea themed cookie cutters from Amazon! They’re perfect for transforming any meal into a mermaid themed dish with ease. If you plan to host a mermaid party this is your mermaid party food solution!

My choice:

This Ocean set is the one I ordered & use for all my under-the-sea themed dishes! Unfortunately, this set has gone out of stock, so I have scoured a few other sources listed next.

Alternative #1:

As far as sea creatures goes, this mixed set of cutters comes with a turtle, an octopus, & a fish. There is also a star that can be used as a sea star.

Alternative #2:

This cookie cutter set has a dolphin, a fish, and a sea star.

Tips for making a Mermaid Salad

To make a Mermaid Salad, you’ll need to gather your favorite salad toppings and use the cookie cutters on as many of these ingredients as possible. Here are some of my tips:

    • If you want to top your salad with a little meat, use thick sliced deli meat so its easy to cut and holds its shape. Ham is usually a hit with kids!
    • Rather than using shredded cheese, opt for sliced cheese so you can create even more sea creature cut outs. Use different colored cheeses to add variety!
    • If you buy your carrots pre-cut in the “dip-chip” style, they’ll be the perfect size for easy cookie cutting.
    • For the cucumber, slice to desired thickness as you normally would, then press the cookie cutter into each slice. I like to use the sea turtle shape since it’s green, but by all means, get creative!
    • Cookie-cutting tomato slices is rather messy and they don’t hold their shape; toss in whole cherry tomatoes and call ’em buoys. 😉
Ingredients for a Mermaid Salad

Ingredients

  • 1/4 lb Sliced Colby Jack Cheese
  • 1/4 lb Sliced Havarti Cheese
  • 1 lb Sliced Ham
  • “Dip-Chip” Carrots
  • 1 large Cucumber
  • 10-16 oz Cherry Tomatoes
  • 12-16 oz of Salad – romaine or spring mix
  • Serve with your favorite dressings like Ranch or Italian on the side

Directions

Step 1. 

Use the cookie cutters to cut shapes out of your salad toppings.

Using a cutting board to protect your work surface, press the cookie cutters into each ingredient to cut out the desired shapes. You should be able to use the cookie cutters on all of the salad toppings except for the tomatoes. I like to use specific shapes for each ingredient to give more individual definition to each sea creature, but there are no hard and fast rules with a mermaid salad!

Cut shapes using ocean themed cookie cutters.
Cut seahorse shape using ocean themed cookie cutters.
Cut shapes using ocean themed cookie cutters.

Step 2. 

Add your toppings into a big bowl with a bed fresh spring mix or your favorite leafy greens! 

Toss lightly to mix, then serve with your favorite dressings on the side.

mermaid salad with fun ocean friends for an under the sea party!
mermaid salad with fun ocean friends for an under the sea party!
  • Pro Tip: Serve in a glass bowl for a full “under-the-sea” view! Create a cute ocean scene for display by pressing some sea-creature-shaped meats and cheeses to the inside of the glass bowl before you put down your bed of lettuce. Top with the remaining toppings and serve with the sides on display! This adorable dish could probably compete as the most creative mermaid party food on your table and is sure to score a few surprised giggles!
under the sea salad with fun ocean friends for a mermaid party!

Optional. 

What do I do with my scraps??

When working with cookie cutters, there are going to be a lot of scraps. I personally save these and create a “sad” adult salad with them. Just chop em up a little more and toss ’em in a bed of lettuce. Alternatively, my pup loves when she gets the carrot & cucumber scraps!

mermaid party food - ocean salad

MER-MAKE it yourself!

Did you make your own mermaid salad? Post it on social media & tag me so I can see it!

I hope you enjoyed this simple recipe that can make a big splash at your next mermaid party! If you make a mermaid salad let me know how it comes out, or if you do anything differently. What party dish would you like to see transformed next? Leave me a comment!

 

P.S. If you thought the mermaid salad was a great idea, then you dolphin-ately don’t want to skip this list of 15 mermaid party activities for a fintastic birthday shellabration!!