Fish Fry Birthday Party

Sounds like fun! I would keep the menu simple, but do suggest a hearty pasta salad or maybe some fried chicken (prepared like the fish) for those that (like me) are allergic to fish or for the kids that don't like it.

Can I just say that your soon to be 8 yr. old daughter is awesome! I love this party idea.

I like a previous poster's suggestion of have a Mardi Gras theme. You could keep the menu simple and make a big batch of red beans and rice, corn bread and cole slaw. I always loved the Dixie Kitchen in Hyde Park- they would serve corn bread pancakes with sweet whipped butter in little baskets when you sat down to the table. Kids of all ages loved them.

Good luck with the party!

Do you have a boat? For my son;s 6th we put all the kids in the boat and let them "fish" off the side. My older daughter's put little fishies on the kids lines, they were cardboard cutouts.
We also had a bobber cake. I took two pyrex mixing bowl the same size and put half the cake batter in one and half in the other. I then made a cupcake for the top. Put the cakes on top of each other and frost bottom half red, top white. THen the cupcake on top of it all, frosted red. Use string licorice for the line. And Swedish fish. I put mine on a cake platter covered with blue Saran wrap.
We had a fish pinata, it was Nemo but that was OK.
Serve Goldfish and Whales as snacks.

sounds like fun! make whatever side dishes she enjoys and do typical salads, beans etc. that adults like. You can't go wrong with the corn hole bean bag toss game..kids and adults love to play. do some of the old-fashioned 3-legged race, egg toss, etc for the kids.

I would go with a like a Mardi Gras theme or a outdoor picnic/camp type theme.

I like the "fishing" game idea too. Eight year olds are old enough to play organized games like a mini scavengar hunt. Or decorating individual items, like a cardboard cut out in the shape of a fish - just buy lots of sequins,feathers, plastic gems - googlie eyes etc. The craft store or Oriental trading is a great place to get this stuff.

As for the menu - being from the south - cole slaw is a must with cat fish - vinegar and oil based of course. Also we always have spaghetti with cat fish and hush puppies. I'd go with easy stuff like spaghetti, cole slaw, cut up veggies and dip and fresh fruit salad. Everybody likes those.

Have fun!

Yummy!! Can I come? ;) Ok, if it were me since it is outside I would probably just stick to stuff that can be eaten with hands and I would stay away from mayonaise based stuff so I wouldn't even have to worry about food issues. I would probably just do fries and hush puppies on the side. I am sure you can find both of these in the frozen food section or if you are really ambitious, you can make them from scratch!! Also, I would have an alternative to the fried fish, like a plate of chicken nuggets for kids who just don't get into fish. Tyson makes these nuggets that are really good and shaped like dinosaurs. For a little bit of health conciousness you could just do a veggie tray with carrots, broccoli, celery, cherry tomatoes, whatever you like. There is this fish place here that I go to and they serve their tartar sauce in big squeeze bottles, you could have a couple bottles iced down with the drinks, or in a seperate cooler if you like, this will avoid needing any kind of spoon etc, just squeeze and go:) For decoration I would just go tropical, like tiki torches, umbrellas in drinks, bright colors and call it a day!! I can't think of any theme based games but freeze tag/dance, red rover, simon says etc, are always crowd pleasers. Sound like you are going to have a lot of fun!!

What a great idea. You can serve the fish in paper-lined plastic baskets. Since you have the fryer, I'd do some wedge fries too. Be sure to put out the malt vinegar...personally I can't eat a good fish & chips without vinegar! Have some beer & white wine on hand for the adults, and lemonade & juice and/or water for the kiddos. For an easy side I'd do cole slaw - I make it at home mayonnaise-free (just buy shredded cabbage, and add white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper to taste). Be sure to have sliced bread or rolls in case anyone wants to make a fish sandwich. Baked mac & cheese would fit this comfort food menu too and the kids would love it! You can freshen up the menu with some fruit skewers, veggie tray, and/or a green salad.

There are some "fishing" games, one of them is Pavilion Games: Let's Go Fishing, which is for kids ages 4-8. I'd just go to Toys R Us online and browse around for a few games you could put out to play. Corn hole is a good idea too, though you might want to put out 2 sets if you have a lot of people coming.

Have fun, your daughter sounds like a cool kid! :)

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If you've never done it before, try it out a few days before-hand so you can time it right and know how long to cook the fish. We fry fish often here. And the key to very tasty and crispy fish is POTATO FLAKES. We soak the fish pieces in egg whites, then toss them into a bowl with potato flakes (it'll say "flakes" on the package) and salt and other seasonings like Tony Cachery's.

As for sides -- have tartar sauce and ketchup and horseradish for the adults. Potato salad or cole-slaw are easy enough. Deviled eggs. French fries? Homemade or frozen hush puppies?

The only game I can think of is some sort of 'go fishing' game with a small pool and sticks with string.

Good luck. Sounds like fun.

Fish fries are a blast! Typically, sides are things like deli salads (coleslaw, macaroni salad, etc) and corn-on-the-cob. I love this idea! Serve the food buffet style and have those red-and-white dishes that you have at festivals.

I would plan regular birthday games, but add a fish twist- pin the fin on the fish... pinata of a fish, bean bag toss with fish...

you can buy a fish fry coating, really delicious.
I would go with a cold pasta salad, like macarroni and ham with mayo or rice goes good with it.
For the adults I would to a pico de gallo salsa, (or for her if she likes hot sauce)