Antipasto skewers: the party appetizer everyone grabs first
Antipasto skewers are the appetizer that disappears first at every party we've ever taken them to. No cooking, ten minutes of assembly, and they look like you hired someone. Here's the version we make, what to put on them, and how to build a batch of fifty without losing your afternoon.
What goes on an antipasto skewer
The classic combination is a cheese tortellini, a folded slice of salami, a mozzarella ball, a cherry tomato, a green olive, and a basil leaf. Every bite gets something salty, something creamy, something fresh. From there you can swap freely: marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper strips, pepperoncini, cubes of provolone or aged cheddar, prosciutto folded into a ribbon, kalamata olives, a cube of melon wrapped in prosciutto for a sweeter version.
The one rule is to keep the pieces roughly the same size so the skewer stays balanced and nothing slides off. Cherry tomato size is a good target for everything.
The recipe (makes 24)
You'll need 24 cooked cheese tortellini (cool them under cold water and toss in a little olive oil so they don't stick), 24 slices of salami, 24 mozzarella balls (ciliegine size), 24 cherry tomatoes, 24 pitted green or kalamata olives, and 24 basil leaves. For the dressing, whisk a quarter cup of olive oil with two tablespoons of red wine vinegar, a teaspoon of Italian seasoning, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper.
Thread each skewer in this order: tortellini, salami (folded into quarters), mozzarella, basil leaf, tomato, olive on the end. Lay them on a platter, drizzle with the dressing right before serving, and finish with flaky salt and cracked pepper. They hold in the fridge for a few hours undressed, so make them in the morning and dress them when guests arrive.
Picks versus skewers
Long metal or wooden kebab skewers make antipasto skewers look like a main course. For a cocktail party you want something people can eat in two or three bites with one hand, and that means a cocktail pick around 4.7 inches. That length holds four to six pieces, sits neatly on a platter, and gives guests a handle to hold.
The pick you choose sets the tone. Our olive cocktail picks are the obvious match for an Italian spread. Tomato picks are cute on a caprese-style version. For a martini bar or a "tini bit older" birthday, the dirty martini picks tie the food to the drinks. And for a coastal party, our real seashell picks turn a plate of antipasto into something that belongs at a beach house.
Variations worth making
Caprese: mozzarella, tomato, basil, a drizzle of balsamic glaze. The simplest and probably the most popular. Greek: feta cube, cucumber, cherry tomato, kalamata olive, a little oregano and lemon. Prosciutto and melon: cantaloupe cube wrapped in prosciutto, a mozzarella ball, a mint leaf. Spanish: manchego, chorizo slice, a marinated olive, a piquillo pepper. Charcuterie board on a stick: a cube of cheddar, a folded slice of prosciutto, a cornichon, a grape. For a summer party, a monstera leaf pick or a coastal pick makes the whole platter feel like a vacation.
Serving a crowd
Plan on two to three skewers per guest for a cocktail party, more if there's no dinner after. For a party of twenty, that's a batch of fifty. Set up an assembly line: bowls of each ingredient in order, a stack of picks, and a platter at the end. Two people can knock out fifty in about fifteen minutes.
Arrange them on a long board in rows, all pointing the same direction, and tuck a few extra basil leaves and olives around the edges. If you're also serving a cheese board, a small dish of our mini bamboo appetizer forks next to it keeps guests from reaching in with their fingers.
Make-ahead notes
Everything can be prepped the day before: cook and oil the tortellini, drain the olives and mozzarella, wash the tomatoes. Assemble the morning of and keep covered in the fridge. Add basil and the dressing at the last minute so the leaves stay green. Bamboo picks are compostable, so when the platter's empty, the cleanup is one board and a bowl.
Keep reading: 12 appetizer skewer ideas, how many appetizers to make per person, and our martini garnish guide. Or browse every design in the cocktail picks collection.
