Jaws Themed Dinner

This week, we enjoyed a shark-themed dinner while watching the cinematic classic – Jaws!

My family is all about sharks this time of year.  With Discovery Channel’s Shark Week programming and SharkFest on Disney+ we just can’t seem to get enough of these incredible animals. 

Through these programs, we understand that sharks aren’t the man-eating villains that Hollywood would have us believe.  But we still can’t help but love a good shark thriller.  And no shark film is as infamous as “the one that started it all” – Jaws!

Now I’ll admit, this themed dinner is a change of pace for us.  Leading up to this point, we’ve enjoyed dinners themed to family-friendly films, but Jaws isn’t one of them.  However, our menu items could easily be repurposed for a Shark Week or SharkFest viewing party.  Or you could pick your favorite family-friendly shark movie!

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Sharks in the Water Fruit Platter

To kick off our Jaws themed dinner, I made the kids a fruit platter with watermelon sharks swimming in a sea of blueberries. 

This was so easy to toss together.  I simply used a shark cookie cutter to cut our sharks out of sliced watermelon.  I used the same technique for our Finding Nemo Dinner to make starfish and dolphins out of cantaloupe. 

My kids already love watermelon, but the shark-shaped watermelon just hit different.  The kids were big fans!

You can find the same shark cookie cutter I used on Amazon by clicking HERE!

Eating Machine Mini Pizzas

The main entrée for our Jaws themed dinner was mini shark pizzas. 

To keep this recipe as simple as possible, I cut out each shark head from premade pizza crusts I purchased from the store.  Then, I loaded up each shark with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese before adding the face elements.

The mouth was made with extra-large slices of pepperoni and teeth I painstakingly cut from sliced mozzarella (I underestimated how time-consuming this step would be!).  Then, I topped each one with olive eyes and popped them in the oven for about 15 minutes.

My kids said the pizzas looked cute ha!  Not the reaction I was necessarily going for, but I’ll take it.  I guess when you love sharks as much as we do, you can’t help but see the cute side of them. 

You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Popcorn Bowl

For a movie snack, I tossed together a simple popcorn mix using gummy sharks, blue M&Ms, and mini–Swedish Fish. 

Talk about a feeding frenzy!  My kids furiously grappled with each other to pick out their favorite candies.  Good thing I had plenty more to supplement the popcorn bowl!

I used Canva to design the Jaws food label for the popcorn.  I am in no way a professional, and far from an artist.  But I found myself having fun creating the design, and I liked the final presentation.

If you’d like to download a free printable version for your Jaws themed dinner, click the link below!

Hazardous Area Jello Cups

Our dessert was a nod to the Amity beachgoers who were unaware of a shark swimming in their midst.

To get a lighter blue color jello, I used Starburst blue raspberry gelatin.  This was trickier to track down than Jell-O brand, but you can find it on Amazon HERE!

I poured the gelatin mix into individual cups and let them set in the fridge.  Right before serving, I cut tiny slices in the gelatin to submerge some shark gummies and mini-Swedish fish.  Then, I topped them off with our beachgoers – Teddy Grahams floating on Peachie O’s and Rainbow Belt candy.

The kids thought the jello cups looked great, and they were especially happy about getting a second round of gummy sharks and fish!

“I’ll Drink to Your Leg” Shark Punch

The final menu item for our Jaws themed dinner was our shark punch! 

I made this recipe as simple as possible by combining Sprite and Blue Raspberry Lemonade Kool-Aid.  Have you noticed simplicity is key for our Jaws themed dinner?  It’s summer and we don’t have time to muck around!

I had fun dressing up the presentation with bobbers, umbrellas, and our remaining gummy sharks and fish.  It’s amazing all the uses we could find for one package of gummy sharks and Swedish fish!

In my experience, anytime a kid gets a drink with an umbrella it’s an instant win!  The kids loved the shark punch and all the goodies that came with it.

“Show Me the Way to Go Home”

We had a lot of fun watching Jaws while enjoying a shark-inspired menu!  And with SharkFest in full swing and Shark Week around the corner, I’ve got some great dishes to serve during our viewing parties!

Looking for other themed dinner ideas?  Check out our Jurassic Park Themed Dinner and our Haunted Mansion Dinner!

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