No matter what kind of Halloween party you're hosting, gross Halloween foods and recipes like the ones on this page are always going to be one of the most fun things about the holiday.

Whether you're looking to impress with something elegant that tastes great, or something so scary-looking your guests won't want to eat it, you'll find it right here. In all its gross glory.

The gross Halloween recipes on this page follow a basic Cannibal Feast Halloween party theme, and are tons of fun, including the really realistic Cajun Brain (made of shiny, icky-looking shrimp), and my favorite Cannibal's Trophy Platter, made up of ears, fingers, and --really gross! -- pan-seared testicles.

These gross Halloween recipe ideas are tons of fun and will always go over well. And you can make them ahead of time. But they're not the only ones I have! Check out my main Halloween Food page for tons more pages of gross Halloween foods and scary "horror food" dishes, including some of my favorite disgusting Halloween food.

Or check out some of the gross food ideas submitted by my visitors... and show off your own demented ideas, too.

This recipe looks SO gross, and is so much fun. The general idea is based off of one by Better Homes and Gardens. They stacked their shrimps in a glass bowl and used a more basic gelatin recipe. My version of this very gross Halloween food is Cajun flavored and prepared in a jello brain mold instead of a bowl. And it looks a little too realistic for comfort.

For the cajun seasoning, I use this one because it's absolutely wonderful. But you can use your favorite. Play around with the seasonings and have fun with it! Serves 10-12

Check here if you're looking for more Jello brain mold Halloween recipes!

• Print this Recipe

Ingredients:
3 lbs. shrimp, peeled, cooked, deveined
2 small roasted red peppers, julienned
1 green onion, sliced into 2" pieces, then julienned

Gelatin Mixture:
2 1/2 C. chicken broth
1 1/2 tbsp. (1 1/2 envelopes) unflavored gelatin
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 C. fresh lemon juice
1/2 C. tomato paste
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp. honey
1-2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
Pinch salt

Instructions 1. Into a purchased jello brain mold, layer your shrimp in, tails facing the middle of the brain. It's best if you layer them into the brain mold with the tails facing the middle, according to each "hemisphere" of the brain. This will give you the most realistic look. Tuck the shrimps in close together.

2. Drop bits of roasted pepper and green onion in around the shrimp. These should look like veins and nerves when you're finished.

3. Repeat, alternating between shrimp and vegetables, until you fill your Jello brain mold.

4. Now make the gelatin. In a small saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the unflavored gelatin.

5. Stir in the lemon zest, juice, tomato paste, garlic, honey, cajun seasoning, and a pinch of salt (the amount will depend on how much salt is in your Cajun seasoning-- mine's salty so I don't use much).

6. Pour this mixture over the shrimp in your brain mold, filling to the top. Discard any extra. With a rubber spatula, smooth the top of your shrimp and gelatin to create a smooth surface.

7. Refrigerate until firm, at least several hours.

8. To unmold, set your Jello brain mold in a bowl of hot water for a few seconds. Place a serving tray underneath, then flip your mold over. The brain should pop right out. This is one of the easiest gross Halloween foods to make in advance!

9. Serve with fava beans and a glass of Chianti. (Kidding!)

This gross Halloween food is as creepy as you can get. And really fun to put together. The straight-cooked shrimps are fingers, the curved double skewers are ears, and the sea scallops are, of course, testicles. Label each item accordingly, and watch as your guests' eyes widen in dismay. It truly is a thing of beauty. And because this gross Halloween food idea is all about the shrimp and scallops, it's also absolutely delicious.

This gross Halloween recipe is more conceptual than an actual recipe: it's about presentation, and looks great on a buffet table with a bloody handprint and dripping blood table cloth and different plastic body parts strewn around. So you can use the cooking methods outlined here with your favorite neutral-colored recipes for cooking shrimp and scallops. But included here is my favorite recipe for simple shrimp and scallops that look just as tasty as they do spooky. There's lots of garlic, but it cooks slowly and gets mild and delicious and not at all sharp.

I also like to serve mine with different sauces. You can try a simple shrimp cocktail with "blood" cocktail sauce, or go crazy with green-tinged ranch or aioli (call it Blended Bowels or something similar). Have fun with it!

Tip: When purchasing your small peeled shrimp, look for shrimps that will fit within the curve of your larger shrimp. The small shrimp are what will create the inner curve of your "ears." Also, try to buy scallops with a nicely rounded shape to give them the most realistic "testicle" appearance. (When you write "realistic testicle appearance" in a recipe, you're know you're dealing with some really gross Halloween food!)

• Print this Recipe

Ingredients:

Fingers and Ears:
1 lb. medium-large shrimp, divided
1/4 lb. small peeled shrimp
3 tbsp. salted butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 head of garlic, cloves peeled and chopped
Pinch of crushed red pepper
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Toothpicks
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

Testicles:
10-12 large sea scallops, rinsed and thoroughly dried
2 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp. olive oil
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

Instructions: 1. To make the fingers and ears, divide your pile of medium-large shrimp in half. Use half for fingers, and half for ears.

2. To create the fingers, peel each shrimp, leaving on the tail and the last segment of shell right before the tail. Devein each shrimp, cutting into the shrimp as little as possible to do so. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut the tail off of each shrimp, leaving the small shelled end intact. Keeping the shrimp as straight as possible thread each one onto a toothpick or a length of skewer. This will keep them from curling as they cook. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

3. To create the ears, completely peel and devein the other half of your medium-large shrimp. Butterfly them generously to devein. This helps give them their "ear" shape. Tuck a small peeled and deveined shrimp into curve of each larger shrimp. Skewer them both together with a toothpick. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

4. The sea scallop "testicles" are basically ready to go-- they require no preparation.

5. To cook your Cannibal platter, melt the butter and olive oil together in a large saute pan. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook over low heat until garlic is very tender, about 15 minutes. Don't let it burn or brown!

6. Add rosemary. Cook 2-3 minutes more.

7. To cook the finger and ear shrimps, salt and pepper them to taste and add them to the pan. You may need to do this in stages. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, until pink and cooked through. Sprinkle with lemon juice to taste and keep warm (if desired-- they're also good cold) until ready to serve.

8. To cook the scallop "testicles," mix the flour and Cajun seasoning in a small bowl. Dredge scallops in flour mixture.

9. In a skillet, heat oil until hot. Cook scallops in oil, turning once, until both sides are brown, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle lemon over.

10. Arrange your "testicles," "fingers," and "ears," creatively on a platter and pour the sauce for each over top. Serve with your choice of dipping sauces, if desired. And don't forget to label each of these gross Halloween foods for maximum gross-out!