Mothers Day Lunch Ideas from Prawn Cocktails to Salmon Pasta

Our Mothers Day lunch ideas are for those of you who are searching for recipes to cook for mum for lunch on Sunday. They include everything from a homemade French tapenade, a classic prawn cocktail and a pretty smoked salmon carpaccio to spaghetti with smoked salmon, capers and fresh dill, and Mediterranean style braised chicken with olives and capers.

We’ve got lots of recipes for Mother’s Day lunch on Sunday if you still can’t decide what to cook mum for Mum on her special day. Whether you’re looking for something fancy for a proper sit-down dinner or an easy casual meal so you can focus on spending quality time together rather than in the kitchen, we have something for all of you.

We’ve also compiled some Mother’s Day breakfast ideas for breakfast in bed for Mum, from recipes for a classic eggs Benedict to creamy scrambled eggs, and Mothers Day brunch recipes, which include recipes for sweet and savoury French toast, perfect mushrooms on toast, blini with smoked salmon, devilled eggs, and mimosa salads.

And, lastly, we’ve got a round-up of Mothers Day dinner ideas, which include everything from a tasty Spanish tapas spread to transport mum to Europe and an alfresco spring feast to a casual curry night and a Sunday roast dinner for the woman who has probably baked you countless roast dinners in your life.

But before I tell you more about these recipes for Mother’s Day lunch, I have a favour to ask. Grantourismo is reader-supported. If you’ve cooked our recipes, please consider supporting Grantourismo. For instance, you could buy something on Amazon, such as one of these cookbooks by Australian chefs, classic cookbooks for serious cooks, cookbooks for culinary travellers, or gifts for Asian food lovers or picnic lovers; book a cooking class or meal with locals on EatWith; or buy a handcrafted KROK, the best mortar and pestle ever, made by artisans in a village in Thailand. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

And if you’re looking for more cooking inspiration, we have many hundreds of recipes from around the world in our archives from places we’ve lived, travelled and loved. Note that you can save your favourites by clicking on the heart on the right of any post to create your own private account. Now let me tell you about our last minute Mothers Day lunch recipes for Sunday.

Mothers Day Lunch Ideas from Prawn Cocktails to Smoked Salmon Pasta

Mothers Day lunch ideas from a homemade French tapenade and prawn cocktails to pasta with smoked salmon or a Mediterranean style braised chicken.

Traditional French Tapenade Recipe from Provence

This easy olive tapenade recipe kicks off my list of Mothers Day lunch ideas as there’s nothing like a homemade dip to whet the appetite. It’s based on the traditional French tapenade recipe from Provence in southern France and it’s a cinch to make.

There are only four ingredients – black olives, capers, anchovies, and olive oil – although I also add a little red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar although that’s not strictly traditional.

You could also add a little garlic, along with Mediterranean herbs and spices, although then it’s not strictly tapenade, according to the French. Whatever you do, don’t add salt, as there’s enough salt from the anchovies and capers.

While hailing from Southern France, olive tapenade is quintessentially Mediterranean so I use the juiciest olives from Kalamata, briny capers from Pantelleria, Ortiz salted anchovies from Spain, and grassy extra virgin olive oil from Valencia. I serve it with homemade cheese straws.

Easy Olive Tapenade Recipe for the Traditional French Tapenade Recipe with Only 4 Ingredients

Taramosalata Recipe for a Tarama Dip Made with Red Caviar or Fish Roe

Not everyone loves olives as much as I do, so this homemade taramosalata recipe for a Greek style tarama dip is a great alternative. Topped with a generous dollop of red caviar or fish roe, it not only tastes sublime, but it’s quick and easy to prepare, making it another one of our best Mothers Day lunch ideas.

We’ve used an affordable red lumpfish roe but you could use a more expensive red caviar or red salmon roe, or cod roe for the creamy colour of the more traditional Greek meze dish.

I’d suggest sticking to one quality home-made dip, but if you want to prepare a couple, browse our recipes for cheese straws, smoked salmon dip, olive tapenade, and French onion dip made from scratch.

Taramosalata Recipe for a Greek Style Tarama Dip Made with Red Caviar or Fish Roe

Smoked Salmon Carpaccio Recipe

Our smoked salmon carpaccio recipe makes an easy elegant appetiser that’s made in minutes and it’s another of our best Mothers Day lunch ideas for seafood loving mums.

You can make the dish ahead by assembling the salmon, capers and pickled onions, and refrigerating it, then pouring on the dressing just before serving.

You can serve it sharing style and lay it out on a table with a few other dishes, and allow your loved-one to help themselves.

I recommend providing a basket of toasted baguette slices and dishes with additional capers, pickled shallots and fresh dill, and small jugs of dressing to customise the carpaccio.

Easy Smoked Salmon Carpaccio Recipe for an Elegant Appetiser Made in Minutes

Classic Prawn Cocktail Recipe

This classic prawn cocktail recipe makes my take on the retro appetiser popularised in the 1970s that will never go out of style and it’s another of my best Mothers Day lunch ideas for seafood in the sun.

Tiger prawns boiled quickly in their shells so they’re just done are peeled, tossed in a creamy tangy ‘seafood sauce’, and served on a bed of lettuce salad, dressed with the same sauce. Divine.

While so many fashionable dishes from the 1970s have made a comeback – those devilled eggs, beef Stroganoff and chicken Kiev to name a few (oddly enough, all Russian dishes, and I’ve no idea what that’s about) – prawn cocktails have never gone out of style for me.

Aside from their nostalgic retro appeal, they’re delicious and come together quickly and easily. You’ll want to pair a nice crisp glass of white with these although sparkling will still work if you have some left by this stage.

Classic Prawn Cocktail Recipe for the Retro Seventies Starter that Never Goes Out of Style

Smoked Salmon Pasta Recipe

This smoked salmon pasta recipe makes spaghetti with smoked salmon, dill pickles, capers, and fresh dill, and it’s another of the best Mothers Day lunch ideas.

Sour cream and lemon juice make this a pasta that’s quintessentially Russian for me, and it’s versatile too – you could add more sour cream for a creamier texture or a dollop of caviar for a special occasion, such as Valentine’s Day.

Bonus: it comes together quickly, in less than half an hour.

Best Smoked Salmon Pasta Recipe for Spaghetti with Smoked Salmon, Dill Pickles, Capers and Fresh Dill

Radish Cucumber Salad Recipe with Salty Feta, Peppery Rucola and Fresh Herbs

Alternatively, it’s hard to go past a beautiful salad served with succulent chicken, and this radish cucumber salad with salty feta, peppery rucola and fresh herbs is one of my most delicious salads.

It’s also a healthy salad that’s packed with so much flavour and texture, it only needs a simple dressing of extra virgin olive oil and wine vinegar. And it’s perfect with the braised chicken dish below.

Radish Cucumber Salad Recipe with Salty Feta, Peppery Rucola and Fresh Herbs

Thai Style Cobb Salad Recipe Inspired by Khao Yam Bangkok by Chef Ian Kittichai

For a casual Southeast Asian themed meal for Mothers Day lunch, how about this Thai style cobb salad and some gently spiced Burmese fried chicken?

This Thai style cobb salad recipe makes a fusion of the classic American Cobb salad and the wonderful Southern Thai salad khao yam and it’s based on one of our favourite Thai food recipes, a delicious salad by one of our favourite Thai chefs and friend Ian Kittichai.

Ian calls the dish Khao Yam Bangkok which he essentially translates to Bangkok Cobb Salad in his beautiful Issaya Siamese Club restaurant cookbook. It’s essentially his take on a Southern Thai khao yam that he presents in the style of an American Cobb salad at his enchanting restaurant, Issaya Siamese Club, set in a splendid historic mansion in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok.

One of the things I love about this salad is that it’s stunning to look at and it tastes delicious, but it’s so easy to prepare, as long as you have a steady hand.

Thai Style Cobb Salad Recipe Inspired by Khao Yam Bangkok by Chef Ian Kittichai

Burmese Fried Chicken Recipe for Gently Spiced Fried Chicken Drumsticks

This Burmese fried chicken recipe makes gently spiced fried chicken drumsticks and they are fantastic with the Thai style cobb salad, above, for a casual, fun Mothers day lunch.

A popular street food snack in Myanmar, the finger-licking fried chicken pieces are sold at roadside stalls to take away or eat at plastic tables set up around the stall. We make these finger-licking fried chicken pieces at home and dip them into homemade sweet chilli sauce.

If your mum loves fried chicken as much as we do, then she’s going to love this Mothers Day lunch idea. We also have this Belles Hot Chicken Nashville-style Southern fried chicken recipe, but it’s fiery, whereas this Burmese fried chicken is in the style you get in Southeast Asian cities, and not as hot.

Best Burmese Fried Chicken Recipe for a Spicy Street Food Snack from Myanmar at Home

Russian Salmon Potato Salad Recipe with Soft-Boiled Eggs, Gherkins, Capers and Dill

I know I’ve included a lot of salmon dishes in this compilation of Mothers Day lunch ideas, but salmon is a bit special, plus it’s light yet substantial at the same time, so perfect for lunch.

My Russian salmon potato salad recipe with soft-boiled eggs, capers, gherkins and dill makes a filling salad that you can eat year-round. In the cool season, you can serve it with warm potatoes and seared salmon straight from the pan, while it can be refrigerated for warm weather meals, such as summer barbecues and spring picnics.

Based on a family recipe, it’s one of my favourite salads. If you’re going to be eating this in cool or cold weather, I recommend you work quickly and combine the potatoes, pan-seared salmon and soft-boiled eggs while they’re still warm.

If you’re making this salmon potato salad recipe for a Mother’s day lunch in the sun or a picnic or barbecue, then follow the instructions below and refrigerate it for an hour or so before you’re ready to eat. This salad is fantastic chilled or warm, which is something I love in a salad.

Russian Salmon Potato Salad Recipe with Soft-Boiled Eggs, Gherkins, Capers and Dill

Braised Chicken with Olives and Capers Recipe for Juicy Mediterranean Style Chicken

This braised chicken with olives and capers recipe makes incredibly succulent chicken legs in a Mediterranean style with a couple of surprising Asian ingredients. It’s another of our best Mothers Day lunch ideas for a more substantial meal.

Adapted from a recipe by Australian chef Martin Benn, it’s one of our best chicken recipes, a foolproof set-and-forget chicken dish that no matter how long you leave it or reheat it the chicken remains juicy.

We love to serve it with a chicken jus and crunchy Hassleback potatoes or creamy potato mash and this radish cucumber salad with feta, rucola and fresh herbs.