Consumers Dive Into Seafood Prep

Consumers are getting more comfortable with at-home seafood preparation. More than one in four seafood eaters (41%) cook it at home more often, and nearly half (49%) say they are very confident about seafood preparation, according to a 2025 report from FMI, The Food Industry Association. And that translates into new market opportunities, including a focus on more exotic species of seafood.

Moreover, the percentage of frequent seafood consumers who eat seafood two or more times weekly has grown from 25% to 32% since the pandemic. And the future looks promising for seafood companies. Gen Z and millennial consumers already account for more than half of heavy seafood eaters. Most of the seafood consumed is prepared and eaten at home (57%), while 26% is consumed at a restaurant and 17% is takeout, per FMI. Shrimp heads the list of most consumed seafood in the United States, according to the National Fisheries Institute, followed, in descending order, by salmon, canned tuna, tilapia, pangasius, Alaskan pollock, cod, catfish, crab, and oysters.

Some less familiar species are also grabbing attention. The Better Fish brand offers frozen barramundi, which it bills as “the sustainable sea bass,” in varieties including Simply Skinless Fillets, Crispy Fish Tenders, and Tuscan Herb Butter.

Other inventive seafood offerings include Peruvian Harvest Fresh Catch Bonito Fillets in Peruvian Rocoto Red Chili Pepper Sauce, Angel Oak Smokehouse Hot Smoked Branzino, and Atlantic Salmon with a Guinness Sweet Honey Mustard Melt & Panko Crumb from The Good Fish Co.

The Red Lobster restaurant chain is betting on two new products to help spur sales, Sailor’s Seafood Boil and Mariner’s Seafood Boil. Long John Silver’s featured Coconut Butterfly Shrimp as a limited-time offering.

Consumers looking to change out traditional proteins may appreciate McFarland Springs Trout Dogs; Smash It! Superfood + Salmon Smashers patties, which mix salmon and vegetables or fruits, or Grants Oak Smoked Salmon Bacon. Globally inspired seafood offerings include Eastern Fish Co.’s Shrimp Bao Buns, Yankee Trader’s French Seafood Crêpes, and Spanakopita Wild Blue Catfish from Channel Fish.

For convenience seekers, East Coast Seafood Group offers Filet of Fish Sandwich Kits, which include sliced American cheese, brioche rolls, and tartar sauce. Other quick-and-easy options include Dolly Parton’s Shrimp & Grits and kid-friendly Van de Kamp’s Shark Bites, which are shark-shaped breaded fish sticks.

Six in 10 seafood consumers bought sushi in the deli in a typical month last year, per FMI. Echo Falls Seafoods introduced deli-style slices of Oak Smoked Yellowfin Tuna.

East Coast Seafood Group’s new Sushi Snackers feature spicy tuna, vegetables, and a sticky sweet poke-style sauce packed in a cup for easy snacking on the go. Harvest of the Sea launched Crispy Wrapped Shrimp, which it describes as “stretched shrimp hand rolled in a light and crispy rice wrap.”

Protein claims have a significant positive impact on seafood purchases for 56% of seafood shoppers. Other claims and the percent of consumers they influence positively include heart healthy, 55%; omega-3s, 50%; and supports brain health, memory, and cognition, 48%.

Nissin Foods’ new Kanzen frozen meal lineup includes a Shrimp Teriyaki meal that touts 17 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber, and 27 essential vitamins and minerals on the front of the package. Thunder’s Catch Wild Salmon Curry is gluten-free and dairy-free.

Concerns about mercury affect the purchase decision for half of seafood consumers, per FMI. Other purchase decision factors include U.S. origin, which influences 44%; wild caught labeling, 39%; third-party sustainability certification, 37%; and farm-raised, 33%. Chicken of the Sea introduced cooked and uncooked varieties of Responsibly Raised Shrimp, which the company says aims to “protect delicate ecosystems, reduce carbon emissions, and support coastal communities.” Handy Seafood says its crab and oysters are DNA tested to ensure authenticity.ft