A delicious collection of fish and seafood appetizers, these recipes will look stunning on any table. Whether you are hosting a dinner party, an intimate dinner for two or planning your Christmas holiday table.
From seafood canapés to shared platters or simple easy recipes with delicious flavors we have the perfect appetizer for you.
Our collection of fish and seafood appetizer recipes come with top chef tips to help you recreate the dishes in your own home. Get ready to wow your guests and loved ones!
Jump to:
- Bouillabaisse
- Homemade sushi
- Smoked mackerel fish cakes
- Mussels in white wine cream sauce
- Salmon onigiri
- Fijian Coconut Cured Fish Salad
- Tempura Oysters With Wasabi Mayonnaise
- Mussel Fritters
- Smoked Salmon Dip
- Snapper ceviche
- Spicy coconut mussel salad
- Clam chowder
- Fresh Oysters With A Mignonette Dressing
- Clam Tostadas
- Paua Fritter
- Asian Chilli Oysters
Bouillabaisse
A classic French fish soup, our bouillabaisse recipe is packed with delicious flavour.
The key to this dish is creating layers of flavour that blend into a beautiful fragrant broth. Fresh seafood and fish that are gently cooked to perfection over a low heat. Follow our recipe and you will be creating this dish like a pro!
Homemade sushi
The perfect finger food homemade sushi is so much easier to make than you think.
The elements can be prepped ahead and the fillings are versatile. We love tuna or salmon sushi or create a vegetarian option with an avocado filling. We encourage you to get adventurous and create a variety of fillings depending on your guest's preferences.
Follow our beginner's guide to making sushi and you will find yourself whipping up sushi rolls on a regular basis.
Smoked mackerel fish cakes
Our take on the classic crab cakes, these satisfying smoked mackerel fish cakes are a great crowd pleaser.
You can prepare the fish cake filling ahead and crumb using panko breadcrumbs, then simply cook till golden brown and warmed through before serving.
A simple and versatile recipe, you can switch out the mackerel for fresh crab meat, lobster or shrimp for really easy seafood appetizers (or any time quick snacks!). Serve with lemon, mayonnaise or sour cream and an extra crack of black pepper.
Mussels in white wine cream sauce
An easy seafood appetizer that will tantalise those taste buds! Perfect for sharing or you could portion individually. Our mussels in white wine cream sauce are simple to make yet delicious.
Warning, the sauce is seriously moreish, serve with plenty of French bread for mopping up any remaining white wine sauce, yum!
Salmon onigiri
These Japanese bite-sized appetizers look and taste delicious, perfect for your next party. Simple rice balls with a spicy mayo salmon filling. They are easier to make than they look and one of our favorite seafood appetizers.
Get all of our steps and tips for creating this restaurant-quality appetizer.
Fijian Coconut Cured Fish Salad
This cured fish salad is seriously delicious and too stunning not to include in our fish and seafood appetizers collection.
Curing fish is simple to learn, with thinly sliced fish and an acidic-based dressing that lightly cooks the protein. The finished dish won't disappoint and this salad is a fresh way to start any menu.
Tempura Oysters With Wasabi Mayonnaise
Are these not the perfect seafood canapé? A delight to the eye and palate, perfect for a shared platter for your special occasions. These beautiful oysters are sweet, crisp, sharp and refreshing with every mouthful!
Creating tempura batter is a great method to learn and can be transferred to lots of dishes. Let us show you how.
Mussel Fritters
Another delicious seafood appetizer, our recipe starts with a simple batter and the addition of a few extra ingredients to add great flavours and texture.
A satisfying appetizer that is sure to keep your guests happy.
Smoked Salmon Dip
If you are looking for a delicious appetizer that can be made ahead of time, this fish dip recipe is for you.
Our smoked salmon dip works perfectly as a shared platter. Discover a few secret ingredients to take this cream cheese salmon dip to the next level, worcestershire sauce anyone!
Our best advice with this dish is to make extra and enjoy!
Snapper ceviche
A delicious fish appetizer, with beautiful fresh flavours, served with crisp tortillas. This is a simple dish to whip up and ticks all the boxes for a great appetizer.
We love using snapper but most firm white fish will work well for ceviche, follow our recipe link below for more tips and tricks to perfecting this dish.
Spicy coconut mussel salad
Delicious half shell mussels with a creamy, spicy and sweet coconut dressing, a perfect little hors d'oeuvre to enjoy with friends and a glass of wine before your dinner.
This dressing brings amazing flavour to create a real seafood feast! Follow our recipe and tips for recreating this recipe.
Warning, once you share this with family and friends you maybe asked to make it for every special occasion!
Clam chowder
Our creamy clam chowder is truly delicious comfort food and a simple seafood appetizer. This dish is easy to make in bulk so great for feeding a crowd.
The shellfish with smoky chorizo and charred corn create tasty layers of flavour that will leave people wanting more!
Fresh Oysters With A Mignonette Dressing
A simple French classic, these oyster's will bring sophistication to any occasion. And our dressing brings out the natural deliciousness of oysters. Move over oysters Rockefeller give this truly elegant seafood appetizer a try.
Let us walk you through prepping the oysters and creating this dish.
Clam Tostadas
These clam tostadas are filled with amazing flavour and are a real social seafood appetizer. Perfect for less formal occasions or simple for enjoy with family of the weekend.
Many elements of this recipe can be prepared ahead, for a great build your own option.
Mexican recipes really do make the best appetisers, let us show you how to whip this up!
Paua Fritter
Paua or abalone fritters are a Kiwi classic with great flavour and texture. Serve with a cucumber-yoghurt dip and add a squeeze of lemon juice for truly tasty appetizers.
Asian Chilli Oysters
This oyster dish is flavoured with chilli and Asian ingredients to create an elegant appetizer. The oysters are gently steamed in the dressing and served still in the bamboo basket for a dish that's stunning on the eye and palate.
Follow all our chef tips and advice for prepping and cooking oysters.
We hope this delicious collection of fish and seafood appetisers has inspired you to get whipping up some tasty treats for your friends and family.
There's nothing better than sharing good food with good company, enjoy!
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Our goal is to share simple, tasty dishes created by Chef Shane and partner, Sara. Using Shane's understanding of flavours and knowledge of food, to teach and inspire you to create delicious food everyday and gain a new level of confidence in the kitchen. Sara understands what it's like preparing weekly dinners for a busy family of five and likes to create dishes that are easy, full of flavour, that the whole family will enjoy.
Happy cooking!
Maria San Juan says
YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM! Love these recipes! My daughter will surely love this! Thanks for sharing!
Julie says
This is a fabulous list of seafood dishes. I’ll have to try them all.
Sara Welch says
What a great list of holiday dishes! Will definitely be giving some of these a try; they all look too good to pass up, indeed!
Anjali says
All of these recipes look so satisfying and healthy! I can’t figure out which one to make first – it might have to be the Thai Seafood Salad! Yum!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
So many ideas for those looking for an alternative on Christmas Day