Fat, sugar, and salt. That’s the holy trinity behind the American food obsession, according to The End of Overeating by David A. Kessler, MD. If you haven’t read it, here’s the gist: the food industry cracked the code on how to make people crave—and overconsume—by engineering foods with the ideal balance of fat, sugar, and salt. Think potato chips, fast food burgers, and yes…even fried shrimp.
Now, as someone deep in the seafood world, I can’t help but wonder: are we missing the mark trying to sell seafood as “healthy” when what consumers really want is craveable?
Because let’s be real—when people order seafood at restaurants, they’re not dreaming about grilled salmon on quinoa. They’re thinking about golden fried coconut shrimp, buttery lobster mac & cheese, crispy fish tacos dripping with sauce, or that rich seafood Alfredo that hits like a hug in a bowl.
And the numbers don’t lie. Value-added seafood products are one of the fastest-growing categories in retail and foodservice. You know what that includes? Pre-breaded, pre-fried, pre-sauced indulgent favorites that make seafood less “superfood” and more “comfort food.”
🍤 Let’s Talk Craveable Classics
From fast casual to fine dining, these dishes keep showing up on menus across the country:
- Fish & Chips – crispy battered whitefish with a side of fries (and nostalgia)
- Popcorn Shrimp – tiny, bite-sized, and dangerously addictive
- Fried Calamari – served with aioli or marinara, depending on the coast
- Shrimp Scampi – swimming in garlic butter like it’s training for the Olympics
- Lobster Mac & Cheese – because if we’re adding lobster to pasta, why not drench it in cheese?
- Tempura Lobster – thank you Nobu, we’re here for it
- Buttermilk Fried Oysters – Atlanta’s The Optimist nails this rich Southern classic
- Fried Soft Shell Crab – a seasonal showstopper at Le Bernardin
- Crispy Skin Salmon – French Laundry-level indulgence with a healthier glow.
These dishes work. They’re memorable. They’re comforting. They tap into the emotions, not the nutrition label.
💡 So What’s the Strategy?
If we really want to get Americans to eat more seafood, maybe we need to stop swimming upstream. Instead of pushing the “healthiest protein” message on day one, what if we hooked consumers the same way the rest of the food industry does? With indulgence. With flavor. With a little mischief.
Imagine this:
- 🍤 Get them in the door with fried shrimp, creamy sauces, or a saucy seafood quesadilla.
- 🧠 Make it an experience, not a guilt trip. Think food trucks at music festivals, seafood street food at Coachella, or spicy seafood sliders at sports bars.
- 🥗 Then transition—once they’ve formed a taste habit—with grilled, steamed, and responsibly sourced options.
Sound familiar? That’s kind of what campaigns like Happy Protein are trying to do: appeal to modern consumers with feel-good vibes and vibrant branding. Groups like Innasea are also reminding us that the next generation wants story + substance, not stale packaging with sad-looking fish fillets.
🎯 Bottom Line
The food industry got Americans to overeat by mastering the science of craving. What if we took a page from that same playbook—not to make people unhealthy, but to make them curious about seafood?
Hook them with flavor. Keep them with storytelling. And slowly shift the tide.
That’s how we build the next wave of seafood lovers.