Seafood cuisine, the art of cooking and serving great seafood, is both constantly changing and resolutely staying the same. Yes, there are fads and fashions, and the best of these tend to stick around, while others shine brightly and then fade away.
The seafood trends we see in 2024 are worth looking at. Some of these have been around for decades, at least at some Pier 39 restaurants. Others are lifestyle-based or come from social concerns, and these are driven by the needs of consumers. As leading restaurant owners at Pier Market Seafood Restaurant, we have to recognize these trends and consider if what we offer meets these consumer demands. We strive to offer menu items that are in sync with what our customers want.
What to Look for in Seafood Cuisine
It is important to determine where to find the best seafood cuisine. Seafood chain restaurants are found around the globe. These are hugely popular because they serve seafood at great prices, with special deals always on offer. You can find the same shrimp special in Nebraska, New York, and North Carolina. Because you can get the same dishes at the same prices everywhere, the food has to be frozen, pre-prepared, or both. This does not mean their food is bad, as these chains are hugely popular and they serve their market well.
Restaurants that serve great seafood cuisine are usually found near the sea because most of their fare is cooked fresh. You can find excellent seafood inland, but usually at a premium price to account for transporting it in chilled. Restaurants that serve high-quality seafood cuisine may have a menu that features the same items as chain restaurants, but every order is cooked on demand using super fresh seafood as the main ingredient.
We are looking at seafood restaurants that specialize in serving terrific seafood, and how emerging seafood trends affect what they offer.
Sustainability
The environment and the challenges it faces are often portrayed in political tones, but most of us recognize the threats of climate change. In that same sense, sustainability has become a concern in its own right. The oceans make up over 70% of the earth’s surface, and what happens to it, what we put into it, and what we take out of it have all become part of today’s zeitgeist.
The oceans are the world’s larder, and seafood trends show clearly that customers care that the seafood cuisine they enjoy in our restaurants has been sustainably harvested, and will not be depleted or cause oceanic imbalances.
Fresh and Local
In the late 20th century, food was treated very badly. Everything was frozen, freeze-dried, or preserved in some way. That was the standard. It was cheap, readily available, and it was good enough for the time.
This has changed. The explosion of farmers’ markets demonstrates the premium we place on fresh food. A freshly picked, sun-warm strawberry is a world apart from one that has spent a week in a fridge. The same applies to seafood cuisine. A Dungeness crab caught today in the sea near you and steamed for your dinner is infinitely superior to anything frozen, and is even superior to a crab that had flown to Chicago on a bed of ice. We are proud to serve clams, fish, and other shellfish that were caught right here, brought to the market before dawn, and purchased right away by a chef from a restaurant not far away. The journey from the ocean to your plate should be measured in hours, not days.
Sourcing Locally
Customers recognize authenticity. It’s important to them where the ingredients came from because they know the benefits that local ingredients bring to seafood.
Recipes can travel, but some ingredients cannot. When we make a classic New England clam chowder, it will be as good as anything you find on the East Coast. That is because we can use clams farmed and harvested in the San Francisco Bay. We also believe Pacific clams are superior to Atlantic ones, but you should be the judge of that.
Healthy Food
The move to living and eating healthy food has been building for a long time. Many Americans strive to live a healthier life. This is frequently tied to what we eat.
There is a large movement away from red meat as well as deep-fried foods. Although veganism and vegetarianism are often seen as ideals to strive for, many of us find that a bridge too far. It is hard and pretty expensive to sustain a balanced diet devoid of animal protein. One of the seafood trends gaining traction is finding a healthy balance in what we eat. Rather than being vegetarian, many of us opt for pescetarianism, replacing meat with seafood cuisine.
Cost and Luxury
The cost of living crisis has depleted our wallets for a few years now, and it has become difficult to afford the finer foods in life. Yet for many, the quality of their seafood cuisine is beyond compromise. One of the seafood trends today is to offer exceptional quality seafood at fair prices – not chain-cheap, but not beyond-budget expensive either.
After the pandemic, and perhaps because so many work remotely, the concept of dressing up for dinner has changed. We like to stay informal, and even going to a good seafood restaurant may now require your better jeans and a clean T-shirt.
Pier Market Seafood Restaurant
Come and see how seafood cuisine has been changed by current seafood trends, and how much the things we have done for forty years still remain current. We invite you to share our exceptional seafood cuisine at Pier Market, overlooking the Bay. Come and enjoy fine dining at excellent prices, in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. Reserve your table with us today.