25 Best Seafood Appetizers (Truly Unique Inspiration)

Searching for seafood appetizers for your next party? I’ve made an ultimate guide featuring a collection of appetizers just for you!

It is nice to switch it up with appetizers sometimes. I don’t know about you but we tend to focus on chicken appetizers or veggie based appetizers and forget that seafood is also amazing for appetizers.

Seafood can add a little spark to your meal routine, just like these 25 appetizers below. 

These seafood appetizer recipes aren’t your ordinary hors d’oeuvres. 

Each of them is uniquely crowd-pleasing, tasty, and incredibly packed with delicious flavors that you will surely include in your all-time favorite recipes. 

From Deep-Fried Crab Cakes to Lobster Mac And Cheese Bites, here are the best and must-try seafood appetizer ideas that will be a hit at your seafood feast—I bet you can’t eat just one with #25!

1. Crab Cakes

These deep-fried crab cakes are super crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. 

The best part? You only need store-bought frozen crab cakes and just let your oven do all the work!

Pro tip: Thaw the crab cakes in the fridge for at least three hours before baking, as this can reduce their cooking time.

2. Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

This easy shrimp recipe is a popular appetizer filled with cocktail sauce, pico de gallo, and of course, shrimp.

To make, simply dice the veggies, make the sauce, then toss them all together with the shrimp. 

Easy peasy!

Make it even more exciting by serving this cocktail with tortilla chips and cold beer.

3. Hot Crab Dip

This 30-minute hot crab dip is truly luscious, creamy, and rich—it’s the perfect appetizer to whip up especially when you’re short on time. 

The bold and creamy taste of the dip comes from the medley of lump crab meat, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, mayo, and sour cream. 

While the lemon juice, chives, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce make these flavors pop!

4. Crab Rangoons

You’ll never look back to those crab rangoons from the Chinese takeout place ever again once you try this homemade crab rangoon recipe. 

It’s savory, creamy, and oh-so-delicious when paired with a creamy dip.

What’s more, you can make these ahead of time and freeze them. Right before serving, pull them out from the freezer, let them thaw for a while, then fry!

5. Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

These crab stuffed mushrooms feature a savory and cheesy taste that won’t overpower the crab flavor. 

Plus, they can be made in just 30 minutes!

The mushrooms are stuffed with crab meat and cream cheese, sprinkled with parmesan cheese topping, and baked until tender and the filling turns nicely browned. 

6. Cucumber Smoked Salmon Bites

If you’re looking for easy seafood appetizers, you should start with these cucumber smoked fresh salmon bites.

The recipe combines crunchy cucumbers, lemony cream cheese, rich smoked salmon, and a touch of dill. 

The result? 

An ultimate appetizer you shouldn’t miss!

7. Crab Stuffed Shrimp

Decadent, scrumptious, and impressive, these crab stuffed shrimps are a great appetizer for a dinner party or even a romantic date night meal for two. 

The large shrimps are butterflied and stuffed with cream cheese, black pepper, garlic, chives, panko, and white crab. 

They’re then sprinkled with fresh lemon juice for garnish.

8. Butter Garlic Steamed Clams

Do you enjoy eating clams more than a simple shrimp and crab? 

This recipe is for you!

The key to the perfect butter garlic steamed clams is finding those good and fresh shellfishes and steaming them in a white wine-based broth. 

Elevate the dish to the next level by incorporating fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, thyme, or rosemary.

9. Crustless Crab Quiche

This crustless crab quiche is one of my favorite crab appetizers on this list. 

It offers a noticeable creamy texture and nice crab flavor that will convince everyone that crab meat and Swiss cheese are a match made in heaven. 

Running out of lump crab meat? Substitute the ingredient with imitation crab. 

You would the slight sweetness it adds to your quiche.

10. Triple Cheese Shimp Dip Wontons

There are so many great appetizers and easy recipes that feature seafood but in case you want something that will impress a huge crowd on a holiday season, these triple cheese shrimp dip wontons deliver!

Amazingly delectable, preparing the filling ahead of time is possible. 

Just be ready to stuff them before your guests arrive, then bake them for about 15 minutes.

11. Fried Calamari

When it comes to endless entertaining, nothing beats a fresh and crispy fried calamari. 

The recipe includes tender pieces of squid soaked in buttermilk, coated with seasoned flour, and deep-fried to golden brown perfection. 

Serve this fried calamari with cocktail sauce, or try our easy version of lemon aioli sauce. 

12. Sweet Corn Crab Puffs

You might think that sweet corn and crab meat is an unusual combo, but it isn’t. 

These two ingredients pair together beautifully! 

Mix them with cheese, butter, vegetables, eggs, and seasonings, form the mixture into bite-size goodies, bake until golden and puffed, and you’re good to go.

13. Crab Cake Sliders

If you’re a spicy food buff, these crab cakes sliders will be your new favorite appetizer. 

The spicy note of the dish comes from the special mayo consisting of lemon juice, chili sauce, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. 

But the true star of the recipe isn’t the spicy mayo, it’s the crispy crab cakes cooked over high heat with hot olive oil.

14. Mussels In Lemon Garlic-Butter Sauce

Welcome your hungry guests, serve these mussels soaked in lemon garlic-butter sauce right before your main dishes, and expect to receive a big round of applause. 

The perfect way to enjoy this appetizer is by dunking crusty slices of bread into the buttery garlic sauce. 

I advise doubling the recipe as these mussels will disappear on the appetizer table in a flash.

15. Garlic Shrimp Crostini

Looking for seafood recipes that include avocado and bread? Congratulations, your search is finally over!

This garlic shrimp crostini combines baguette, avocado, lime, garlic, and shrimp. 

The harmonious blend of garlic powder, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and cumin gives this recipe that savory flavor punch.

16. Coconut Prawns

These coconut prawns are sinfully mouth-watering; they have a crunchy coating with tender, juicy prawn inside that goes well with sweet chili sauce. 

The two secret ingredients behind these crunchy and tasty prawns are panko breadcrumbs and sriracha seasoning, which adds a tangy-sweet taste and a kick of garlic to the prawns.

17. Bang Bang Shrimp

Love the signature Bang Bang shrimp of Bonefish Grill? Good news: You can now skip the dine-ins and enjoy a homemade version of the shrimp instead. 

This copycat version of Bonefish Grill’s bang bang shrimp makes the fan-favorite dish easy to enjoy anytime. 

What makes the dish so special is the light panko breadcrumb crust and the sweet and spicy Thai-inspired flavors of the creamy and zesty sauce.

18. Crab And Cheese Spring Rolls

The crab and cheese spring rolls are a great bite-sized party snack and seafood appetizer that’s super easy to put together, appetizingly crispy, and loaded with crab and creamy cheese that will keep your guests entertained before the main course. 

What else could you ask for?

The cheesy flavor of these crab and cheese spring rolls matches wonderfully with seafood sauce and sweet Thai chili sauce.

19. Crab Balls

These golden-brown crab balls are one of my go-to crab appetizer recipes because they’re quite easy to prepare and takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish. 

Another highlight is that you can make them ahead of time. 

Store the crab balls in the freezer and simply pop them in the oven an hour before the party proper.

20. Shrimp Stuffed Jalapeño Popper

Obsessed with Jalapeño Poppers? 

Add a fun twist to your favorite party appetizer by including shrimp into your creamy cheese filling. 

The fresh jalapeños are sliced in half, filled with a rich creamy and cheesy filling, and topped with a panko bread crumb mixture. 

These seafood-based poppers are baked until golden and bubbly!

21. Shrimp Stuffed Avocados

These shrimp stuffed avocados are your best choice if you want to impress your friends and family—they’re light, creamy, and savory at the same time. 

Pro tip: Scoop out a small amount of the dish and put it on top of sliced Italian or Sourdough bread before eating. 

You’ll be amazed at this combo!

22. Smoked Salmon Cucumber Rolls

You can find tons of salmon recipes online, but are they good enough to compete with these smoked salmon cucumber rolls?

I bet not!

To create, wrap cream cheese and salmon in cucumber slices, season these bites with salt and pepper, and sprinkle them with dill weed. 

Quick tip: Cream cheese can be substituted with hummus.

23. Flamingo Grill Copycat Lobster Bites

If you’re missing those lobster bites at Flamingo Grill, then you might want this homemade and copycat version of the dish. 

It’s one of the best lobster appetizers out there!

The lobster bites are tender, rich, and almost melt in your mouth. 

They’re dusted with flour-infused seasonings, lightly fried, then served with bearnaise sauce.

24. Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

Everything tastes better with crispy bacon and these bacon-wrapped shrimps prove it!

The bacon-wrapped shrimp are stuffed with jalapeños and pepper jack cheese, sprinkled with blackened seasoning, and then broiled until crispy. 

Eat them as is or pair this appetizer with cilantro-ranch dipping sauce.

25. Lobster Mac And Cheese Bites

Mac and cheese turn into a crowd-pleasing starter? 

They’re oozing with cheese flavor. I bet you can’t eat just one! 

The all-time favorite pasta dish gets an exciting twist with scrumptious and tender pieces of lobster with macaroni, wrapped in a creamy three-cheese sauce, and topped with panko bread crumbs. 

The bottom line

When you want to try something new for your upcoming party, consider making these seafood appetizer recipes. 

Beware, some of these dishes might steal the spotlight from your main course. 

What are your favorite seafood appetizers on the list? 

Share with us in the comments!

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