23 Tips for How to Host a Stellar Seafood Party in 2024

If you’re a seafood lover, your next party should be a seafood party. Whether you’re looking for adult birthday party ideas or just a tasty way to gather your friends together for an evening, it’s sure to be a hit.

According to the National Library of Medicine, eating fish is a great way to support a healthy brain, so you’ll be doing your loved ones a favor by inviting them to your stellar seafood event. 

But what do you do at a seafood party? What do you serve with seafood, and how should you decorate? Don’t worry, we’ve got the answers. Read on to learn all about how to throw the seafood bash of the year.

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• Fun Seafood Party Ideas for Adults
• Best Seafood Party Menu Ideas
• Unique Seafood Party Decorations

Fun Seafood Party Ideas for Adults

1. Seafood Cooking Classes

If you have a food-themed party coming up, you’d be remiss not to take cooking classes near you to learn tips and tricks from top chefs.

Learn to make perfect California sushi rolls in cooking classes in San Diego, crispy fried catfish in cooking classes in Atlanta and iconic Boston seafood recipes in cooking classes in Boston.

If you’re short on time, online cooking classes are a super convenient option. Invite your guests to join in the fun and everyone can enjoy their homemade seafood meal together after the class. 

2. Seafood Party Potluck

Make your seafood party a collaborative effort with your friends by hosting a seafood potluck. Ask guests to bring their favorite seafood dishes or appetizers to share.

This way, you'll have a diverse spread of seafood options. This also ensures that there will be something for everyone.

3. Seafood Cooking Competition

Feeling competitive? A seafood cooking competition is a great addition to any seafood birthday party ideas or even team build activities for coworkers. Get inspiration from popular cooking competition shows like "Chopped" and "Iron Chef."

Make sure you have plenty of room in the kitchen and let the competition commence. 

4. Classic Seafood Boil

Arrange a classic Southern seafood boil with a mix of crab, shrimp, crawfish, clams and mussels. Boil them in a flavorful broth with spices like Old Bay seasoning, garlic and lemon, or whatever else you’d like to add.

Serve on a communal table covered with newspaper for a festive and interactive dining experience. Don’t forget napkins. This one can get messy. 

5. Build-Your-Own Seafood Tacos

Set up a taco station with a variety of seafood options such as grilled fish, shrimp and scallops. If you have vegetarian or vegan friends, you can include breaded tofu or “vegan scallops,” which we’ll discuss later.

Provide an array of toppings like salsa, guacamole, slaw, sauces and other taco bar party ideas. Provide several tortilla options as well. Let guests create their own savory seafood tacos.

6. Sushi-Making Night

Turn your seafood party into a sushi-making night. Provide a variety of fish, seaweed sheets, sushi rice and an assortment of tasty fillings and condiments like thinly chopped veggies.

Let guests roll their own sushi and enjoy the creative process. You may want to get a sushi rolling mat to make it easier for your guests!

7. Seafood and Wine Pairing

Elevate your seafood party with a seafood and wine pairing experience. Select a variety of wines that complement different seafood dishes and provide tasting notes for a sophisticated touch. Who doesn’t love a good wine tasting? 

8. Under the Sea(food) Party

This one may seem silly, but it’s a lot of fun. Go all-out with your party theme. Decorate with ocean-themed seafood party decorations (more on that later, don’t worry), play beach music and encourage dressing up. Yes, this is a grown-up party, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with a theme. 

Best Seafood Party Menu Ideas

9. Shrimp Cocktail

Your typical charcuterie board ideas may not be what you're looking to add to your seafood party, so what finger foods can you serve instead? Shrimp cocktail is a classic seafood appetizer that’s always a crowd-pleaser.

Chilled shrimp are delicately poached and served with a classic cocktail sauce made from ketchup, horseradish and lemon juice. The shrimp are arranged on a bed of ice for an elegant presentation or tucked around a bowl or cocktail glass for an extra-nice display. 

10. Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Crabs and mushrooms combined? Yes, please. Fill some mushroom caps of your choice with a savory blend of crab meat, cream cheese, garlic and herbs.

Bake them until the cheese looks lightly browned. This dish can also be a crockpot meal and a delightful bite-sized appetizer.

11. Vegan Mushroom “Scallops”

Do you have any plant-based people attending your party? You don’t have to leave them out. Vegan mushroom “scallops” are easy to make and really tasty. You can even serve them on skewers or with pasta.

They’re made from the stems of king oyster mushrooms marinated in vinegar, lemon juice, salt and seaweed. Saute them until they’re golden brown in vegan butter. 

12. Grilled Scallop Skewers

Skewers are perfect party foods, and these scallop skewers will be a hit at your seafood party. Scallops are marinated, threaded onto skewers and grilled to tasty perfection. Serve them with flavorful dips of your choice and your guests will keep coming back for more. 

13. Seafood Paella

This Spanish delight combines a medley of seafood, saffron-infused rice, vegetables and a flavorful broth. The dish is traditionally cooked in a large paella pan for a communal and visually striking presentation, making it perfect for a seafood party with friends.

It’s not particularly difficult to learn to cook this recipe, so it’s great for beginners and it tastes impressive.

14. Crab Cakes

These pan-fried crab cakes feature a delightful blend of crab meat, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise and a mix of herbs and spices.

Everyone has their own personal spice preferences, but in a pinch, you can’t go wrong with Old Bay. Golden brown and crispy on the outside, they are a real crowd-pleaser. Serve them with tartar sauce or aioli. 

16. Shrimp Scampi

You can’t go wrong with these classic seafood party noodles. Tasty shrimp are sautéed in a garlic and white wine butter sauce until the shrimp is just slightly browned.

Serve the shrimp over your favorite pasta for a tasty and filling seafood party noodles people will keep coming back to the buffet table for. 

17. Sea Breeze Cocktail

What goes well with a seafood platter? A refreshing drink, of course! This tasty cocktail is perfect for your seafood party menu. This cocktail is made with vodka, cranberry juice and grapefruit juice.

Served over ice with a wedge of lime for a citrusy kick. You can make it a mocktail by swapping the vodka for soda water. 

18. Oysters Rockefeller

This is a menu item that looks fancy, but isn’t that difficult to make as long as you pay close attention to it while you’re cooking.

Oysters Rockefeller features fresh oysters topped with a decadent mixture of sautéed spinach, bacon, breadcrumbs and herbs. The dish is baked until the topping is golden brown. Each oyster is a bite-sized appetizer. 

19. Seafood-Inspired Cupcakes

What do you serve with seafood? Well, it depends on your tastes, but even seafood party menus need a little something sweet! Decorate your favorite kinds of cupcakes with things like edible seashells, fish and other marine-themed toppings.

Unique Seafood Party Decorations

20. Seaside Photo Booth

This is a super fun seafood birthday party idea. Set up a photo booth area with seaside-themed props like oversized sunglasses, straw hats and beach balls.

Provide a backdrop with a beach scene or a nautical theme for fun photo opportunities. For an extra touch, provide an instant camera so your guests can bring their photos home with them. 

21. Beachy Décor

How do you decorate a seafood boil anyway? One way is to emulate “beachy vibes” at your home. Seafood party themes and summer party themes are often the same, and beach décor is right on theme.

We recommend seashells, beach towels and old-school beach music to get the party started. This is a loose theme, so you can make it your own! 

22. Message in a Bottle Seafood Party Invitations

Your decor can start with your seafood party invitations! Send out invitations in small decorative bottles filled with sand or small seashells.

Attach a rolled-up invitation that your guests can "discover" upon opening the bottle. Make sure that they can easily retrieve the invitation, or else you may not have as many guests as you planned on having. 

23. Under the Sea Décor

When it comes to adult theme party ideas, you can’t go wrong with an under-the-sea party. Get as whimsical as you’d like with this one.

Blue and purple streamers, glitter streamers, plastic ornament “bubbles,” fish pictures on the walls and shipwreck debris all make great décor items for this type of party. Make it extra silly by providing guests with goggles when they arrive. 

Which of these fun seafood party ideas are you adding to your list? Mix and match them to create the perfect party for you and your friends. Everyone is sure to leave full and happy.

For even more fun party ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!