A Seatopia holiday guide · Winter 2026
How to enjoy Seatopia this holiday season.
Recipes to share around your table from now until the new year: Thanksgiving, eight nights of Hanukkah, Christmas Eve and the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a slow brunch, and a board at midnight. Every recipe is live, with the fish a click away.
Built around the tides
Seatopia runs on ocean time. The year turns at the solstice on December 21, the longest night, and two full moons bracket the season. The holidays are the gatherings that happen in between. Here is the stretch of water we are cooking across, so you can plan the freezer before you plan the table.
Plan by holiday
Each holiday has its own page: the menu, an order-and-thaw plan with dates, the fish to buy and the questions people ask.
ThanksgivingSeatopia for ThanksgivingKeep the stuffing, change the bird.
HanukkahSeatopia for HanukkahEight nights, one small plate each.
Christmas EveSeatopia for Christmas EveThe Seven Fishes, in order.
Holiday brunchSeatopia for Holiday BrunchHoliday brunch, the slow kind.
New Year’s EveSeatopia for New Year’s EveA board and a toast, not another roast.
Host giftsSeatopia for Host GiftsBring the fish, not another bottle.Thursday, November 26
The one irreplaceable recipe is the stuffing. Build the rest of the table around it: a showpiece steelhead main, a warm squash-and-spice shrimp for the people who do not want another fillet, and sides that travel.
Lead with this
Chef Mike Tully's herb stuffing with flaked, crisp-skinned steelhead folded through and the shattered skin on top. Lead with this. It is the one recipe nobody else has.
2,130 mg EPA + DHA27 mcg selenium
As tested, per 6 oz skin-on portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Steelhead loin
Cider, brown butter, leeks and a tarragon mustard. Held at 160 to 175°F the loin stays silky. It tastes like a French holiday kitchen.
2,560 mg EPA + DHA67 mcg selenium
As tested, per 12 oz loin. Values vary by sample and season.
Mangrove black tiger shrimp
Roasted kabocha through a blender, not an hour of reducing. The warm, spice-forward plate for guests who do not want another fillet.
18 mcg selenium40 mg EPA + DHA
As tested, per 4 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Atlantic salmon
Erica Casavecchia's fall bowl: delicata, kale, lentils, cashews and a turmeric tahini. For the Thursday that is not twelve people.
1,960 mg EPA + DHA28 mcg selenium
As tested, per 6 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Ōra King salmon
Sweet-tart apple, dried fruit, pickled onion and toasted pepitas under crisp skin, with the slow, raisin-dark heat of Urfa pepper.
3,430 mg EPA + DHA64 mcg selenium
As tested, per 8.5 oz skin-on portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Rainbow trout
Dill, lemon and aromatics. A buffet side that travels, or a light main for the quieter end of the table.
830 mg EPA + DHA31 g protein29 mcg selenium
As tested, per 6 oz serving. Values vary by sample and season.
Branzino
Crisp skin is thirty seconds under a spatula. Make the farro the day before; it is better overnight and good at room temperature.
1,360 mg EPA + DHA27 mcg selenium
As tested, per 6 oz skin-on portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Hanukkah · Friday evening, December 4, through Saturday, December 12
A dairy-and-fish table, already in the freezer: lox, bagels, cream cheese, cucumber, roe. Not eight dinners. One thing on the table each night, under the candles, that people can stand around.
Night one · Set the table
The bagel-and-lox spread. Set the table, light the first candle, let people build their own.
2,560 mg EPA + DHA67 mcg selenium
As tested, per 12 oz loin. Values vary by sample and season.
Fri Dec 4 · Set the table
The bagel-and-lox spread. Set the table, light the first candle, let people build their own.
2,560 mg EPA + DHA67 mcg selenium
As tested, per 12 oz loin. Values vary by sample and season.
Sat Dec 5 · No-cook bites
Cream cheese, a ribbon of lox, dill. No cooking, fifteen minutes, a platter for the first people through the door.
1,420 mg EPA + DHA18 mcg selenium
As tested, per 4 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Sun Dec 6 · Grazing
Citrus whipped cream cheese, capers, smoked fish. The bowl people stand around between candles and conversation.
850 mg EPA + DHA22 mcg selenium
As tested, per 4 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Mon Dec 7 · Color of the light
Jewel-red slices that photograph like candlelight. Start the cure two days ahead.
2,560 mg EPA + DHA67 mcg selenium
As tested, per 12 oz loin. Values vary by sample and season.
Tue Dec 8 · The latke twist
Crisp zucchini fritters, smoked fish, hot honey. A twist on the latke, and we say so: it is not a potato latke.
1,420 mg EPA + DHA18 mcg selenium
As tested, per 4 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Wed Dec 9 · Slice and serve
Beet, dill, vodka and horseradish, sliced thin onto toasted sourdough with crème fraîche.
3,430 mg EPA + DHA64 mcg selenium
As tested, per 8.5 oz skin-on portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Thu Dec 10 · Brunch energy
Hashbrowns, a kefir sauce and a spoon of roe on top. Family style, not formal. It works for night seven and for any weekend morning.
525 mg EPA + DHA27 mcg selenium
As tested, per 30 g tin. Values vary by sample and season.
Fri Dec 11 into Sat Dec 12 · Abundance
A spoon of salmon roe on the hash, on the bagel, on a cracker with crème fraîche. A quiet last-night still, not a production.
525 mg EPA + DHA27 mcg selenium
As tested, per 30 g tin. Values vary by sample and season.
Thursday, December 24
Pick one centerpiece, not all five. Then, if you want the full Italian-American Christmas Eve, here are seven courses and seven species in an order that works, with the oven kept clear for the main.
The centerpiece
A maple-miso 'ham' scored and studded with cloves, finished with pomegranate and a Christmas-tree garnish. The most Christmas recipe on the site, and a side of fish rather than a roast.
2,560 mg EPA + DHA67 mcg selenium
As tested, per 12 oz loin. Values vary by sample and season.
Other centerpieces · choose one
Steelhead loin in puff pastry
The pastry showpiece for a sit-down dinner, for the table that wants a Wellington without a beef roast.
2,560 mg EPA + DHA67 mcg selenium
As tested, per 12 oz loin. Values vary by sample and season.
Whole rainbow trout
Pack it in salt, bake it, and crack the crust open at the table. The quietest kind of theatre.
830 mg EPA + DHA31 g protein29 mcg selenium
As tested, per 6 oz serving. Values vary by sample and season.
Whole rainbow trout
One sheet pan. Potatoes get a head start, grapes go in last, and the fish comes off the bone in three movements.
830 mg EPA + DHA31 g protein29 mcg selenium
As tested, per 6 oz serving. Values vary by sample and season.
Steelhead loin
Maple-garlic glaze, soft polenta, pomegranate seeds. Red and gold on a white plate.
2,560 mg EPA + DHA67 mcg selenium
As tested, per 12 oz loin. Values vary by sample and season.
Sea bass
For the guest who does not want a whole fish. Lemon, herbs, butter, a parcel each.
1,360 mg EPA + DHA27 mcg selenium
As tested, per 6 oz skin-on portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Barramundi
A refined white-fish plate. Written for New Year, equally at home on Christmas Eve.
Seven courses, seven species
Two or three crudos, a pasta, a shrimp and one centerpiece is enough for most tables. The full seven is the editorial version. Roe is the garnish that ties the menu together, not a seventh fish you have to cook.
Peruvian scallops · cold first course
Fuyu persimmon, tart passion fruit, lime and yuzu, served back in the shells. The cold first course.
8 g protein7 mcg selenium
As tested, per 2 oz serving. Values vary by sample and season.
Yellowtail · still raw, a little heat
Still raw, different sauce, a little heat: ancho chile and a creamy coconut herb sauce.
Branzino · winter citrus
Winter citrus before the cooking starts. If you want a lighter seven, swap this for the shrimp fresh rolls so there is only one raw course after the ceviche.
1,360 mg EPA + DHA27 mcg selenium
As tested, per 6 oz skin-on portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Mangrove black tiger shrimp · first warm plate
The first warm, shareable plate. Written as a spread to pass down the table.
18 mcg selenium40 mg EPA + DHA
As tested, per 4 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Shrimp, scallops and roe · the pot on the table
The communal course. The pasta is three seafoods in one bowl; the chowder is the cozier pot if you would rather spoon than twirl. Either one repeats a species, and that is fine.
18 mcg selenium40 mg EPA + DHA
As tested, per 4 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
King or Atlantic salmon · quiet, buttery
Quiet, buttery, low mess. The carpaccio is the cold alternative if you want to keep the oven clear for what comes next.
1,960 mg EPA + DHA28 mcg selenium
As tested, per 6 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Steelhead or whole rainbow trout · the centerpiece
The fish ham, the Wellington, the salt-baked trout or the trout with blistered grapes. One of them, not all four.
2,560 mg EPA + DHA67 mcg selenium
As tested, per 12 oz loin. Values vary by sample and season.
Hanukkah mornings · Christmas week · New Year's Day
Brunch runs underneath the whole season. Crêpes in the kitchen, lox and roe on the table, everyone builds their own. The same cured fish from the Hanukkah table comes back as Christmas-week breakfast.
The brunch
Crêpes in the kitchen, lox and roe on the table, a toppings bar in the middle, and everyone builds their own. Already written as a holiday tradition.
850 mg EPA + DHA22 mcg selenium
As tested, per 4 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Smoked rainbow trout
Golden Yukons, jammy eggs, goat cheese and a finish of salmon roe. One cast-iron skillet that feels special.
765 mg EPA + DHA28 g protein27 mcg selenium
As tested, per 5.5 oz fillet. Values vary by sample and season.
Seared steelhead, salmon roe
Hashbrowns, a kefir sauce and a spoon of roe on top. Family style, not formal. It works for night seven and for any weekend morning.
525 mg EPA + DHA27 mcg selenium
As tested, per 30 g tin. Values vary by sample and season.
Atlantic salmon
Lingonberry-Dijon salmon over craggy potato rösti with quick-pickled cucumber. Nordic and festive, especially next to the gravlax.
1,960 mg EPA + DHA28 mcg selenium
As tested, per 6 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
King salmon
The same cured fish from the Hanukkah table, rebuilt as a Christmas-week brunch.
3,430 mg EPA + DHA64 mcg selenium
As tested, per 8.5 oz skin-on portion. Values vary by sample and season.
King salmon
A 48-hour sake-miso cure. Cook once on the 26th and eat through the week.
3,430 mg EPA + DHA64 mcg selenium
As tested, per 8.5 oz skin-on portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Thursday, December 31
Stay in. Put a board on the table, open something sparkling, and let the sashimi plates do the talking. One loin and one pot of rice is a sushi night for two or for ten. Save the January reset for after the first.
The party appetizer
Cured fish, scallops, salmon pearls, cheeses and citrus. The party appetizer, assembled in twenty minutes.
850 mg EPA + DHA22 mcg selenium
As tested, per 4 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
One steelhead loin, one pot of rice
Five kinds of sushi from one loin and one pot of rice, set out so everyone builds their own. For two, or for ten.
2,560 mg EPA + DHA67 mcg selenium
As tested, per 12 oz loin. Values vary by sample and season.
Yellowtail, scallops, salmon roe
Molded tartare, ponzu, a spoon of roe on top. A sharp first course before midnight.
8 g protein7 mcg selenium
As tested, per 2 oz serving. Values vary by sample and season.
Steelhead loin
Dark sauce, pale fish, fresh wasabi. The dramatic plated appetizer.
2,560 mg EPA + DHA67 mcg selenium
As tested, per 12 oz loin. Values vary by sample and season.
Steelhead loin, caviar
Plankton oil, lemon zest, caviar in the center. Minimalist luxury.
2,560 mg EPA + DHA67 mcg selenium
As tested, per 12 oz loin. Values vary by sample and season.
Atlantic salmon, salmon roe
Thin-sliced salmon, hand-squeezed citrus, roe. Bright, cold and fast. The alternate sixth course, or a New Year's Eve plate.
1,960 mg EPA + DHA28 mcg selenium
As tested, per 6 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Mangrove black tiger shrimp
Shrimp poached in a lime broth, rolled with herbs and rice noodles, with a black garlic peanut sauce. Makes 10 to 12; double it.
18 mcg selenium40 mg EPA + DHA
As tested, per 4 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Smoked rainbow trout
Crisp tostadas, avocado lime crema, big flakes of trout, pomegranate and salsa macha. No cooking, fifteen minutes.
765 mg EPA + DHA28 g protein27 mcg selenium
As tested, per 5.5 oz fillet. Values vary by sample and season.
Host gifts · December
A whole cured piece and a card, not a casserole. Several of the recipes above already behave like host gifts if you let them. Three ways to arrive.
The whole cured piece
The seacuterie box
The bagel-spread kit
If the gift is a delivery to someone else's door, a Seatopia gift card lets them pick the night it arrives. Orders ship Tuesday or Wednesday, so send it a week ahead of the night it is for.
Our picks for the season
The fish behind this guide's menus, plus the ones we reach for alongside them. The fish is blast-frozen to −10°F at harvest and vacuum sealed, and the roe and caviar tins arrive frozen, so it all keeps until the night you want it. Prices are per pack and start at the figure shown.
The stuffing fish. Six-ounce fillets, skin on, for flaking and crisping.
2,130 mg EPA + DHA27 mcg selenium
As tested, per 6 oz skin-on portion. Values vary by sample and season.
The loin behind the cider poach, the fish ham, the Wellington and the beet cure.
2,560 mg EPA + DHA67 mcg selenium
As tested, per 12 oz loin. Values vary by sample and season.
For the bagel spread, the crêpes and the seacuterie board.
850 mg EPA + DHA22 mcg selenium
As tested, per 4 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Peppery and dark-edged. The cucumber bites, the cream cheese bowl, the fritters.
1,420 mg EPA + DHA18 mcg selenium
As tested, per 4 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
For the gravlax, the miso cure and the apple-farro plate.
3,430 mg EPA + DHA64 mcg selenium
As tested, per 8.5 oz skin-on portion. Values vary by sample and season.
The harvest bowl, the papillote, the carpaccio and the rösti.
1,960 mg EPA + DHA28 mcg selenium
As tested, per 6 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Salt-baked or roasted with grapes. One fish serves two.
830 mg EPA + DHA31 g protein29 mcg selenium
As tested, per 6 oz serving. Values vary by sample and season.
Already cooked. The breakfast skillet and the tostadas.
765 mg EPA + DHA28 g protein27 mcg selenium
As tested, per 5.5 oz fillet. Values vary by sample and season.
Crisp skin over farro, or sliced thin with blood orange.
1,360 mg EPA + DHA27 mcg selenium
As tested, per 6 oz skin-on portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Pumpkin shrimp, harissa shrimp, fresh rolls. A 16 oz bag serves four.
18 mcg selenium40 mg EPA + DHA
As tested, per 4 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Ceviche in the shell, tartare, the seafood pasta.
8 g protein7 mcg selenium
As tested, per 2 oz serving. Values vary by sample and season.
The garnish that ties the whole season together. Night eight, the crêpes, the tartare.
525 mg EPA + DHA27 mcg selenium
As tested, per 30 g tin. Values vary by sample and season.
The quiet white-fish main with shaved fennel.
530 mg EPA + DHA
As tested, per 6 oz portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Before you order
Frozen, on purpose. Our fish is blast-frozen to −10°F at harvest and vacuum sealed, so you can fill the freezer in November and cook across the whole season. Why we freeze it.
Insulated and frozen, with a frozen delivery guarantee; the published terms are on our shipping policy page. Open the box and move everything to the freezer as soon as it lands. The policy asks you to inspect it within 90 minutes of delivery.
Orders ship on Tuesday or Wednesday and usually arrive Wednesday or Thursday, and delivery is not guaranteed for an exact day. So order at least a week before the table you are planning; the full terms are on our shipping policy page. The simplest plan is the one on this page: fill the freezer early, then cook across the season.
Keep it sealed and at a steady freezer temperature, and do not refreeze anything you have already thawed. Each product page carries its own storage notes; the roe and caviar tins, for example, keep 2 months frozen unopened.
Yes, for every recipe here. Overnight in the refrigerator in the sealed pack is best, about 12 hours, then pat it dry. In a hurry, submerge the sealed pack in a bowl of chilled water for 20 to 30 minutes, changing the water once. Never at room temperature, and never in warm water.
It is on every product page. As a guide for these menus: a steelhead loin and a whole trout each serve two, a 16 oz bag of shrimp serves four, branzino comes as two 6 oz fillets, and a 30 g tin of salmon roe finishes a plate for four.
Every supplier is third-party tested for nutrition, mercury and microplastics, then randomly audited to ensure consistent compliance with the Seatopia Standard. How we source it.
Monday, December 21 · The longest night
The solstice is the turning point of the year: the shortest day, the longest night, and from here the light comes back a minute at a time. It falls between the Hanukkah candles and Christmas Eve, two days before the full moon, and it is the moment we actually mark.
Before the meal, step outside at dusk and watch the light go. Bring something back in: a branch, a stone, a piece of kindling. Light the candles from one match. Before anyone sits, take a breath and look at the people at the table. No toast required. Then put the board down, and let the long night be long.
Seafood you can trust, at every table this season.
Every supplier is tested before we approve them, then randomly audited to ensure consistent compliance with the Seatopia Standard: third-party lab tested for nutrition, mercury and microplastics. Farms named, panels published. The rest is up to you and whoever is coming to dinner.
Rich flavor carrying oceanic depth and gentle sweetness across the palate. Contains a selection of King, Atlantic, and Steelhead.
A celebration of clean flavor and coastal elegance. Contains salmon, whitefish, and peruvian scallops.
Expressive flavors from the clean, flavorful fish. Contains a selection of bream, branzino, and barramundi.
