Claws for Celebration: A Holiday Shellfish Roundup

From the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve to seafood towers for New Year’s parties, menus need shellfish during the holidays. Customers love the sense of luxury and celebration associated with oysters, lobster, crab, and shrimp. Whether they are seeking ingredients for a home-cooked holiday, or making reservations for their celebration, diners seek festive, indulgent experiences, especially during a season when they are willing to splurge. Put versatile shellfish in the mix with our premium selections. From fully cooked, party ready options for retailers to raw oysters and lobster for chefs to create appetizers, show-stopping entrees, and elegant sharing plates—Fortune is your partner in making memorable holiday meals.  

Here are some highlights of what Fortune can deliver for festive feasts.  

Maine Lobster: Claws & Tails   

Feature lobster claws and tails during the holidays and deliver both elegance and indulgence—two hallmarks of festive dining. The sweet, tender lobster tail meat pairs beautifully with rich sauces and buttery sides, while the meaty claws add visual drama and a touch of decadence to the plate. Beyond flavor, lobster lends a sense of occasion: the vibrant shells and luxurious texture deserve a place at any celebration, from intimate dinners to grand holiday feasts. Whether broiled, poached, or butter-basted, lobster claws and tails turn a simple meal into a memorable indulgence that celebrates the season’s abundance and warmth.  

Stone Crab 

Stone crab (Menippe mercenaria, Menippe adina) claws are a celebrated delicacy from Florida’s waters, prized for their sweet, firm meat and natural sustainability. These large, powerful claws are carefully removed, and the crab is returned to the water to regenerate the claw. Stone crabs have a distinctive appearance with a hard, round carapace covered in a mottled pattern of brown, gray, and greenish colors.  The delicacy is known for its unique flavor and sweet, tender meat that is enjoyed in a variety of dishes, from salads to appetizers, and most often served with dipping sauces. No seafood tower is complete without stone crab claws.  

Meribelle Crab  

Our Meribelle line resets the standard for quality and ethical practices. The hand-picked 100% live blue swimming crabs (Portunus pelagicus) are harvested in the gleaming blue waters of Southeast Asia. A commitment to quality assurance programs and dedication to sustainability results in firm, flavorful crab meat that sets a benchmark above the rest. Meribelle fully cooked and pasteurized premium crab comes in handy for the holidays. 

Pictured is our colossal crab, AKA super jumbo, because of its impressive size. This tender white meat comes from the biggest blue swimming crabs; it is the muscle above the back swimmer fins, and there are only two pieces per crab.  The generous size makes it perfect for crab cocktails, steak Oscar, or buttery crab rolls. The sweet, clean flavor and delicate texture will be the star of any seafood tower.  

Available sizes: Colossal, Jumbo, Super Lump, Backfin, Special, Claw. Just look for the mermaid on the blue can.  

Fully Cooked Shrimp 

Among our vast shrimp offerings, we are proud of our convenient, fully cooked, and ready-to-party shrimp. Whether you are stocking a busy restaurant kitchen or a bustling seafood counter, we have premium-quality options to make your holiday menu planning easy. Cooked, peeled, needle and standard deveined, or in rings, shrimp are a must at festive gatherings.  

Put a ring on it! Our Coastal Seafood Shrimp are available by the bag, or in a retail-ready ring complete with premium cocktail sauce for easy, no-mess holiday gatherings. They are sourced from the best farms and processing plants in the world, minimally processed, individually quick frozen, and fully traceable back to the farm. Coastal Shrimp are 4-Star Best Aquaculture Practice certified and undergo stringent third-party Food Safety Audits.  

Oysters  

No holiday menu is complete without oysters, from the bar to the brunch table and everything between. Fall and winter are the best times to harvest cold-water oysters, and the Fortune sourcing team gets a thrill with every new oyster that arrives on our docks. We love their clever names (Silver Bells, Santa’s Sweets), their unique merroir, briny flavors, and the hardworking men and women that raise and harvest oysters up and down the East Coast.  

Oysters are associated with celebration and indulgence. They are perfect for creating memorable holiday dining experiences that delight guests seeking both tradition and sophistication. From classic raw oysters on the half shell paired with mignonette sauce to comforting oyster stews, rich Oysters Rockefeller, and oyster dressing for holiday birds, these briny bivalves add luxury and nostalgia to any table. 

Ask your sales consultant for details on these holiday choices, and the many other items at Fortune that can help you plan the most delicious season.