UN-BLINI-BLE! Asda launches Exceptional Afternoon Sea – a luxurious seafood showstopper – ahead of party season

As Brits turn towards more premium festive party food, Asda launches its Exceptional Afternoon Sea
The first-to-market pre-made selection of 12 luxury seafood canapés includes smoked salmon, lobster, prawns and scallops, all for just £5 per serving
Smoked salmon is the bestselling fish product amongst Asda shoppers, with the supermarket set to sell over a million packets of fish ahead of Christmas
Asda’s Exceptional Afternoon Sea is available to buy in-store and online at asda.com from the 21st December

Smoked salmon has long been a star of the festive season, with one in ten Brits tucking into the delicacy on Christmas morning* and many more planning to serve up bite-size blinis at some point over the Christmas period.

Taking the elegance of smoked salmon to the next level, Asda unveils its Exceptional Afternoon Sea: a premium seafood canapé selection that’s dressed to impress. The launch comes as searches for premium nibbles such as canapés and blinis spike by 10% compared to 2023, highlighting the increased demand for luxury seafood starters amongst shoppers.

Tapping into the luxury grazing and tablescaping trend that’s seen Brits elevate their party foods in favour of more extravagant, insta-worthy offerings, the Exceptional Afternoon Sea (£20) features three exquisite pre-made seafood bites. This includes delicate and luxurious blini canapés topped with truffle-infused cream cheese and salmon, mini scallop shells filled with vibrant green spinach mousse and luxurious lobster, alongside fluffy mini crumpets crowned with Marie Rose mousse and tender prawns.

Whilst creating seafood canapés at home is notoriously fiddly and expensive, the ready-to-serve Exceptional Afternoon Sea is fin-tastic value at just £5 per serving. By contrast, if shoppers were to pick up the individual ingredients to assemble at home, they’d be spending nearly £40 – that’s almost double the price!

As eating out becomes more expensive, 64% of consumers have arranged a ‘big night in’ at-home instead of going out**, fuelling the appetite for high-end restaurant replicas. Those looking to go one step further can recreate a premium seafood bar experience at home by pairing Asda’s Exceptional Afternoon Sea with a crisp glass of Exceptional Blanc de Noirs Champagne (£25). Forget Fortnum and Mason – the stunning selection of perfectly crafted canapés offers seafood lovers a slice of affordable luxury at home, for a fraction of the cost.

With searches for salmon peaking every Christmas according to Google Trends data, Asda expects to sell millions of fish products this festive season, with the Exceptional Mild & Delicate Smoked Salmon predicted to be the supermarket’s bestseller.

Asda’s fish offerings have gone from strength to strength, with the Exceptional Fig, Whisky & Spiced Honey Smoked Salmon (£4.60) winning ‘best flavoured smoked salmon’ in this year's Good Housekeeping Institute editorial taste tests. Launching on the 17th of December, the Exceptional Fig, Whisky & Spiced Honey Smoked Salmon is smoked over a blend of oak and whisky chips and finished with fig, spiced honey and a splash of whisky

Jordan Muldoon, Asda’s Fish Buying Manager, comments: "We know that our customers like to go the extra mile at Christmas. Taking inspiration from the trendy seafood bars we’re seeing pop up across the country and the growing appetite for more premium grazing options, our Exceptional Afternoon Sea offers shoppers a luxury experience at the affordable price they can always expect from Asda.

"Featuring three luxurious seafood canapés that would otherwise set shoppers back a pretty penny, our seafood showstopper is perfect for sharing at parties, impressing the in-laws or for an indulgent Christmas Day elevenses before tucking into the main event” says Harriet Hughes, Fish Product Development Manager.

* Source: Kantar 23rd Dec 2023

** According to research from the UK Food and Drink and At-home Socialising Consumer Report 2023