Iceland’s Finest develops award-winning seafood appetizer kits

Reykjavic, Iceland-based seafood company Iceland’s Finest is hoping that its award-winning product line, Icelandic Seafood Starters, will persuade younger generations to choose seafood more often, according to the company’s export manager, Jóhannes Egilsson. 

“What we would really like to do is help the younger generation, the millennials, to consume seafood,” Egilsson told SeafoodSource at Seafood Expo North America this week, after the company took home the top prize in the “Best New Retail Product” category for its Creamy Masago Bites appetizer kit at the 2018 Seafood Excellence Awards. 

“It’s extremely healthy, it’s full of omega-3s and nutrients, and what we have been seeing – in Iceland, the United States, and all over the world – is that the younger generations have no idea what to do with it,” Egilsson added.

One of five kits available in the Icelandic Seafood Starters line – which was designed to help consumers overcome some of their seafood trepidations – the Creamy Masago Bites package contains masago, salmon mousse, and rye crackers, as well as suggested instructions on how to prepare and serve the resulting dish to guests. Each Icelandic Seafood Starters kit, including Creamy Masago Bites, also features a social component and appeal that helps to set the products apart in the market, Egilsson said.

“We want to make seafood simple and social,” he said. “We offer culinary education and help people to prepare and enjoy healthy, stylish food…to be shared in good company.”

Through the product line, Iceland’s Finest is also looking to establish a foothold in the appetizer realm for authentic Icelandic cuisine. 

“You already know the Italian antipasti, the Spanish tapas, and the French hors d’oeuvre. We give the small dish that evokes your appetite with an Icelandic twist,” the company wrote of the Icelandic Seafood Starters product line. 

“Everything is based on Icelandic raw material,” added Egilsson. “It looks good, tastes good and it’s authentic Icelandic.”

“It’s our way to introduce authentic Icelandic seafood to the world,” he said. 

Icelandic Seafood Starters come in an array of flavors alongside the Creamy Masago Bites, including Lemony Cod Liver Pate Bites, Crunchy Caviar Bites, Rich Langoustine Soup, and Creamy Caviar Herring Bites.