While grabbing a quick pastry and coffee defines breakfast for some consumers, others crave something more substantial—and often savory. And the rising popularity of all-day breakfast service is driving demand for heartier fare that incorporates proteins like seafood.
According to Technomic’s 2017 Breakfast report, 30% of consumers say they are ordering breakfast foods more often at times other than mornings. And regardless of when they eat breakfast, 26% admit they enjoy eating foods typically found on lunch and dinner menus, such as breakfast burgers, burritos and pizza.
Restaurants are responding to the demand for savory breakfast choices across dayparts. And in the search for a welcome alternative to the standard rotation of eggs, bacon, sausage and omelets, many are turning to seafood.
In New York City, the all-day menu at Russ & Daughters Café presents multiple riffs on smoked seafood, from salmon spread with bagel chips to bagel toast with whitefish and salmon salad, pastrami-cured salmon, smoked sable, sturgeon, herring and whitefish. Russ & Daughters’ take on eggs Benedict gets a makeover, with Scottish smoked salmon replacing the typical Canadian bacon. And in case the menu didn’t make it clear, a salmon-slicing station provides the focal point for the space.
Russ & Daughters’ reliance on salmon reflects a trend: salmon is taking over more real estate on breakfast menus—it’s grown 10% year-over-year, according to Technomic’s MenuMonitor. It’s seen in scrambled eggs, omelets and frittatas, in addition to its more traditional roles—served with bagels, among other applications.
Other seafood varieties are stealing some spotlight on breakfast menus as well. Lobster, for instance, adds a luxurious twist to the lobster-laced Benedict served at Atlantic’s Edge in Islamadora, Fla., it’s folded into an omelet at The Lobster Club in New York City, and it’s a star player in the Providence Tacos at Crema Cottonwood in Cottonwood, Ariz., teamed with chorizo, chile glazed bacon, arugula, pico de gallo, cheddar and poblano crèma.
Brunch menus offer even more opportunity to introduce seafood. Portsmith’s brunch menu includes shucked oysters, lox and bagels, green papaya salad with squid, tuna tartare, a king crab bao and a charred shrimp cocktail. In Boulder, Colo., Spruce Farm & Fish caters to a variety of appetites with a crab and asparagus Benedict, a smoked salmon plate and a house-smoked salmon hash, served with two eggs, onions, red peppers, crispy potatoes, fried capers and dill cream. In addition to lobster-laced tacos, Crema Cottonwood’s choices include a Boston lobster roll, lobster salad with greens, an asparagus and lobster Benedict.
Clearly, seafood has earned a place at the savory breakfast table.
This post is sponsored by High Liner Foods