With the popularity of grab-and-go meals rising more than 70% since the pandemic, this summer is a perfect time to experiment with innovative handheld items your guests can nosh easily while walking the dog on their lunch break.

There's something extra indulgent about skipping the silverware too, like you're strolling the alleys of Thailand sampling the best kept secrets of the most authentic street vendors. Handheld seafood items incorporating trending global flavors offer guests a bold twist on the lighter fare they're looking for in these warmer months. Take inspiration across the globe and give your guests happiness in the palms of their hands.

Fry Guy

Korokke is a Japanese dish similar to a French croquette, in which meat, potatoes, and veggies are mashed up, rolled in breadcrumbs, egg, and flour, then deep-fried. Traditionally, the filling is made with fresh crab meat folded into a bechamel sauce, but try scallops or tuna with a lighter sauce for summer. Consider piling the korokke, or something similar, into a paper cone and top with a seaweed salad for a refreshing crunch to complement the deep-fried bites guests will be hard-pressed to share. Sprinkle with furikake seasoning for an extra decadent touch of umami.

Boom Stick

A lot of diners are already familiar with satay, a traditional Indonesian dish of skewered, grilled meat — typically chicken — served with peanut sauce on the side. For a completely unique kebab that will wow guests with its color and flavor, borrow a tip from Bali and create a skewer with a white flaky fish of your choosing and shrimp, potentially mixed with a homemade paste featuring galangal, turmeric, and coconut and pattied around a skewer. This distinctive handheld dish called sate lilit is a showstopper of fresh flavors, but what really sets it over the top is the use of a lemongrass stalk as a skewer. Insta-worthy for sure!

Cake by the Ocean

Haemul pajeon is a Korean pancake filled with seafood and scallions and is the perfect meal to roll up and eat on the go. You can vary the combination of bite-sized seafood used: prawns, squid, oysters, or clams, but what really gives these pancakes their distinction is the batter — an equal mixture of Korean pancake and frying mix — that provides an unparalleled crisp-chewy texture that customers will rave about. Serve with a simple dipping sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar to complement, not drown out, the seafood.

Bao Wow

We all love shrimp tacos, but we've also all eaten our fair share. Stand out from the competition and wrap your shrimp in an irresistible, pillowy bao bun instead! Taiwanese gua bao are popular with pork belly, but are equally delicious with snapper or shrimp. Season and grill the meat, then top with an array of pickled red onion, shredded carrots, and scallions for a fresh tangy amalgamation of flavors that round out the sweet bao bun. Drizzle with sweet chili garlic aioli for the perfect tiny bite folks will keep coming back for.

Get Your Roll On

The most common meat combo used in traditional rice-paper wrapped Vietnamese spring rolls is pork belly and shrimp, but you can try crabmeat, scallops, prawns… whatever is available! Combine with fresh scallions, herbs (mainly mint), and other vegetables and serve with a hoisin peanut dipping sauce that will have diners gladly licking their fingers.

Play That Tune

Skip the carb-heavy, mayo-laden classic tuna salad sandwich and whip up a fresh tuna tartare that can be served within crunchy, fresh lettuce wraps. The ubiquity of sushi over the last decade will mean many guests won't bat an eye at being served raw fish. They'll welcome the fresh, cooling flavor of this salad.

Cube the freshest ahi tuna you can source, and mix with a sauce of ginger, soy, rice vinegar, garlic, lime, and chili. Marinate for no longer than 30 minutes and serve in a lettuce or cabbage leaf topped with avocado and cilantro. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and drizzle with sesame oil for a perfect pop of color and a refreshing dish that won't weigh guests down in hotter months.