Seaside with Emily

by Emily De Sousa [DATE GOES HERE] Olá from Portugal Reader, Dean and I have spent this last week in Northern Portugal searching for our wedding venue! I cannot believe that I'm actually writing that. Getting married in Portugal feels so surreal. 💛🇵🇹As someone who spends so much of my time storytelling about the intersection of food, culture, and travel, it’s been incredibly special to experience my home country through a new lens—imagining how we can bring our closest friends and family...

by Emily De Sousa [DATE GOES HERE] Hey Reader, I’ve dreamed about going to Japan for years. The food, the culture, the precision and beauty in everything—from sushi to the impeccably clean streets—it’s always felt like a place that blends intention with indulgence. So when some Japanese Grand Prix tickets became available and we realized we'd already be on our way to Hawaii a week later, we thought: why not stop in Japan first? Was it kind of last minute? Yes. Was one week anywhere near...

by Emily De Sousa [DATE GOES HERE] Hey Reader, It’s been a whirlwind over here lately—and honestly, I’m just now starting to catch my breath. I got back from SENA (Seafood Expo North America) not long ago, and wow… what a few days. If you’ve never been, just picture three full days of meetings, panels, networking, late-night catch-ups with industry friends, and walking miles on miles on the convention floor. It’s exhausting, inspiring, and overstimulating all at once. I always leave SENA with...

by Emily De Sousa [DATE GOES HERE] Hey Reader, If you were in Boston this month, you know the energy at SENA was different — in the best way. From the show floor to the receptions, one thing was clear: the seafood industry is ready to shake off silos and start thinking bigger. This year’s expo wasn’t just about product — it was about people, partnership, and pushing the whole category forward. Whether you were there in person or following along from afar, here are the big themes that had...

by Emily De Sousa [DATE GOES HERE] Hi Reader, Welcome to a special edition of my weekly newsletter, where I’m inviting you behind the scenes of one of the most meaningful nights of my life: our engagement party. Set at the vineyard where my fiancé Dean has spent over a decade making wine, we hosted an intimate, seafood-forward dinner party that brought together our closest family and friends — the kickoff to our next 1.5 years of celebrating, planning, and savouring our engaged era. 🍇 The...

by Emily De Sousa [DATE GOES HERE] Hey Reader, I’m still on cloud nine from venue shopping in Portugal, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be getting married in such a stunning, seafood-loving, wine-filled place. The idea of blending all of that—Portugal’s beauty, incredible food, and our favorite people—into a weekend of unforgettable festivities makes me giddy. (P.S. Hope you’re not tired of wedding talk yet because I’ll definitely be sharing plenty of updates over the next year!) This...

by Emily De Sousa [DATE GOES HERE] Happy March Reader.🌷 And welcome to the first official 2025 issue of the UNFILTERED Seaside Edit. My February industry recap is a few days late, but the tea is hot. (And besides, I have a good reason: I've been wedding venue shopping in Portugal!). Anywho, let's get back to business and talk about what's been going on in the world of seafood over the last few weeks. First things first, there must be something in the water lately because I’ve noticed a trend...

by Emily De Sousa [DATE GOES HERE] Hey Reader, Well guys, I’m that much closer to 30. A week ago today, I celebrated my 29th birthday. And I have to say, 29 is already feeling so much better than 28. As I’ve gotten closer to 30, I’m realizing that this decade really is THE best decade. My 20’s were mostly spent figuring out how to do life and generally making a shit ton of mistakes in the process. I feel like your 30’s is where you’ve mostly figured out the main things and get to really...

by Emily De Sousa [DATE GOES HERE] Hey Reader, I've been a little under the weather lately, so this newsletter is arriving fashionably late—but I couldn’t miss the chance to give you the full Friendsgiving recap. Seafood is of course *my thing*, so you know I made sure to incorporate it strategically into our Friendsgiving menu. My lobster mac n cheese made an appearance and I finally shared the recipe for it in this newsletter. If you want to dive deeper, in my latest blog, I'm sharing more...

Reader, let's wash down the electron madness with a cold beer and some TNF - accompanied by these crab wonton nachos (which are a new game day fave of mine!) I've actually had this recipe idea in my mind for a while, but finding wonton wrappers was a STRUGGLE! I scoured every grocery store and Asian specialty store in my region and finally found them in a small, boutique grocery store. So be warned, depending on where you are, finding wonton wrappers can be tough. But so entirely worth it....