New Delhi, Jan. 25 -- Messy dining has arrived in a fresh avatar, served in buckets piled high with crab, prawn and mussels. The seafood boil, a concept born in the American South, is all about raucous communal dining. In India, it reflects a shift in dining formats, driven by pop-ups and experiential menus, favouring indulgence without stiffness. It strips away cutlery and elaborate plating, urging guests to roll up their sleeves and eat from a shared pile.

Historically, seafood boils in the American South grew within the fishing communities that cooked large catches in a single pot as a practical way to feed many, and slowly became a social ritual. It evolved with regional iterations, blending native American flavours and influences fr...