9 Best Seafood Delivery Services of 2023, Tested by Experts
From salmon to shrimp and scallops, these subscription services deliver the best from sea to table.
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If you love seafood, but want a way to simplify the process of selecting and preparing your fish and crustaceans, seafood delivery services may be just what you're looking for. Many even ship seafood that's been flash-frozen right on the boat, meaning you'll get fish that's fresher than you're able to find at the grocery store, delivered right to your door.
To find the best seafood delivery services, the Good Housekeeping Institute conducted an extensive review of over 40 popular seafood and meat delivery services over the course of three months. We sent the boxes to home cooks across the nation for real-life testing feedback, while our registered dietitians evaluated each subscription's quality, taste, selection, ethical fishing practices, sustainability and more.
Read on to explore our favorite services and find more details about how we test fish delivery services at the bottom of this guide. Looking for more easy ways to prepare dinner on busy weeknights? Check out our favorite meal delivery services and meat delivery services.
Sizzlefish brings wild-caught seafood directly to your door, with the exception of Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout and catfish which are farmed. All fish is deboned and flash frozen immediately after processing, according to the company.
Orders arrive hard frozen, so all you need to do is pop it in the freezer. All Sizzlefish seafood meets the Monterrey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program's standards for sustainability and all options on Sizzlefish's site are rated as a "Best choice" or "Good alternative." Order a la carte, sign up for a curated monthly subscription box or build your own box.
How it works: Build your own subscription box or choose a "curated for you" Wild Seafood Favorites Box which allows you to choose from 16 different types of fish and seafood. All portions are 4 to 6 ounces, and shipping is free on orders over $100. The different box options include:
Lab results: Both testers and our in-house experts gave the service top scores across the board for variety, freshness and high-quality cuts along with ease of ordering and excellent customer service. The packaging was exceptional and the seafood arrived still frozen even during the summer months. One tester reported, "The selection was amazing. The seafood was so fresh tasting and it looked exactly as it is pictured on the website, just wonderful!" Another tester said, "The sashimi-grade tuna was out of this world — the freshest fish I've ever tasted!"
Blue Circle Foods was founded in 2005 by a James Beard award-winning chef. The seafood is now available for purchase through its website and at various grocery store locations across the U.S. Its salmon and shrimp are certified by the ASC and its wild-caught fish is 100% traceable and certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
The company claims to be the first seafood producer to offer upcycled certified products which means that the brand uses pieces of fish that are too small to be sold as individual portions and that would otherwise go to waste. The brand uses these pieces to create their Happy Fish (a healthier alternative to traditional fish sticks made from upcycled salmon), burgers and sausages. Additionally, according to the company, its smoked salmon was the first to be made without sugar.
How does the service work? Order a la carte or choose one of the company's four bundle boxes. The most popular items available for purchase individually include smoked salmon, classic roasted salmon, peppered roasted salmon, salmon burgers and Happy Fish.
Individual products range from $12 to $34 and bundles range from $110 to $175, making it one of the better values on this list. Free shipping is offered on orders over $150. Bundled options include:
Lab results: Our experts appreciate the freshness of the fish and the sustainability commitment the company adheres to. While this company may not offer the breadth of variety that some of the other services do, what they do offer scored high points with testers. Also, the packaging held up well and everything arrived frozen with one tester reporting, "The contents arrived frozen during a heat wave." Another tester exclaimed, "Everything was high quality, very fresh. I was hesitant to try the salmon hot dogs, but they were delicious! I haven't had a real hot dog in years because I'm skeptical of the ingredients, but these have only salmon and seasoning and taste like the real thing."
Home delivery of seafood is always going to be pricey because of the product they are offering and the logistical challenges involved but there is still good value to be had relatively speaking. Therefore, we've chosen this service as our best value due to affordable pricing and tester feedback.
Secret Island is "on a mission to make sustainably raised seafood accessible to all," according to the company. They accomplish this by using sustainable aquaculture farming practices to be able to deliver their product. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), sustainable aquaculture is vital to increasing food production.
Additionally, the company states it is building a supply chain and model that will allow it to offer its products nationwide in the hopes that nutritious, sustainable and delicious seafood can become a regular part of everyone's diet. Secret Island's sustainably sourced Chilean salmon is flash-frozen within hours of harvest in Chilean Patagonia to bring customers the freshest fish possible. The company is Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certified, Aquaculture Stewardship (ASC) certified and Kosher certified.
How it works: Secret Island offers salmon products that are available to order either a la carte or through a subscription. Orders are shipped from one of the company's distribution centers and delivered within two to three business days. Popular items include Atlantic salmon and coho salmon 12-packs in addition to whiskey teriyaki and blackened salmon four-packs. Other popular choices include their coho salmon "bacon" and salmon "hot dogs."
Lab results: Secret Island scored big points with our experts for its sustainability and transparency efforts and its creative salmon options. Testers reported they loved the generous portions, fresh flavor and "great packaging." One tester exclaimed, "The blackened salmon was delicious! Really enjoyed the quality and variety of products."
This service stands out for its unique presentation. All fish arrives packed with two 6-ounce center-cut portions in an oven-ready tray that can be baked and served within 15 minutes. This is an ideal portion for two people or one large serving. An advantage of this is there is no need to handle fish and no dirty pans or clean-up time.
Purefish provides both wild, sustainably caught fish and sustainable aquaculture-raised fish. All are MSC Certified and/or Monterey Bay Aquarium Best Choice or Best Alternative (or equivalent) and Fair Trade Certified. The fish is also traceable to fishermen and farmers with a QR code available on the back of each tray.
Note: PureFish is currently revamping its website to adjust its lineup and service. The brand is expecting to be back online in January 2024 so check back soon to catch some fish!
How it works: Customers can choose from curated boxes or individually selected fish to create a custom box. Each box contains eight trays and every tray arrives with two 6-ounce “restaurant cut" portions, fully trimmed and prepped. According to the company, most customers find that each box can make 20+ meals. The boxes range from $125 - $250, and subscribers receive an additional 15% discount.
One of the best-selling boxes is The Omega Box, which was curated by the company's in-house registered dietitian and includes more than 16 cuts of fish including Arctik sustainable salmon, saltwater striped bass and Santa Barbara black Cod. This box includes "a variety of species that contain the highest level of fish oils and omegas to pack the most flavor and nutritional value into each box," according to the company.
Lab results: Our experts appreciate that the company works with a registered dietitian to include omega-rich options. Our testers raved about the freshness of the fish and the ease of preparation without any cleanup required. One tester commented, "I have never liked the taste of mahi-mahi until I tried PureFish. It was extremely fresh and the flavor, when cooked, was delicious!"
Straight from the waters of Maine directly to your table, this service offers everything from live lobsters to lobster tails to lobster dinners. Get Maine Lobster also offers a selection of other seafood including fresh Maine scallops, oysters and mussels to please every seafood lover.
How it works: Choose a la carte or sign up for a monthly subscription service. Below are some of the popular subscription box offerings:
Lab results: Our experts and testers loved that this service provides an easy and fun dinner for family or friends with fresh lobster meat straight from Maine. Take note: This service may be best reserved for special occasions due to the high cost. Testers reported, "It was great having it delivered to my door. The meat had been removed from the shell and was already chopped. It's an easy process to go from box arrival to ready-to-eat!" Other testers exclaimed that everything arrived fresh, tasty and easy to prepare.
Alaskan Salmon Company is owned and operated by fisherman Kyle Lee who works closely with Alaska's top fisheries using low-impact methods to deliver wild and sustainably caught seafood directly from Alaska straight to your door.
For these efforts, Lee was selected for the 2022 Forbes 30 under 30 in the Food and Beverage category. All of the seafood is wild and sustainably caught from Alaska, according to Lee.
Note: Alaskan Salmon Company is currently updating its website. While the site will not be live until February 2024, shoppers will soon be able to join a waitlist to keep tabs on their favorite seafood delivery service.
How it works: The company offers a completely customizable box where customers can select 12 portions of their favorite seafood. They can also choose from preset boxes of salmon, sablefish or halibut. Subscriptions are $189 and the minimum order is 12 items, although you can add up to as many as you'd like. The most popular items are the Alaskan salmon and Alaskan black cod.
Lab results: Our experts and nutrition pros appreciate that this company was started by a young fisherman who felt the industry could do better in the way it caught, processed and delivered fish. This service also received some of the highest ratings across the board from testers for freshness, portion size and taste. One tester reported, "I loved the quality and freshness of the fish I received. I love that all of the fish is sustainably sourced and traceable, and I love that I’m able to support a family-owned business." Another tester said, "This fish was so fresh! I cannot stress this enough. The fillets were a great size — a healthy portion size for an adult."
Sea to Table is a small, family-owned business, offering a wide variety of sustainably sourced American seafood. All of the fish is wild-caught and from U.S.-managed fisheries. Sea to Table claims to be the only online seafood company to send samples of its fish to a leading food technologies lab four times a year to have its DNA sequenced to ensure labeling accuracy.
All of the fish is sustainably caught and traceable with every pack of fish labeled with information including a species name, where it was caught, the catch method, the best-by date and sometimes even the name of the vessel that caught it. Sea to Table has been a Certified B Corporation since 2012 and is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council since 2010.
How does this service work: Customers can choose from a selection of pre-built seafood boxes or custom-built boxes. The company offers both one-time purchases and subscriptions with the ability to pause, edit or cancel at any time. Free shipping is available on all orders over $99. Pre-built kits such as the Pescatarian Pack and the Salmon Lover's Box range from $175 to $180. Popular items include wild Gulf shrimp, Alaskan sockeye salmon, wild king salmon, Northwest Pacific halibut and Atlantic sea scallops.
Lab results: Our experts and nutrition pros appreciate the efforts this company takes to establish transparency in tracking the journey of the fish from sea to table. We were also impressed by the freshness of the fish. One tester reported that they "loved that the seafood had how it was caught, who caught it and exactly where it was harvested. The freshness and taste could not be beat!" Another tester exclaimed, "The quality of the fish was excellent, and the individual packaging was clear and convenient to use."
The Ito family launched their seafood family-run business in 2019, and if you love sashimi or sushi-grade seafood this service provides a great option. According to the company, all of its products can be consumed raw. They are intended for immediate consumption but can also be frozen. This service also offers one of the largest selections of fish varieties of any of the services we tried.
How it works: You can select the style of fish you prefer either frozen or fresh. There are multiple packs to choose from such as the mini pack with two servings of fish to larger packs with multiple varieties of fish that contain up to 13 servings. There are also weekly specials that contain in-season or new products according to the company. Popular choices include bluefin tuna and king salmon. In addition to shipping, the company also offers local delivery and pick-up if you live in the area.
Lab results: One tester said, "The fish was excellent. I was very pleased with the quality and freshness." Other testers commented that they were able to try fish that they would not be able to normally find at their local grocer and farmer's markets.
Founded by fishermen Captains Joe Emerson and Keith Heller and Salmon activist Marie Rose, Shoreline Wild Salmon fishes the old-school way — with a single hook and line. According to the company, "This line-caught method, also known as trolling, enables us to pull each fish from the water one at a time.
When it comes to finding a salmon that is caught with hook and line, it is rare!" Rose explains that approximately 10% of the total Alaska salmon catch is harvested with this method. Rose adds, "Once the fish are filleted and packaged in Southeast Alaska, they stay frozen until the consumer thaws the fish and prepares it for a meal."
How it works: Subscribers can select a la carte or subscription boxes that include 5 lbs or 10 lbs of fish to be delivered monthly. Current monthly subscription choices include:
Lab results: Our nutrition pros loved the generous portions and super fresh fish and that it arrived nicely packaged and hard frozen during warmer months. They also appreciated that there is an option to purchase flaked coho salmon meat that you can easily make salmon burgers with. Testers reported, "The fish arrived fresh, and the portions were large and left my family feeling satisfied." Another tester said, "It was fun to try a new dish, and it was enjoyed by everyone. The fish was delicious and the texture and color were perfection!"
Founded by former Alaskan fisherman, Randy Hartnell, in 2001, Vital Choice was one of the earliest home delivery services of wild seafood.
In 2021 it was acquired by 1-800-Flowers and continues to widen its offerings. In addition to multiple types of wild fish, mostly from Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, the company also sells, beef, pork, seasonings, soups, chocolate, health supplements and wine pairings from Harry & David. It has been a certified B-corporation since 2014.
How it works: Choose from a large selection of a la carte options including multiple types of wild salmon, wild white fish, shellfish and canned and pouched fish among many others. Customers can also choose skinless or skin-on portions for most fish and cut sizes available in 4- or 6-ounce portions. Customers can also choose to sign up for a monthly subscription service:
Lab results: Our nutrition pros and experts found the fish to be exceptionally fresh and delicious and were impressed with the perfectly cut proportions. The website can be overwhelming with so many options to choose from, but we were very pleased with everything we tried. The ordering process is smooth, and the fish arrives hard frozen and beautifully packed and ready to be thawed or popped in the freezer.
At the Good Housekeeping Institute, we test all different types of food products and services. From healthy snacks and supplements to food subscription boxes and seafood delivery services, our experts are committed to bringing you the best of the best when it comes to quality, performance, flavor, nutrition and more.
In our most recent study of meal and food delivery services, we recruited over 280 at-home testers across the nation, while our in-house experts also tested the services in our Labs. All in all, we evaluated over 40 different seafood and meat delivery services, testing them over the course of three months.
In the end, we made our selections based on expert evaluations and tester feedback in the categories of overall satisfaction, seafood quality, sustainability, cost, recycling efforts and availability. Our top picks offer exceptional quality and a wide variety of fish and shellfish options. Although taste is subjective, we ultimately chose companies that scored high points overall with testers.
Services that sent undersized servings and poor-quality cuts didn't make the grade, nor did those whose fish lacked a fresh and mild smell, shiny skin, firmness and flavor. We also looked at packaging to evaluate if fish arrived hard frozen or chilled to an appropriate temperature.
As a result of our testing, we believe the companies spotlighted above deserve recognition for their performance in their categories. That said, this is a fast-growing segment in the food industry and we're likely to see exciting new entrants emerging in the near future. We are currently and constantly testing new offerings in this category to keep readers up-to-date.
This depends on how much seafood you and your household consume every month. If you regularly eat fish, shellfish and other seafood during the week, then services like the ones listed above could actually help save you money and cut down on trips to the supermarket. Most seafood from these services arrives hard frozen so it will last a long time in the freezer. And if you have too much, you can skip or cancel your subscription.
If you fall in love with one of these services, you may want to invest in a standalone freezer to keep in your basement or garage. Often, when you buy in larger quantities, you get more for your money.
One thing to note is that you can't see and assess the individual selections of fish before purchase like you would at a grocery store or farmers market, which can be a deterrent for some. Many of these services offer a discounted first box, so it's likely worth trying it out to see if the seafood is what you are looking for and suited for your family.
As a registered dietitian, Amy Fischer is an avid seafood lover from a young age and has never met a fish or shellfish she didn't like. She has worked with thousands of patients to improve their health through a whole foods and nutritious diet, and believes that food is to be enjoyed whatever your dietary goals may be and that ideally, the focus should be on improving overall health, eating and living better. She has written about other meal delivery services for GH, including the best vegan meal delivery services and the best cheap meal delivery services.
Amy (she/her) is a registered dietitian with the Nutrition Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, covering nutrition- and health-related content and product testing. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Miami University of Ohio and a master's degree in clinical nutrition from NYU. Prior to Good Housekeeping, she worked at one of the largest teaching hospitals in New York City as a cardiac transplant dietitian. She has authored numerous chapters in clinical nutrition textbooks and has also worked in PR and marketing for food company start-ups.
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