TasteTV Gift Guide: 4 Great Online Seafood Services That Directly Ship to Your Door
Fresh seafood is a delight to have, and to share. It makes a luxurious addition to any meal, as well as a fantastic and much appreciated gift.
The key word of course is “Fresh.” In fact, the fresher the better. In the past getting fresh seafood shipped was always a game of chance. It could arrive quickly and taste great, or it could arrive in a condition that even the cat wouldn’t touch it. Fortunately with the advent of fast delivery options, flash freezing, and other methods of keeping it at peak condition, several businesses have mastered the art of getting seafood right from the fishing boats directly to your door in a super fast delivery time.
Four seafood services that we think you should try for yourself or for someone special are Real Oyster Cult, Sitka Salmon Shares, Vital Choice Seafood, and Wild Alaskan Company. You can order package from them one at a time, or as part of a subscription service.
REAL OYSTER CULT
Fresh oysters are a delicacy that require one main ingredient, and that’s freshness. So when we heard about seafood company Real Oyster Cult, that says they will deliver fresh oysters across the country to you, and guarantees that they are actually fresh, we had to take a look at it. Fortunately, we found that this promise was in fact delivered upon 100%.
The oysters that we received were all tightly closed within their shells, proof that they were not only alive but also determined to remain that way, with their freshness and sea water inside. Not a single one had even the slightest hint of an open shell. The overall reviewers’ verdict on their taste was an A+.
In addition to the several varieties of oysters available, Real Oyster Cult also has seasoning sauces and hot sauces (called Mignon-Nips), wine and whiskey pairing packages, caviar, Maine Lobster, and Jonah Crab Claws. The Gift Bundle starts at around $69.
SITKA SALMON SHARES
Sitka Salmon Shares is a completely integrated boat-to-doorstep seafood company. They have a group of fishermen-owners who deliver their fish, as well as a small processing plant in Sitka, Alaska, where they custom-process the catch with a focus on quality and traceability. Based in Alaska, there are also two Good-Fish Hubs in the Midwest, which allow them to deliver the fishermen’s catch directly to your doorstep.
Members purchase “shares” of the catch, similar to paying for a share of the harvest from a local farm through your favorite CSA. Members receive a monthly home seafood delivery that ranges from 4.5 to 5 pounds. Shares are delivered from April through December, the fishing season, to provide the highest quality wild seafood.
In TasteTV taste tests we have found that Sitka’s filets are quite generous in size and thickness.
VITAL CHOICE WILD SEAFOOD
Vital Choice Wild Seafood‘s premium sustainably-caught seafood tastes so fresh and delicious that it is hard to believe it wasn’t just caught. Not only does it taste fresh, it also looks and smells fresh. As many seafood lovers know, fish that smells fishy is often not in good condition. As far as looks, Vital Choice’s Mahi Mahi and salmon both look and feel firm — neither soggy and gray nor hard and dry — and have enticing colors that are a bit surreal.
Vital Choice has a combo package called the Limited Edition GrillBox. The GrillBox includes seasonal favorites and grilling planks — everything a seafood grill master would want — including:
- Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon, boneless, skin-on
- Sockeye Salmon Burgers, four 5-oz patties, gluten free
- Wild Mahi Mahi, skinless, boneless
- Wild Artisan Blue Shrimp from the Gulf of California
- Alder Grilling planks
WILD ALASKAN COMPANY SEAFOOD
Wild Alaskan Company’s new direct to consumer subscription service is just what the chef ordered. These fishmongers source and sell fish directly from the Northern waters to your doorstep on a monthly or several months basis.
They’re kind of like your personal source for fish. Arron Kallenberg, the founder of Wild Alaskan, started the company in order improve our food system through healthy, convenient, sustainably sourced meals. Choose from boxes that contain various selections of a wide variety of wild-caught species from Alaska and the Pacific Northwest including sockeye salmon, coho salmon, pacific cod, pacific halibut and wild Alaska pollock.
Visit them at Wildalaskancompany.com.
