Best Online Seafood Delivery for Incredibly Fresh Fish (2025)

Pros:

• Large selection of sustainably sourced seafood
• Always shipped fresh
• Other food items available

Cons:

• Pricey
• High delivery fees for overnight shipping

Paz Mendez Hodes, BA’s director of creative development, recently ordered Citarella’s jumbo lump crab meat and Manila clams and had this to say:

“As I peeled back the layers of packaging from my fish, I felt like an influencer making an “unbox my Birkin with me” TikTok.

The fish was such good quality that I tried to make meals that minimally altered the raw materials. I made crab cakes with the lump crab meat and only a touch of panko and mayonnaise to bind them together—maybe the best crab cakes I have ever had. I also made linguine with crab, chili, parsley and lemon stirred through. The clams I steamed with sherry, jamón Ibérico and parsley, and ate with a baguette. They were insanely good. I was struck by how easy it is to cook when you are working with such good ingredients.

Without exaggeration, this was the freshest and best-presented shellfish I have ever purchased. Not a single broken shell or clam that wouldn’t open, barely any grit after washing. I picked through the crabmeat carefully to find any stray bits of cartilage but there were no flaws.”

Citarella ships fresh fish and offers nationwide overnight shipping on à la carte orders ($75 minimum) to the contiguous 48 states. There’s an additional fee for Saturday delivery.

Pros:

• Ethically caught sushi-grade fish
• Shipped fresh overnight
• Free shipping over $180

Cons:

• Expensive shipping on small orders
• Big cuts make it a better option for large orders than small ones

Commerce writer Alaina Chou ordered king salmon, kanpachi, suzuki sea bass, “ultra” ahi tuna, and tombo ahi tuna—then she and a friend turned it all into dinner for seven. Here’s what she had to say:

“Each type of fish arrived individually wrapped and clearly labeled, with ample insulation and several ice packs, yet the packaging didn’t feel excessive. The fish was incredibly fresh and arrived as promised: fridge cold but not frozen.

We cubed the kanpachi and mixed it with lime juice and a mango salsa to make a ceviche, and it held up so well to this treatment—firm but tender, flavorful without being fishy. With the ultra ahi, king salmon, and sea bass we made nigiri and sashimi. They were all delicious, though the sea bass was a bit tougher and almost too mild to eat this way. We also gave all five fish a poke-ish treatment that we ate over rice. I loved the salmon raw (so delightfully fatty/buttery), but the raw tombo ahi was the crowd favorite.

If I was planning a party, I would absolutely order from Honolulu again. The fish was incredible (so fresh!), but the large size of the pieces and high price point mean this is more of a special occasion option than something you’d order regularly.”

Fish is sourced in an eco-friendly way (no net fishing) from the Pacific Ocean. The company’s sashimi experts hand-select and inspect fish every morning for quality control.

Honolulu Fish Company ships à la carte orders of fresh fish overnight to 49 states, (sorry Alaska). At the time of publishing, orders over $180 ship free; all other orders have a flat rate of $65.

Pros:

• Easy to order small portions
• Reasonable prices
• Easy to turn any custom order into a subscription

Cons: Fish ships frozen

Senior commerce director Abbey Stone ordered the swordfish steak, ahi tuna steak, the sea scallops, and bacon-wrapped scallops. Aside from being a little surprised that everything arrived frozen, she was pleased with her order and said she would order from Fulton Fish Market again. Here’s what else she had to say:

“All items arrived frozen, in a cardboard box that was kept cold with packs of dry ice. The tuna and swordfish steaks were individually vacuum-sealed in plastic. The scallops were packaged in cardboard boxes. There was no fishy smell while the items were packaged. After cooking, the fish tasted fresh.

The swordfish steaks were nice and meaty, and I made pan-seared swordfish with tarragon butter. It cooked quickly and evenly on the stovetop, remaining moist while the skin crisped to a golden brown.”

FultonFishMarket.com sources fish from the various fishmongers at the Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx.

Fulton Fish Market ships freshly frozen seafood to the lower 48 and Washington, DC. Orders over $125 ship free, smaller orders ship for a flat rate of $20. Freshly frozen items spend up to two days in transit.

Pros:

• Fresh fish
• Large crab selection
• Overnight shipping
• Responsible sourcing

Cons:

• Not great for small orders since fish and crab are sold by the pound

Commerce writer Wilder Davies ordered the halibut cheeks and wild alaskan salmon fillet. Here’s what he had to say:

“My fish arrived packed with ample dry ice and everything seemed quite fresh—no fishiness whatsoever. The halibut cheeks were tender and sweet. I used them to make this green curry cod recipe—but with halibut instead of cod—and it was perfect.

Given all the different crab offerings, it would be worth ordering again for a special occasion, but for more day-to-day mail-order delivery, I’d say there are better options out there.”

Pike Place Fish Market responsibly sources wild-caught fish and crab from the Pacific Northwest.

Pike Place Fish Market ships à la carte fresh fish and crab overnight via UPS. According to the company’s FAQ, in order to get your fish the next day, you do need to complete your checkout by 7 a.m. PST (that’s 10 a.m. if you’re on the East Coast).

Pros:

• Sustainably sourced
• Easy subscription model
• Individually packaged fillets

Cons:

• Fish only ships frozen
• Fillets may not be uniformly cut

Noah Kaufman, BA’s senior reviews editor, recently ordered the Wild Combo Box from Wild Alaskan Company. Here’s what he had to say:

“Everything came frozen (which I didn’t know ahead of time and was a little bit of a bummer), with a big ice pack on the bottom of the box. Each portion came sealed individually, and while that makes it a little more cumbersome to cook for a family of four because you have to unpack four individual servings, I actually think this would be a good buy for a single person or a household of just two. It makes cooking for one really easy in a way many freezer sections of supermarket fish do not.

Once thawed, there was no fishiness in anything I made. They go heavy on the salmon here, but my favorite thing was actually the rockfish that I used to make excellent fish tacos. I noticed an irregularity of pieces throughout the box, particularly with the Pacific cod. I assume it’s because they always use whole fish as they are focused on sustainability. But it does mean some pieces come out thicker than others.”

The fish comes from the Pacific Northwest, primarily from sustainably managed fisheries in Alaska.

Wild Alaskan Company and ships frozen fish for free (with a subscription) to all 50 states.

Pros:

• Large selection of wild-caught salmon and white fish
• Quick shipping
• Individually sealed portions are very convenient

Cons:

• Fish ships frozen
• Smaller selection of fish types than some other retailers

I ordered the Wild Alaskan Sockeye salmon and my order arrived quickly, packed in plenty of dry ice. The salmon portions were individually vacuum-sealed, which made it easy to use what I needed when I needed it. They also thawed quickly in the fridge, which is very convenient.

The portions were thinner than the salmon I usually get from my local Whole Foods fish counter, so I definitely overcooked it the first time I made a basic miso salmon for my kids, but the quality was great and the kids didn’t mind that it was overcooked. I’ve since perfected the cook time and also used it to make air-fryer salmon for my salads. It was so nice to have high-quality salmon in the freezer whenever I needed it, so I’ll probably order from Vital Choice again.

Vital Choice seafood is responsibly harvested in Alaska waters.

Vital Choice ships flash-frozen seafood two-day or overnight express to all 50 states. Shipping charges vary by order, with additional fees for Alaska and Hawaii deliveries.

Sizzlefish ships a wide variety of flash-frozen, mostly wild-caught seafood in individual vacuum-sealed portions via UPS or FedEx Express. You can order à la carte or choose a subscription that works for you, and orders over $100 ship free. Fish is responsibly sourced globally and almost entirely wild-caught (the Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, and catfish are farmed). The brand’s messaging has a wellness focus, and the website is packed with information on the nutritional benefits of fish and shellfish, special diets, and recipes.

Nina Moskowitz, associate cooking editor, ordered sea scallops, lobster, Alaska king salmon, Atlantic salmon, and Gulf shrimp. Here’s what she had to say:

“The order was packaged in dry ice and the individual items came vacuum-sealed. Each item was supposed to be labeled with a sticker, but every sticker fell off so I had to identify them. I wish they were labeled properly.

Nothing smelled fishy, however, the shrimp specifically tasted a little muted/watery in flavor. The shrimp were not consistent in size, and some of the shrimp pieces were broken in the packaging and the salmon cuts were quite thin. The salmon, lobster, and scallops, however, tasted nice and buttery, with a delicate sweetness. I made Molly Baz’s pan-seared scallops with chorizo and corn. It turned out delicious: tender scallops, easy to cook, clean flavor.

If I couldn’t get to a fish store, I think I’d order the scallops or lobster tails from this company, but I’d skip the shrimp.”