Buy from an Online Seafood Market Because Location Matters

In the world of fresh produce, there is a word: terroir. It refers to the “taste of place,” the unmistakable flavors imparted to foods by the environment around them: the soil, the climate and the rest. Seafood has its own terroir, flavor that comes from the ocean in which it grows, and which you cannot get in any other way. That’s why Pacific seafood is unmistakably Pacific: Dungeness crabs have a flavor that is unique, as do abalone grown in the waters off the coast of California. If you don’t live on the Pacific Coast, the only way to get a real taste of fresh Pacific abalone or albacore tuna is to order it from a West Coast seafood market that sells seafood online.

Once upon a time, everyone knew that if you wanted to buy Dungeness crab, the finest, most flavorful albacore tuna or the sweetest diver scallops, there was only one place to go: San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. The West Coast, from Alaska to Baja California, is a prime source of some of the most delectable, delicious seafood in the world. You’ll find fresh king salmon and albacore tuna and abalone and diver scallops, so fresh and sweet that it’s perfect for sushi, sashimi, crudo or other raw seafood dishes. The icy Alaskan waters produce king salmon that are meaty and rich with omega 3 and omega 6 oils. The warm waters off the California islands are the perfect place to find sweet, succulent scallops, abalone and Dungeness crab. Until recently, if you really wanted to enjoy those flavors unadulterated, you had to travel to the West Coast to do it – or get reservations at one of the fine restaurants around the country that could import live Dungeness crab and abalone via overnight shipments.

These days, you don’t have to have special connections to get overnight deliveries from West Coast seafood markets. All you have to do is search for an online seafood market that delivers throughout the country. You can browse their daily selections and place your orders before noon (sometimes earlier, sometimes a little later) and have your seafood delivered direct to your door the next day, nearly as fresh as if you’d bought it in store – and far fresher than if you’d bought it at your local supermarket.

Do research the online seafood market you’re thinking of using before placing your order, though. The best markets that sell seafood online also have excellent reputations in their local communities, and are rated highly for their products and service. Don’t settle for anything less than the best seafood. Order from an online seafood market the next time you want a very special marine dinner.