The 12 Best Grocery Stores For Buying Fresh Seafood

People have been eating seafood since early humans discovered there were tasty creatures living under water. And why not? There are so many delicious seafood recipes, such as Christmas lobster tails with Pernod sauce. It is nice, once in a while, to have a protein other than land-based meats, and there are plenty of health benefits in the various edible sea creatures. Now, if you don't live near a coast, getting fresh fish may pose a bit of a dilemma. You can head to your local supermarket, but may wonder how good the seafood is. 

The good news is there are a number of chains that have solid reputations for responsibly sourced, fresh seafood. Some are regional, some are national, and there is bound to be one in your neck of the woods. We at The Takeout always have you covered. We showed you the 12 best grocery stores for finding quality seafood, and now we present the dozen best grocery stores for buying fresh seafood.

Sprouts is not everywhere yet. The chain has 495 stores across the nation, with about a third of them in California. If you're looking for good, fresh seafood and have a Sprouts near you, you're in luck. The supermarket, which has a solid reputation, starts off our list by sourcing its seafood responsibly. Sprouts dedicates itself to providing customers with quality seafood that is at its optimum freshness. An important consideration, especially when it comes to fish. Last year, the chain began sourcing its seafood in-house, which has only made things better.

A customer in a TikTok video shows a shot of the seafood display and everything looks tasty and beautiful. They pick up a container of fresh, wild-caught crab meat and make a warm salad with it. The salad is described as, "super delicious." As the star ingredient, no doubt the crab helped make that happen. A review on the food blog "Snarkle-Sauce on Wry" praised the Maryland crab cakes and salmon cakes, which are made right in the seafood department and are ready to cook.

Meijer is a regional chain with locations throughout the Midwest. It is owned by a family rather than a corporation, and dedicates itself to providing customers with fresh, quality foods. That includes seafood. In 2012, Meijer set up a partnership with the Global Seafood Alliance and earned the Best Aquaculture Practices rating. This ensures Meijer customers that the chain sources its seafood reliably and sustainably. Its fish department carries salmon, flounder, pollock, shrimp, and many other varieties of seafood.

The food blog "Live Simply" reviewed a Meijer store and was very happy to discover wild caught fish. The clerk at the seafood counter informed the blogger that Meijer gets seafood deliveries six days a week. That's a good sign that its fish is always fresh. The Seafood Nutrition Partnership created a YouTube video in which a registered dietary nutritionist tours a Meijer store's seafood department. The fish looks fresh and is clearly labeled, "Wild Caught." 

In a five-star review posted on the Meijer web site, a happy customer praised the Frederick's wild caught cod, saying, "I really liked that it didn't taste as if it had just been caught out of the water, not too big on fish that taste really fishy. The cod had a mild but tasty taste to it. I chose to pan-fry it and they turned out terrific."

Launched in 1980, Whole Foods has grown to more than 500 locations across the nation. The chain built its reputation on selling quality, organic food. This applies to the seafood department as well, which features wild caught fish and responsibly farm-raised shrimp. Each store has skilled fish mongers that will clean, debone, and fillet any fish you choose at no extra charge. Let's see what  shoppers think of Whole Foods seafood.

On the Vegas locals subreddit over on Reddit, in which the creator asked which chain seafood is best, the first commenter gave three recommendations and listed Whole Foods first. In a Facebook video, a reviewer commented on how high the prices are, but liked the wide variety of seafood available. They felt that the salmon and cod fillets smelled fresh. A commenter chimed in with, "I really like Whole Foods salmon." An Instagrammer posted a video, in which they happily purchase two dozen oysters for a dollar apiece, a Whole Foods Friday special. After shopping for more ingredients, the oysters are grilled into a dish that the reviewer tastes, and reacts with pure bliss, exclaiming, "Aw, come on! Yeah!" Whole Foods also has a take-and-bake salmon deal that can feed four for under $35. If you don't mind spending a little extra, Whole Foods is a good seafood choice.

Wegmans started in 1916 in Rochester, New York and has remained a regional chain, situated mainly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. It has an excellent reputation, to which I can attest. I live an hour away from a Wegmans and my wife and I find the trip well worth it. Each store has the usual departments you find in a supermarket, including a well-stocked fish section. Wegmans has a large variety of fresh fish along with frozen and ready to cook options.

A YouTuber with a seafood channel visited Wegmans as part of a series checking out the fish at different grocery chains. They felt the prices were higher than average, but were very impressed with the incredible selection of seafood. They brought home salmon and cod fillets, as well as king crab legs and shrimp. It all smelled and looked nice and fresh. After cooking up various dishes, the shopper tried them and enjoyed them. A shopper in Syracuse posted on Facebook, "I wanted to indulge myself and the oysters are fairly priced." A commenter concurred, stating, "Last I looked Wegman Oysters were $1- $1.50 each, seems like a good price to me. When I was in Maine the markets pricing was the same." Wegmans is a worthy addition to our list.

Costco is a membership-based, discount wholesaler that carries a wide variety of foods, electronics, clothing, and lots of other stuff. It has stores worldwide and follows a policy of limiting its stock to around 4,000 SKUs in an effort to maintain quality standards. Costco has plenty of frozen seafood items that are worth buying, but also has fresh options. The seafood has plenty of fans.

In a Reddit thread on the Costco subreddit, the creator asks what kind of seafood people regularly buy, and explains, "I get a pack of Dungeness crab clusters almost every time I go. That and a melted stick of butter feeds me, the wife and kid a gourmet meal for about $25. Monkfish when they have it. I fish a lot so usually have a freezer full, but monkfish is noticeably different than other fish in texture, and I like it on the grill or in chowders." A number of responders mention that they buy, shrimp, scallops, salmon fillets, swordfish, and ahi tuna steaks. In a Facebook video, a shopper demonstrates the difference between wild-caught and farm-raised fish at Costco and why it's better to pay a bit extra for the former. 

Albertsons grocery chain is under the umbrella of Albertsons Companies. Its various holdings are spread across 35 states and Washington D.C. It's a large chain and carries many high-quality food items, including seafood. Albertsons has salmon, cod, tilapia, catfish, and other fillets, along with shrimp, scallops, and crab. In 2020, it created its own, private, seafood labels, Waterfront Bistro and Open Nature, both carrying the Responsible Choice logo. This indicates a commitment to sourcing seafood responsibly, in ways that don't harm the ecosystem. 

As part of its ongoing quest for quality seafood, as of 2022, all of Albertson's top 20 farm-raised and wild caught products fall in line with the Responsible Choice standards. Additionally, each of its top five farm-raised and wild-caught seafood used to prepare its sushi also meet those standards. The chain also stopped using eel in its sushi due to the diminishing population of the sea creature. This kind of dedication and level of responsibility earned Albertsons a place on our list. 

H-Mart is a Korean grocery store that started in Queens, New York, and has grown to the largest Asian supermarket chain in the nation. H-Mart has made it to the Top 50 small chains on Supermarket News. The stores have food courts with some items you need to try. H-Mart also carries a wide variety of seafood, including fillets of many kinds of fish, octopus, squid, shrimp, and crab. Many are ingredients in Asian cuisine, but you can find seafood for many different dishes. Customers are quite pleased with the products at H-Mart.

In a thread on Reddit, a consumer asked if the fish at H-Mart was good, and got plenty of positive responses. The first Redditor to chime in stated, "H-Mart fish is good. Koreans have high standards ... Have you tried Norwegian Mackerel?? Fish is like butter, so freaking tasty, and I feel like I'm stealing everyone I buy it from H-Mart because it's so cheap." Another Redditor was equally impressed. "Their fish is fantastic and I love how they prep it properly for you as well." Another happy shopper posted on Reddit, "I stopped by H-Mart today and was impressed by the seafood and meat selection." If there is an H-Mart nearby, it's worth stopping by and checking out the seafood.

The Fresh Market was launched in 1982 in an effort to create the kind of markets found in European countries, in the U.S. The concept has been successful and grown to 166 stores. The Fresh Market follows a Code of Ethics and has landed it at the top of USA Today's 2025 list of the 10 best grocery stores in America. The chain carries a nice selection of fresh seafood, including salmon, tuna, cod fillets, crab cakes, and shrimp. There are also marinated fillets of various kinds.

On Reddit, an Orlando consumer started a thread asking if people did their shopping at The Fresh Market. Another Redditor jumped right in with, "Fresh Market is only good for meats and seafood for me usually ...  I like when their crab cakes go on sale." The Fresh Market website has comments from happy customers, some of whom laud the seafood, stating, "Everyone is so friendly. The meat/fish market is well run and provides beautiful proteins!", and "Cooked your wonderful Bourbon salmon last night! YUM!" The food blog "Snarkle-Sauce On Wry" reviewed The Fresh Market's salmon and crab cakes and gave them some positive comments, enjoying both cakes and recommending eating them together at one meal.

Kroger states on its website that its purpose is to "Feed the human spirit." That seems like a lofty goal. If you use the store's app, you should be aware that Kroger knows way more about you than you realize. The app collects data, which Kroger then sells. It's a good chain, so just do your shopping at the store and you'll be fine. The store's seafood section is nicely stocked with fillets of salmon, catfish, tilapia, and other fish. It also carries lump crab meat, shrimp, scallops, and lobster. According to Kroger's website, 88% of the wild-caught seafood comes from sustainable sources, and 77% of that comes from sources that are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. Kroger is committed to responsible sourcing.

A Tiktoker posted a video of themselves cooking and enjoying Kroger's Two Fish seafood boil. Another video posted on Lemon8 urges viewers to "Run to Kroger" to pick up this delicious meal. On Yelp, a Kroger shopper posted a review with words of praise for the seafood: "Yesterday, I planned on preparing a crab boil dinner for the wife and I and found that finding crab legs wasn't that easy. After visiting three other markets I was feeling discouraged. Luckily, Kroger had them ($11.99 a pound) and some scrumptious looking shrimp ($7.99 a pound). I picked four leg clusters and a pound of shrimp (21-25 count). The crab boil was awesome, wife loved it but I couldn't have done it without Kroger."

Hy-Vee is an unusual business in that it is owned by its 75,000 employees. It has a history nearly a century in the making and has won several recent awards from Forbes magazine. The chain's seafood department sells Atlantic salmon, Alaskan cod, and tilapia fillets, as well as other fish. You can also get crab, shrimp, and pre-seasoned fish. In 2014, Hy-Vee launched a Responsible Choice Seafood Program and since that time, has ranked high on Greenpeace's lists of top seafood retailers. In October 2025, the chain created a Seafood Procurement Policy to further its commitment to responsible and sustainable sourcing.

Hy-Vee purchases Alaskan king crab and other fish right off fishing vessels. A company called Trident seafoods has boats that not only catch, but package fish to be shipped to stores like Hy-Vee. In a YouTube video, a reporter from TV station KOLR10, visited a local Hy-Vee seafood department and spoke with the assistant manager. The on-air talent marveled at the wide selection as the manager explained the Responsible Choice Program. 

Safeway is a large national chain that has been around for more than 100 years. The chain was the first to sell food by the pound and add sell-by dates, about 90 years ago. The Safeway seafood department is stocked with the usual suspects, including fillets of salmon, catfish, and cod, as well as shrimp, crab, and shellfish. Greenpeace rated the grocery store very well, giving it an overall score of 72% for sustainability. The organization states that, "Safeway's management team has demonstrated a commitment to marine conservation and speaks up about it." That is a good indication of quality seafood.

In a thread on Reddit, a shopper asked what people would only buy at Safeway vs. at Super 1. One responder said, "Super 1 for almost everything. Safeway for seafood." Another Reddit thread was started by a Safeway customer who said the sushi is "Sometimes elite." Several responders, including an executive chef with experience rolling sushi, concurred. A Yelp reviewer said, "The fresh seafood stand is well presented."

Aldi, the discount grocery chain, started in Germany but has a major U.S. presence. For the uninitiated, picking up groceries there takes some getting used to, but is a positive experience if you know how to shop at Aldi, according to a professional chef.  The store is known for having many of its own brands and it does have a good seafood department, which includes several types of fresh-never frozen salmon fillets, as well as tilapia and steelhead trout. Aldi carries frozen seafood as well. The fish carries a Certified Sustainable Seafood tag awarded by the Marine Stewardship Council. The chain maintains a commitment to responsible sources. 

In a thread on Reddit, the creator asks shoppers how their seafood experiences have been at Aldi. There are a number of positive responses, including one Redditor, who said, "The salmon and tilapia are regular parts of our rotation. Always been happy with them." Two other Aldi shoppers chime in with agreement. In another Reddit thread, a shopper seeks out the opinions of Aldi customers on the seafood. The salmon is highly regarded by many, and a couple also mention the tilapia and ahi tuna.

We dug into some solid research to bring you the lowdown on the seafood of these grocery chains. Each store's website has helpful information on what they carry, as well as how it is sourced. There were a couple that also had customer reviews. Organizations such as Greenpeace and the Marine Stewardship Council rate retailers on their sourcing practices and had some great details on these stores. Food bloggers were another good place for info.

It's always helpful to reach out to the people who shop these places, and social media is where you find them. Reddit is always reliable, as is YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. People love to share the positives and negatives of the stores they patronize and that helps us to decide which to include, and which to omit.