8 Best Places To Buy Fish And 8 You Might Want To Skip

Buying fish is a tricky business. On the one hand, as a modern consumer, you want to get it from a place with a wide variety of options. On the other hand, you don't want to buy from somewhere that tries to sell everything — that often means the establishment spreading itself too thin, which is likely to affect the fish's quality. Freshness, flavor, and excellence of cut are also important. You should also consider who the person who sells you the fish is. They can't come home with you and tell you how to cook it, but an experienced fishmonger can offer tips and even some preparation before leaving the store. That's the sort of thing that makes a fish-buying experience superb.

Some grocery stores nail every single one of these aspects. Many others, however, fall short. When it comes to fish, that can be disastrous — like buying rotten cod, slimy salmon, and past-its-prime tilapia. How's a shopper supposed to know where to spend their hard-earned money? That's where we come in. We've gone ahead and rounded up the eight places you should absolutely buy fish and the eight places you should skip. 

Asian supermarket H Mart has vibrant produce, flavorful condiments, and all manner of eye-catching snacks that can be found within its well-organized aisles. This attention to detail and variety has earned it a sterling reputation among shoppers, and those interested in fish have a particularly high opinion of the chain.

As one Reddit chef put it, "For sushi, I typically go to the various [Asian] grocery stores, like H-mart, Grandmart, or Lotte. They also have a great non-sushi-grade fish selection." Indeed, all three outlets are solid choices, but we believe H Mart comes out on top. Its fish are always fresh, lusciously textured, and absolutely bursting with flavor. Home sushi chefs will be particularly pleased with the selection, which never fails to be impressively varied and of very high quality. H Mart's tuna is an especially great choice; all you need is one glance at its rich ruby hue to know you've found the good stuff. It's divine cut into tender chunks and placed atop tangy sushi rice, but just as excellent as seared, baked, fried, or roasted.

One Reddit user summed up one of Publix's greatest shortcomings when they asked, "Why is the fish [and] meat market so tragically bad at Publix?" Another commenter employed by the chain was even more scathing. After criticizing the meat department, they wrote, "And it's even worse with seafood because not everyone can recognize the marks of freshness of a piece of fish. I can't tell you the number of times I was behind that counter and I asked my managers what they thought about this piece of fish or that; they would say they looked fine when it was evident to me who looked at fish every day that they didn't meet our visual standards for display."

Publix's lackluster fish displays are tragically representative of its seafood's quality. Whatever fish you buy from Publix, be it tuna, snapper, or perch, stands a significant chance of being disappointing. Mediocre flavor is the worst problem here; somehow, every fish at Publix tastes like a pale imitation of itself. Texturally, things aren't much better. This fish also doesn't seem particularly fresh. Given the chain's close association with Florida, a famously ocean-loving state, this feels like an especially dire failing.

Supermarket chain Wegmans is a truly impressive outfit. This is obvious from the moment you walk into any one of its many locations. Every Wegmans is clean, spacious, well-lit, and, most importantly, packed with top-tier groceries. The cheese counter is a dairy wonderland. The butcher is invariably stocked with every possible cut of meat. Even the pet aisle is packed with high-quality products for your furry best friend.

But the fish counter is perhaps the most dazzling part of any Wegmans location. Each counter boasts a rainbow of fresh fish: Salmon, tuna, bass, flounder, perch, and all sorts of other nautical goodies lie carefully nestled in ice. It is seriously high-quality fish; you won't be forced to choose between limp chunks of cod and salmon here. This elite approach to seafood also extends to Wegmans' sushi, which is all prepared with care, precision, and the absolute best ingredients.

There's nothing quite like a product recall to waver a vendor's reputation. So it went with Price Chopper when, in 2021, CBS Boston reported that the supermarket chain had voluntarily recalled a number of items from the seafood department. The fish that was sold included small fragments of plastic and metal. Among the recalled foodstuffs were stuffed skinless haddock, flounder, tilapia with pecans, and salmon.

Learning that so many of its products were recalled due to something as unappetizing as plastic and metal fragments is a huge blow to consumer confidence. Sadly, this is not too surprising with Price Chopper's fish. It's not that its fish is typically stuffed with non-edible bits and pieces — it's just always lacking and seems subject to little oversight. Pallid color, rubbery texture, and a frustrating lack of flavor are the order of the day here. At best, you'll end up with a decent but utterly uninspiring fish dinner that gains most of its flavor from the other ingredients you used. At worst — not counting close calls with plastic and metal fragments — you'll choke down an unpleasantly funky bit of cut-rate ocean detritus.

Ask any New Englander about the regional supermarket chain Market Basket, and you're likely to hear a rave review. This reputation is well deserved: Market Basket is a paradise of clean aisles, excellent service, and, above all, truly wonderful food at impressively low prices. Its selection of fish is especially exceptional. It's no wonder one Reddit user highlighted it as a particular perk when recommending the Chelsea, MA location to another netizen, writing, "It's huge, has a massive parking lot, has a great seafood department."

The Market Basket seafood counter is a modest affair compared to some of the other chains on this list. But even though it may lack the size of a Wegmans or Whole Foods counter, it packs a mighty punch. Market Basket offers a real diversity of fish, each of them boasting fresh-caught flavor. You'll find no slimy tuna or middling perch here, either — this is high-quality stuff, befitting New England's nautical reputation. Uniquely, Market Basket also offers its fish at some seriously fabulous prices. No wonder many patrons are so loyal.

Aldi has garnered a loyal fanbase, and it's no mystery why. The international supermarket chain offers a huge diversity of products at unbeatable prices. It's particularly well-known for its copycat products, which taste the same as beloved brands but sell for a fraction of the price. This thriftiness is attractive, but it isn't what seals the deal — that's down to the products' quality. 

Unfortunately, Aldi's fish is where this chain falls short. One Reddit user said, "I haven't had much luck so far with their meat or fish. Could be luck of the draw, but the quality was meh the times I've tried it." Now, it's important to note the wording here. Aldi's fish isn't bad per se, and you'll find no stinky salmon, rotten cod, or musky catfish here. But you also won't find anything to write home about. Whatever fish you buy will probably taste bland and likely lack the sharp, bright, or fatty notes that distinguish it from other fish sources. It won't be totally tasteless, but it won't be memorable. This puts Aldi's fish counter above some of the others on this list, but that's not much of an achievement.

Kroger boasts two huge strengths when it comes to fish: variety and quality. Even in landlocked parts of the United States, Kroger brings a lot of seafood to its devoted customers. You'll find the usual standbys here, like salmon and cod, but on any given trip, you're also likely to find at least one eye-catching filet you definitely didn't expect to see.

This diversity of fish is delightful unto itself, but its quality makes even more of an impression. Consider Kroger's wild-caught salmon. Lesser salmon tends to be flabby, bland, and prone to drying out. Perhaps most brutally, it lacks the luscious fattiness that makes salmon so sought-after. This salmon — which is always a gorgeous and vibrant shade of peach — will shimmer with rendered fat within minutes of hitting the pan. Its luxurious flavor plays delectably off the slight gaminess that characterizes wild-caught fish. And so it goes with all of Kroger's fish. No matter the type, it's sure to be a winner.

Walmart has a reputation for selling just about everything under the sun at low prices. This can lead to some great deals, especially when it comes to grocery items. Pantry staples like peanut butter, rice, flour, and canned goods are especially good things to shop for at Walmart — you'll always need more of them, and they're fairly stable in quality.

Things get dicier when it comes to perishable items like fish, which require specific conditions to truly shine. Consider Walmart customers' reviews for the chain's Atlantic salmon filets. A few positive accounts are sprinkled here and there, but it's impossible to ignore the dozens of frustrated rants. "This salmon was already spoiled, and the use by date is two days away," one reviewer wrote. "Package open. Strong smell. White milky film. Looks old," proclaimed another. A third customer said, "I love salmon but buying it from Walmart is hit or miss." These issues aren't confined to salmon, either — the reviews for Great Value frozen tilapia filets tell a similar story. Walmart offers fish at a rock-bottom price, but these deals are glaringly apparent once you're in the kitchen with a sweaty, slimy fish filet.

Costco has amassed an army of passionate fans over the course of its existence. The big-box retail empire's multitude of gigantic stores are packed to the rafters with excellent products. The fish department is nestled among the famously thrifty hot dogs, bulk boxes of paper products, sought-after bakery items, and acres of frozen food. No matter how packed your cart has become, it's well worth stopping by on any Costco run; this is some seriously unmissable fish.

When a Reddit user asked about supermarkets that sell superb salmon, another aficionado piped up, "I find the consistently best salmon is the wild caught sockeye at Costco." On a totally separate thread, another Reddit user wrote, "Costco is a great place to buy Salmon because their stores are highly regulated and quality is generally above other grocery stores." Indeed, Costco's salmon is deliciously high-quality, befitting the lofty bar Costco has set for all its items. That excellence extends to all the seafood it sells. At Costco, you'll find firm, vibrant, flavorful fish offered in hearty cuts. Sliminess, thinness, and blandness have no place at this fish counter; it's all good, all the time. Plus, it all comes at a fabulous Costco price point.

Safeway's seafood isn't catastrophic. You won't find fish on the precipice of spoiling at this chain's seafood counter, nor will it be utterly tasteless. Its trout, tilapia, salmon, and cod are fine. This is, technically, a virtue, especially when compared to certain other entries on this list. But it's also not really a strength, and it certainly doesn't lift the chain into the ranks of the stores we consider the best places to buy fish. 

Perhaps the most mediocre thing about Safeway's fish is its flavor. Every option tastes the same: There's a slight edge of brine and oiliness, a generic fishiness, and perhaps a slight increase in fat when it comes to salmon. It's fish, as people who don't like fish imagine it to be: A tasteless protein bereft of other meats' rich flavor. It'll take on the taste of whatever you cook it with. But if you're looking for a thick sponge of edible matter that will soak up whatever condiments, seasoning, and fats you have in your pantry, why are you cooking fish at all? Tofu does the job better. Safeway's fish doesn't offend, but it barely makes a mark as fish and is not worth anyone's hard-earned cash.

Sprouts Farmers Market places a major emphasis on quality. While this does mean that the chain cares a lot about flavorful, fresh, and generally top-tier foods, it also means Sprouts cares just as passionately about the organic status, points of origin, and health benefits of the food it sells. The same goes for its delicious fish.

Even the most cursory glance at the Yelp reviews for one Sprouts location in Philadelphia reveals an avalanche of raves for its seafood department. Customers love the freshness and variety of the fish on offer and hail the helpfulness of the seafood counter's employees. Sprouts' interest in selling organic foods makes this all the more impressive — it's one thing to have knowledgeable employees offer excellent tuna, but it's quite another to have employees who know all the details of wild-caught ahi tuna steaks. 

Sprouts' fish also performs beautifully in the kitchen. If you take home one of its gorgeous hunks of swordfish, for example, you have many options regarding how to prepare it. Marinating it in a complex blend of soy sauce, olive oil, garlic, and cumin will result in a delectable dinner for all. But it's just as good paired with nothing more than a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. That's the kind of versatility truly high-quality fish offers, and that's the only kind of fish Sprouts sells.

A couple of years back, Rhode Islanders gathered on their state's subreddit to discuss a pressing issue: The regional chain Stop & Shop's subpar quality. While many facets of the supermarket's alleged inferiority were discussed, one stuck out due to a user's vivid description. "The stench around the fish area is overwhelming," this Reddit netizen opined.

Ardent seafood lovers are used to defending their favorite foods against those who think they're smelly. Good, fresh fish doesn't stink, they argue. This is true. But fish that's past its prime does stink, and seriously badly at that. Stop & Shop doesn't sell rotten fish, but its offerings are distinctly unfresh, and the smell is proof. If you take any of it home, you'd better have a plan for cooking it that night — odds are, it won't last long in your fridge. But even if you avoid running afoul of this time limit, you're likely to be disappointed in your meal. Fish that isn't truly fresh doesn't have the flavor or texture seafood enthusiasts love, and you might stink up your car toting your middling filets home.

Whole Foods more than lives up to its reputation when it comes to fish. First off, this upmarket chain offers a lot of fish, and many places have similar options. But they probably don't have them in both farm-raised and wild-caught forms. And they definitely don't also offer Chilean sea bass, whole branzini, Pacific petrale sole, wild mackerel, and more types of smoked salmon than you knew existed. Whole Foods seeks to represent fish in its entirety by offering an ever-evolving selection of oceanic deliciousness.

Whole Foods doesn't just offer a cornucopia of fish, though — it offers extremely high-quality fish. Everything on offer is utterly delectable; you'll find no skimpy cuts of bland filets here. It's also incredibly fresh. Perhaps most impressively, Whole Foods' fishmongers are also extremely knowledgeable. Don't be shy next time you're there — ask them a question about ideal cooking methods, points of origin, or the intriguing possibilities of specially-ordered fish products. They're sure to have a tasty answer.

New England supermarket chain Star Market is a profoundly mixed bag when it comes to fish. One look at the Yelp reviews for a location in Somerville, MA, reveals a range of experiences: Customers report frustratingly unhelpful employees at the seafood counter, thawed fish that pales in comparison to unfrozen options, and a variable level of quality. Some positive comments can be found, but you couldn't call any of them raving. Moreover, they're drowned out by the multitude of negative reviews. Other platforms contain a similarly mixed assemblage of takes; one particularly condemning Reddit user reported, "I've had meats and seafood and produce from Star Market go bad within 24-48 hours of purchasing, and well before their sell by date."

Sometimes, you might bring home a decent chunk of cod. But you might also end up saddled with disappointing fish you paid way too much for. Worse still, it might rot before you get to it, even if you've paid scrupulous attention to sell-by dates and the amount of time it's spent in the fridge. Buying fish from Star Market is essentially gambling. When so many chains don't require you to take on this level of risk — many of them similarly New England-based, like Market Basket — why would you ever bother to roll those dice?

How good is the fish at Southern California's Stater Bros. Markets? It is so good that even those who eschew all forms of seafood know about it. In a thread asking about the grocery stores with the freshest salmon in Orange Country, CA, one Reddit user answered, "I am vegetarian so I have no idea, but my meat-eating friends say Stater Bros. tends to be best for seafood."

The salmon is indeed excellent at Stater Bros. Markets, boasting all the rich, flavorful, irresistibly fat-marbled goodness you could ask for. But the chain's nautical excellence definitely doesn't end there. As befits a coastal chain, Stater Bros. offers a wide range of fish, encompassing tilapia, cod, catfish, mahi mahi, tuna, and pretty much anything else you could want. While it's all delectable, available in hearty portions, and served by a legion of knowledgeable employees, its freshness is its most impressive quality. This fish routinely tastes like it just came out of the deep blue sea.

You might think it's strange that Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon, is listed as an excellent place to buy fish while Amazon Fresh is not. But this isn't a mystery to anyone who has, in fact, bought fish from the latter outlet. They know all too well that it offers only the palest imitation of Whole Foods' superb seafood.

Amazon Fresh operates a number of physical stores, but its delivery service is just as robust. Perhaps this is why its fish is so lackluster — it's doing two things, and both approaches suffer for it. This isn't the worst fish you'll ever have in your life, but it isn't the best, either. The delivery process might very well have a hand in this: Though Amazon Fresh does seem pretty scrupulous when it comes to making sure perishable foodstuffs are handled with care, the fact is, a piece of fish that's been sitting in a truck for a number of hours just isn't going to taste as good as one that's truly fresh. If you want the ease of Amazon ordering but also guaranteed quality, stick to picking up your fish from Whole Foods.