9 Grocery Chains With The Best Seafood Departments

If you've ever side-eyed the seafood counter, wondering whether it's worth the splurge, you're not alone. Finding the grocery chains with the best seafood departments can be a bit of a hit-or-miss affair, costing you time and money. We get it. Throwing your hard-earned dollars at duds until you find a worthy seafood selection isn't exactly anyone's idea of fun. Still, one fact is true: We should all be eating more seafood. First off, it's good for us, and it also tastes delicious.

Most Americans don't eat anywhere near enough seafood because no one has the time — or the money — to get to an actual fish market. Luckily, there's a fix for that. We've rounded up the grocery chains with the best seafood, checking in with major reviewing forums to see what other customers are saying. Here are the top nine performers that consistently score high on freshness, quality, and taste.

Many customers believe that Costco sources fish and seafood from the same places as premium brands. They may be right, as the chain has a strong mission statement for both its wild-caught and its farmed products, with the certifications to prove it. The brand also works with the World Wildlife Fund to ensure sustainability, so your conscience can rest easy as you look up some recipes to use that luscious lobster meat.

Customers love Costco's frozen fish, like the farmed salmon, for the convenience and flavor. The fresh salmon also comes in for some strong praise from sushi lovers, with one Reddit commenter saying, "we no longer go out to sushi restaurants because we have sashimi, salmon, and aburi salmon at home that's just as good." The regular salmon also scores highly, and even seafood professionals are happy with the price, texture, and lack of preservatives in Costco's seafood items. The cherry on the cake is that some reviewers rate Costco sushi higher than Whole Foods.

We're scoring Wegmans high on our list of best seafood departments because freshness is a top priority for this grocery chain. The store offers a well-populated fresh fish section based on seasonal availability, with favorites like fresh cod, rainbow trout, and flounder. The frozen section lists wild-caught haddock, snapper, and swordfish, with farmed varieties sourced from fisheries that are certified to the standards of the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI).

Customers appreciate this approach, agreeing that Wegmans seafood is worth the slightly higher price range. After all, there are several factors that contribute to the price of seafood, and quality is definitely one of them. One reviewer even placed it number one on the list of grocery chain seafood departments. The freshly cooked shrimp gets particular praise, and reportedly, even Japanese shoppers love the grocery store's sushi. It gets better, with one Reddit commenter calling it "god tier grocery store sushi," and others saying that it's better than the sushi served in many restaurants. It does make a lot of sense when you consider that the store has partnered up with a Japanese sushi chef and also works with other specialty sushi professionals.

Whole Foods focuses its seafood department on fish that's responsibly farmed or sustainably wild-caught, but that's not even the loudest headline here. Every Friday, Whole Foods stores across the U.S. roll out their 12 oysters for $12 Prime Members deal. If oysters aren't your thing, don't sweat it. You'll find Atlantic salmon, both farmed and wild, and even organic fillets, on the menu. The store launched the first national sustainability rating system, which has earned it considerable bonus points, and in some locations, like Illinois, fresh fish is shipped in up to five times a week.

The variety, price, experience, and freshness are all pretty solid, according to online reviews, and Whole Foods offers some of the best grocery store crab cakes. Not everyone likes the price point, though, which is a tad on the high side compared to most grocery stores, but the freshness and taste make up for this somewhat. As for the oysters, they score very high with customers, as does the wild-caught fish. Some people even claim it beats any seafood Sprouts Farmers Market has to offer.

Despite what you just read in the previous paragraph, Sprouts' seafood section still scores consistently high with customers. The store has a responsible seafood sourcing policy longer than your arm, covering everything from traceability to certification, and even prohibited purchases. The latter includes threatened species and genetically modified seafood. Sourcing is carried out in-house.

Customers like the informative and personalized approach taken by this grocery chain, with some reviewers even giving a shout-out to specific servers. The store's barramundi has attracted stellar verdicts, with one Facebook commenter saying, "the pre-seasoned barramundi (Asian seabass) piccata is 'market price at a steakhouse' level good. Run, don't walk." 

Products like the Honey Smoked Fish also make for quick and easy meals that taste great, according to customers. However, the item that keeps giving main character energy here is the Sushi Wednesdays Poke Bowl, which comes in for consistent rave reviews. The Crispy Crab Bowl, in particular, is a fan favorite.

Let's talk about Publix's seafood boil, which went pretty viral last year. One TikToker had "the best idea," simply ordering a whole slew of crab legs, wild shrimp, and crawfish steamed right there at the store's seafood counter, saying, "ain't nobody told me it's gonna be this good." Other customers have called it their best meal of the week.

A price tag of $70 may sound on the expensive side, but when you consider you're getting 3 pounds of crab legs, 2 pounds of shrimp, and 1 pound of crawfish, and that you can get it steamed right at the store, the exact same thing would probably end up costing a lot more from a restaurant — possibly as much as $200.

Any naysayers on social media get shut down pretty fast, as customers continue raving about the taste and the price. The steaming is perfect, and what's not to love about the convenience of getting a custom mix of seafood that's cheap and fast? Cooked XL shrimp ends up setting you back $9.99 per pound, which is a pretty good deal, and we're not inclined to argue with the many fans who are excited about it. To borrow another TikToker's turn of phrase, the seafood at Publix is "bussin' ... 10 out of 10, I highly recommend."

Aldi's seafood department is small, but mighty. Folks rave about it, saying that its seafood selection is the best. This is one case where frozen doesn't necessarily mean bad: The Breaded Butterfly Shrimp gives you 13 shrimp for only $3.85, which is a very low price by any standard. The verdict for the store's seafood, in general, is pretty straightforward: It's delicious. This is hardly surprising, considering that Aldi stocks award-winning frozen seafood.

Lobster is another favorite for many, with the Specially Selected Seafood Bisque receiving a gushing verdict from one customer on Facebook giving it a 10/10 review, saying, "I could not believe how good it was ... Loaded with scallops and shrimp and the base is just wow." The tilapia has also been described as a life-saver for weekday nights when you just want a quick and easy seafood dish. If you're not very familiar with this type of fish, tilapia is full of protein, and it ranks among the most eaten fish in the world.

Kroger's motto is "guaranteed fresh or we'll make it right." It also has a solid sustainability policy in place, but does this make it awesome? According to many customers, it does. The shrimp and surimi entrée is a hit, with reviewers calling it cheaper, healthier, and really delicious. 

For those of us on a tight schedule, the store has an Easy For You Oven-Ready mix. The idea is simple, and very close to a seafood boil: The store preps it, and you simply throw it in the oven for a few minutes. There are several seasoning options, but the main stars are the fish: Catfish, cod, crab, salmon, shrimp, and tilapia. It's healthy, it costs less than $5, takes less than 30 minutes to prepare, and creates no mess in your kitchen. No wonder reviewers are really into it. The seafood boil is also popular, with one TikToker saying, "The flavors were fantastic, and the meal was incredibly satisfying." Others call it a great kit considering it's just shy of $15, and a must-try.

H Mart is the largest Asian supermarket chain in the U.S., and customers go straight to the crux of the matter when ranking its seafood department offering, commenting that Korean standards are pretty high when it comes to seafood. The quality and prices at H Mart reflect this, and the customers' verdict is pretty unanimous — this is some fantastic fish, especially when it comes to sushi-grade salmon. While the prices aren't the cheapest, it's worth the splurge for fish lovers, as the quality and choice are superb.

H Mart receives glowing reviews, with customers calling the quality impressive. Some love how fresh the selection is, and if you're buying a whole fish, the choice is better than that offered at most other stores. If you're put off by the prices, you can still find some occasional good deals on specific seafoods, such as live lobster at $10 per pound. Finally, a tip. If you're a fan of crab meat, you'll want to try the live crabs.

The Fresh Market only just made it onto our list of the best grocery store seafood departments. This is not because of any complaints about quality or taste, but simply because the chain is only available in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest. The thing is, customers love the seafood at this grocery store so much that we couldn't leave it out.

According to the official site, The Fresh Market offers the freshest live shellfish, including mussels, clams, and oysters, and many reviewers confirm this claim. People who ask online for seafood recommendations get numerous replies directing them to this chain, with customers praising the freshness. One Reddit post claims The Fresh Market has "the best grocery store sushi in the US," and comments are in agreement, with customers appreciating the quality. The King Salmon, in particular, is excellent, and if you're a dab hand at home-made sushi, you can use the tempura shrimp to save time when making rolls.