FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS OVER $125!

0

Your Cart is Empty

Frozen Fish & Seafood Questions & Answers

Before purchasing any product, it’s always important to do your due diligence. This is especially important when it comes to the food you’re feeding yourself and your family.

Seafood, in particular, is the only center of the plate animal protein in the United States not regulated by USDA. There are no mandatory regulations governing the quality of fresh or frozen seafood, so it’s up to consumers to make smart decisions about the types of seafood they purchase.

Consider this your seafood safety guide. At North Coast Seafoods, we take pride in creating our own quality assurance production standards, which far exceed government requirements. And we strive to be transparent with our customers when it comes to their fish questions and answers.

Here are some commonly asked seafood questions and answers to help you understand how North Coast Seafoods operates.

HOW WILL MY SEAFOOD BE DELIVERED?

It’s natural to have seafood delivery questions. Especially if you’ve never purchased frozen seafood online before. Luckily, North Coast Seafoods has our delivery method down to a science so you receive your frozen seafood quickly and know it's safe to eat.

  • Seafood will be delivered next-day on all orders placed by 2 pm EST on Mon-Thurs.
  • Deliveries can be scheduled to arrive Tuesday through Friday. We do not deliver on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.
  • We do not currently offer weekend deliveries, so all Friday orders will be shipped on Monday.
  • You do not need to be home for delivery.
  • You can track your delivery using the FedEx tracking code you receive with your order confirmation.
  • CAUTION: Orders will be packed with dry ice. Please take caution and do not touch dry ice.

HOW DO YOU PACKAGE SEAFOOD TO ENSURE IT STAYS FROZEN DURING DELIVERY?

Another common frozen seafood question is regarding packaging. After all, it’s essential for frozen seafood to maintain a cold temperature until it’s time to be thawed and cooked. If seafood thaws prematurely and is then refrozen, this can negatively affect the texture and flavor of the seafood.

Your order is packed with enough dry ice and ice packs to last at least 48 hours in transit. This ensures it stays precisely temperature controlled through delivery. Whenever possible, we will pack your order in recyclable packaging. 

Once you receive your package, please check to see if everything is still frozen solid and not damaged. If some items are thawed or damaged, we would be more than happy to reship or refund those items, whichever you would prefer.

IS THERE A SHIPPING CHARGE?

FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $125 | $30 Shipping Fee on orders under $150 | All Gear Ships FREE

  • Our shipping charge is calculated to cover the cost of express next-day delivery on a nationwide scale. The reason shipping varies based on order weight is because the lower the weight of the delivery, the higher the cost of express shipping.
  • Express shipping ensures that our customers' seafood is precisely temperature controlled in transit to maintain maximum freshness upon arrival.
  • We are proud to offer next-day delivery with no order minimum, and do everything we can to keep our shipping fees as fair and reasonable as possible for our valued customers. But ultimately, it is those shipping costs that make our delivery program possible.

MY ORDER ARRIVED PARTIALLY OR TOTALLY THAWED, WHAT DO I DO?

Your order is packed in plenty of dry ice to ensure it stays frozen during delivery. On the rare occasion that delivery is delayed because of weather or a FedEx mix-up, we do not recommend refreezing seafood once it has begun to thaw. Any items that are no longer cold to the touch should not be eaten.

We want you to be 100% satisfied with your order. We will refund or replace any item that doesn’t arrive in perfect condition within 30 days of purchase. Please send us a message using the form on the Contact Us page or email us at customerservice@northcoastseafoods.com with your order number and a description of your delivery.

HOW SHOULD I PROPERLY HANDLE MY SEAFOOD WHEN IT ARRIVES?

All Seafood should be kept frozen until you are ready to defrost and prepare it. Once thawed, you should be cooking that same day or within 48 hours. Always keep the fish either refrigerated or frozen, and keep it separate from other foods you might be working with. Refrigerate leftovers immediately after your meal.

CAN YOU CHANGE MY ORDER ONCE IT IS PLACED?

All orders are final once placed. If you do have a concern, please contact us ASAP and we will do everything we can to help.

CAN A COUPON CODE BE APPLIED AFTER MY ORDER HAS BEEN PLACED?

Unfortunately, once an order has been placed, a coupon code cannot be applied retroactively. The coupon code must be applied at checkout. All orders are final once placed.

WHY SHOULD I BUY MY SEAFOOD FROM NORTH COAST SEAFOODS?

We partner directly with our trusted, reputable fishermen around the globe to source the absolute highest caliber seafood. Our longstanding, deeply anchored relationships give us complete control of quality throughout the entire process – from the time of harvest, to when it is cut, portioned, packaged and delivered to your door.

In other words, we are a vertically integrated company, which means there is no middleman between North Coast and your seafood – we source directly from trusted boats and they understand the quality we demand.

Since 1957, we have taken pride in sourcing, processing, and distributing the finest quality, sustainable fresh and frozen seafood for the finest restaurants, premium retailers, universities, and professional sports teams throughout New England and across the country.

IS OUR SEAFOOD SUSTAINABLE? WHAT DOES "CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE" MEAN & WHY DOES IT MATTER?

As a company that depends on our oceans’ natural resources, we are keenly aware of our responsibility to source and promote sustainable seafood.

We are proud to work with a number of local and international sustainability organizations – including the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP), Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) to ensure that our seafood has been raised, wild caught, or harvested using methods that do not jeopardize long term ocean health and ensure continued availability of seafood for future generations.

Wherever possible, our seafood is Certified Sustainable by these international organizations, which closely inspects and monitors each step of the process to ensure responsible practices are being followed.

In the cases where there is not a Sustainability Certification available, North Coast is committed to sourcing naturally caught or responsibly harvested seafood.

WHAT DOES "FLASH FROZEN" MEAN?

Did you know these facts about seafood? Not all frozen seafood is created equal, and that often comes down to how it’s frozen. Ultimately, freezing fish properly is easier said than done.

The most important thing for freezing seafood is time (and equipment). That’s why North Coast Seafoods has perfected the flash frozen method to ensure our seafood maintains its superior quality.

  • Traditional freezing is slow and happens over several hours, which causes large ice crystals to form that damage cell walls and can give frozen food a mushy texture.
  • State of the art Flash Freezing technology uses liquid nitrogen at temperatures as low as -160°F to freeze seafood instantaneously.
  • This preserves intrinsic freshness, texture, and flavor until the time it is thawed. We freeze all of our Naked Seafood at -160°F.
  • So when you taste that Naked Scallop that was frozen at sea within minutes of being caught, you can be confident that what you are eating is the highest quality seafood, just minutes out of the sea.
  • This means that in many circumstances, North Coast flash frozen seafood is fresher than fresh!

WHAT DOES "SUSHI GRADE" MEAN?

Our Naked Norwegian Salmon and Naked Sea Scallops are Sushi Grade, so you can feel free to eat those products raw*.

*Please note* The FDA’s stance is that consuming undercooked meat, poultry, and seafood products may increase the risk of foodborne illness.

HOW SHOULD I DEFROST MY FROZEN FISH?

What is the best practice of thawing frozen seafood? You can find many different answers to this question online, but we recommend defrosting your fish under refrigeration. Most of our seafood will thaw completely within 12-24 hours. For quick thawing, place in a colander (while still in plastic vacuum packaging, where applicable) under cold running water for 5-8 minutes or until thawed.

Once your fish is thawed, drain any excess liquid, pat it dry with a paper towel, and cook right away. Quickly cooking seafood right after it thaws ensures it maintains its flavor and texture. And remember to avoid using hot water to thaw your fish as this can cause it to thaw unevenly or cook prematurely.

Avoid any cross contamination by thawing your fish in a plastic bag or the packaging it came in.

HOW DO I KNOW MY FISH IS DONE COOKING?

Knowing when your fish is cooked is surprisingly simple - no food thermometer is required!

Here’s a trick from our Chef: “All you need is a small wooden skewer. Simply push the flat end through the thickest part of the fish – it should go through to the bottom easily with no resistance. If there is resistance, this means it is still slightly raw on the inside, and you need to cook it a couple of minutes longer. No resistance means you are good to go!”

And remember – your fish will keep cooking for a couple of minutes after you remove it from cooking, referred to as “carry over cooking”. Be mindful of this to get your cooked seafood to exactly the right doneness you desire.

Check out our video on this, right here.

HOW CAN I LOOK AT MY PREVIOUS ORDERS?

Visit the My Account page. Click on "Orders" toview previous orders.

CAN YOU RECOMMEND ME A GOOD RECIPE?

Sure thing! We consistently post Seafood recipes from our in-house chef. Check out our Recipes Page to browse all our seafood dishes.

You’re sure to find many recipes based on the variety of fish or seafood you can find from North Coast Seafoods.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR FISH?

All of our Seafood is traceable back to the fishermen that caught or harvested it. Check out our "Story of the Seafood" videos:

With these fish questions and answers in mind, you’re on your way to being a seafood pro. Impress your friends and family with these seafood trivia question answers at your next dinner party while you enjoy the fresh flavors of North Coast Seafoods.

QUESTIONS? PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO REACH OUT TO US DIRECTLY: CUSTOMERSERVICE@NORTHCOASTSEAFOODS.COM