FAQS

Visit the meet your fisherman page or scan the QR code on your packaging to learn more.

Our seafood is caught using a variety of fishing methods. All of the fishing methods used are certified sustainable by both MSC and Monterey Bay seafood watch. Please reference this link, for a more in-depth explanation of each fishing practice used.

Yes, any of our build your own boxes can be scheduled for autoship.

We are in the process of securing packaging and design for our gift sets, please sign up for our email newsletter to be the first to know when they launch or check back here from time to time.

We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are not satisfied, please contact us to resolve the issue.

Yes, everything we catch, or source is always 100% wild.

The Farmed vs Wild seafood has many differing views. As fishermen of wild fish, we are always going to promote wild seafood over farmed. We champion wild over farmed seafood because of superior taste and quality as farmed salmon meat is often dyed, as fish are also given antibiotics. 

Currently, the amount of wild fish that goes into feed for farmed fish is over a 1 to 1 ratio, meaning it takes over 1 lb. of wild fish to produce 1 lb. of farmed salmon. In British Columbia the wild fish populations are at a record low, so low that some species of salmon that inhabit their streams and rivers are facing possible extinctions. This is not all due to the open net pens that inhabit their waters that these wild salmon migrate through, but they do play a part. Whether it’s the excrement released from these floating feed lots, the sea lice outbreaks that wreak havoc on nearly all of the open net pens, to the tens of thousands of gallons of delousing chemicals that are used to treat those outbreaks, all of this is a detriment to wild fish populations. We are not against aquaculture that is practiced in a safe and responsible way (that doesn’t negatively impact the environment around it) but we are against aquaculture that comes at the cost of decreased wild fish populations.

While they both have merit; we are partial to frozen seafood. Blast freezing locks in the freshness right after harvesting, stopping the clock on the aging process, while fresh salmon can be days to in some cases even weeks before it is sold to the final consumer. During that time, the fish is slowly decomposing so your “fresh fish” is no longer actually that fresh. Often, your frozen piece of salmon is fresher than your fresh salmon.

Pay close attention to what size of fish you are ordering; we sell both full sides as well as pre-cut portions.

Keep your sealed portions of frozen seafood in the freezer until you are ready to eat.

Thaw pre-packaged frozen seafood by placing the sealed package in the refrigerator the day before you want to eat. If you are in a hurry, you can put the frozen sealed package into a bowl of cold water to hurry along the thawing process. *Make note, as soon as the product has thawed, either take out of the vacuum sealed bag, or place a slit into the packaging to allow air to enter

We always recommend cooking right away once thawed. The longer the fillet sits, the more the taste and texture can be jeopardized.  Once thawed, we do recommend rinsing in fresh water, patting dry with a paper towel, and storing in an airtight container. Try and cook within 48 hours of thawing.

First off, don’t be intimidated! Here is a link to recipes ranging from starting cooks to experienced chefs.

We sell seafood both with bones and without. Please pay close attention to what you are ordering to know if there are bones or not. Follow this link to get tips on pin-bone removal. (Jump to 3:45 in video for pin bone removal) 

We find it easiest to remove the skin after cooking. If you would like to remove the skin before cooking, follow these tricks.

(Jump to 5:00 in video for skin removal)

Yes, everything we sell is sashimi grade. Sashimi grade refers to the freezing procedures that are used to initially freeze and store seafood. All of our seafood meets the following requirements that are set forth by the USDA which requires freezing and storing seafood at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days (total time), or freezing at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at -31°F (-35°C) or below for 15 hours, or freezing at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 24 hours’ which is sufficient to kill parasites.

Short answer: Blast freezing freezes a piece of fish much quicker and colder than a typical home freezer, resulting in a fresher tasting fish.

Long answer: There are two main differences between a piece of fish that is blast frozen and a piece that is frozen in a home freezer. The first difference is the temperature. Your typical home freezer only goes down to around 0 F, whereas a standard blast freezing unit is usually in the -20 F to -30 F range, sometimes even colder. The second main difference is the time it takes for that piece of fish to fully freeze all the way through. It will take much longer for a fillet to freeze in a home freezer at higher temps than it would a blast freezer at extreme low temperature. Blast freezing is a process that involves extremely cold air being pushed over a fillet at very high velocities by a fan or blower inside the freezer. Imagine 30 mph winds at -30 f. That extremely cold air brings the core temp down of that fillet very quickly. When a fillet freezes, the water molecules within the cells of that fillet transform into ice. If that ice is created slowly the ice crystals that form will be much larger which results in damaging the cells of that fillet. When a fillet is frozen quickly due to extremely low temps, the ice crystals are much smaller preventing the damage to cells. This preserves the texture and taste of the fillet and tastes more like a fresh piece of fish that was just caught.

If you receive your seafood order and all of the fish is completely thawed it is not safe to eat, please contact us to resolve this issue. If only a piece or two has started to partially thaw but is still mostly frozen it is safe to eat.

Our seafood is processed in the same facility as shellfish; however, processors are extremely careful to not have cross contamination.

Please refer to our sustainability section.

At Sea to Shore, we are firm believers that every piece of seafood should be able to be traced back to the fishermen who caught it, where it was caught, when it was caught and what method was used to harvest it. Please refer to our Meet Your Fishermen page.

There is one limitation to our traceability capabilities. Currently, the Dungeness Crab cannot be tracked back to the original boat. We want to be transparent about this.

The taste and quality of our seafood is a direct representation of the handling and fishing practices our fishermen (and fisherwomen) use to catch that fish or shellfish. Everything from the time of year that harvesting took place, the location of where it was harvested, how it was handled and respected upon leaving the water, the special techniques that may be used to process such as pressure bleeding, tote bleeding or being processed at sea, to how long before it was put on ice, filleted and or frozen, directly affect the taste and texture of that piece of seafood. All of these steps are what form the dance that must be completed consistently and efficiently in order to bring you some of the best tasting seafood direct from the fisherman, time and time again. An excellent tasting piece of fish that arrives at your door requires an immense amount of hard work and dedication from multiple parties. Every time you bite into a piece of our seafood, we hope you think of all of those hard-working men and women who made your fantastic meal possible.

Yes, it is completely shelf stable, no need to refrigerate until after you open.

Unopened and in your pantry, it can keep for 5 years. However, we do recommend you enjoy our shelf-stable products within the first 36 months for optimal taste and texture.

After opening, refrigerate your leftovers and try to eat within a week to 10 days.

Yes, our packaging is recyclable. The cardboard boxes that your fish arrives in can be put in your home's recycling container once broken down. The insulation used in shipping frozen seafood is a corn-based product. It will dissolve under water and is completely safe for sewer and septic systems or your backyard compost pile. The plastic vacuum bag packaging used for fillets are recyclable, however they need to be rinsed and dropped off at a local recycling facility that accepts plastic film, they cannot be put in your home's recycling container. You can also recycle the tins and jars used in our shelf stable smoked products.

The bones are in the fish at time of canning, but they cook down where you cannot tell the difference between the meat and bones, so you get all the nutrients without the bones!

There is such a small amount of sugar (0.03 g) that registers per serving, the FDA requires you to round to 0.  There is sugar used in the brine, so we want to be transparent.

Yes, there is no gluten used in the processing/smoking area.