SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD

Mild, buttery, balanced flavor, high in heart-healthy omega-3s. Sustainably raised in pristine environments, third-party certified. Learn More

Sustainable Aquaculture

Aquaculture seafood is milder in taste and has a higher fat content than wild-caught seafood, making it versatile for both simple and luxurious dishes. All our aquaculture products are certified by third parties like the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP), Global GAP, and Fair Trade.

To ensure the long-term health of our oceans and meet global demand, sustainable aquaculture complements wild fisheries and helps restore environments and wild stocks over time.

Seafood Cooking Guides

Seafood is an excellent source of protein, vitamins, and minerals, and it's also low in fat and calories. The average seafood serving has only about 150 calories and less than 10 grams of fat. Seafood can be prepared in a variety of ways including baking, grilling, barbecuing, frying, and boiling. Popular seafood recipes include Lobster Rolls, Grilled Salmon, and Fish Tacos.

Seafood Cut Method Temp Avg Time Finish Temp
Fish Fillet Sear Med-High 3-5 mins 145 °F
Shrimp Sear Med-High 3-4 mins 120-140 °F
Crab Legs Oven 350 °F 5-9 mins 145 °F
Lobster Grill 425 °F 9-10 mins 140 °F

Note:The above guidelines are only guard rails. Average time depends on size/amount of fish/shellfish. Stoves and pans vary in performance as well; so to achieve perfectly cooked seafood, always check color and texture regularly.

Fish Nutritional Comparison

Type Calories Protein Fat
Copper River Sockeye 259 28 grams 16 grams
Atlantic Salmon 235 23 grams 15 grams
Artic Char 230 21 grams 16 grams
Black Cod 283 20 grams 22 grams
Lingcod 85 18 grams 1 gram
Pacific Cod 73 17 grams 1 gram
Halibut 125 25 grams 2 grams

Note:The above nutritional averages are based on 4oz portions.

Sustainable Seafood FAQ

Is Crowd Cow's seafood wild-caught or farmed?

We scour the world to find the most sustainable aquaculture and wild-caught operations that offer delicious seafood with no antibiotics or added chemicals and that operate in a way that is good for the environment.

Aquaculture uses controlled conditions to raise fish, and can be in land-based systems in tanks or in enclosed portions of natural bodies of water. Farm-raised seafood tends to have a milder flavor and higher fat content, which contributes to a more buttery taste and helps it stay moist when cooking.

Wild-caught fish is usually leaner due to its time spent swimming in the ocean, and has more complex flavor components, leaning into richer distinctions. Small boats and small crews catch our wild-caught fish from icy cold waters around the U.S. The fishermen we work with are dedicated to sustainable practices and use the utmost care to minimize bycatch and provide the freshest product.

How do you thaw frozen seafood?

We suggest either placing your seafood product in the fridge and letting it thaw overnight, or placing the product in a sealed plastic bag and immersing it in cool water.

How long does it take to thaw fish?

Defrosting seafood in the fridge can take six to eight hours per pound. For quicker defrosting, place your seafood in a sealed plastic bag and submerge it in a bowl of cool water on your countertop. It should take 1-2 hours to defrost.

Do you need to defrost fish before cooking?

You can skip the thawing process and cook frozen fish straight from the freezer. Doing so will add more minutes to total cook time, but you can poach, steam, bake, broil and grill fish straight from the freezer.

What does sustainable seafood mean?

To be considered “sustainable”, wild caught fisheries must consider social and economic outcomes for fishing communities, prevent overfishing, rebuild depleted stocks, minimize bycatch and interactions with protected species, and identify and conserve essential fish habitat. Aquaculture, or “farm-raised” seafood is essential to meet increasing demand for seafood throughout the world. Over the past 30 years, global wild-capture fisheries have plateaued while aquaculture has become the fastest growing form of food production worldwide. To be considered a “sustainable” aquaculture operation, farms make every effort to raise healthy animals and go to great lengths to not cause damage to local, natural ecosystems. They avoid using additives, chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics in the feed they provide. “Sustainable” farmers also find ways to utilize the entire animal, whether it be for food (humans and animals), medical applications (think Omega3 pills), or even isinglass, a substance used in some jellies, glues, or for clarifying some beers and wines. Whether farmed or wild-caught, our producers are all third-party certified to ensure their practices are ecologically friendly and on the leading edge of sustainability and food safety.

What makes Crowd Cow sustainable shrimp different?

Our shrimp tastes and cooks up like shrimp is supposed to. The use of chemicals in the industry can help improve the bottom line of some producers, but at the expense of consumers. We don't sell anything we wouldn't proudly serve our own families. 100% free of chemicals. No Sodium Tripolyphosphates. No Sodium Bisulfites. No surprises.

Sustainable Seafood Blog Posts
Wild-Caught vs. Farm-Raised

Many (mistakenly) believe that farm-raised seafood is bad, and wild-caught fish is always the premium product. While there’s some merit to this misconception, this oversimplified message is far from the truth. Farmed fish does sound scary. It’s been associated with public issues in regard to the environment and food safety in the past.

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Cook Lobster Like the Pros

We feel especially lucky to be sourcing from Ready Seafood directly so that our customers can try these extra meaty tails for themselves. Curt Brown and Brendan Ready (cousins, lobstermen, and key leaders at Ready Seafood) graciously showed us their favorite ways to prepare this shellfish favorite on Instagram Live.

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Salmon From Frøya Norway

In January, I visited the remote island of Frøya in western Norway: population 4,962. It was a many-hours drive from anywhere, just off the coast and beyond the protection of the fjords — home of the PrimeWaters salmon we now offer. It’s salmon raised right, without antibiotics or growth hormones.

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We believe in creating a meaningful connection between you and the food you eat. Taste, transparency and convenience shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. This has been our founding belief since we started in 2015, and it continues to be the force that drives us.
300,000+ happy customers
3000 tons of styrofoam saved with our fully compostable insulation
Over 2 million boxes shipped