As a result of the United States’ consumption of around 6.3 billion pounds of seafood annually, the United States is the second biggest consumer of seafood in the world, behind China. This information comes from the United States Department of Commerce. Fish is a delicious and nutritious source of protein that can be prepared in an infinite number of different ways. It may be consumed at home or at social gatherings with friends and family.
What is one of the most ideal methods to serve fish? Have a fish meal with your family; it will be a memorable experience. In spite of the fact that there are certain seafood businesses that do not place an emphasis on quality and ethical sourcing, there are a great number of restaurants that do. These restaurants have established best-in-class standards, such as only selling fish that has been designated sustainable by the federal government, collecting oysters using techniques that are restorative, and disclosing the provenance of each fish that is offered on their menus.
A total of 10 businesses that offer fish of the greatest quality have been compiled by us. These chains range from upscale seafood restaurants that can be found in cities all over the globe to more informal franchises that have been in operation for decades.
10. Bonefish Grill
It’s not only the delicious food that makes Bonefish Grill famous; it’s also the restaurant’s dedication to using only the best ingredients and being environmentally responsible. According to the chain’s website, “Freshness brings flavor, color, and the best quality you can get,” all of these things are true. “That’s why we put so much care into sourcing the best, freshest ingredients.”
Further explanation is provided by the firm, which states that it obtains fish from all over the globe and chops each dish by hand on the premises every single day. Additionally, fish is cooked on wood-burning grills, which are filled with oak wood every morning. This gives Bonefish’s grilled meals their distinctive taste with each bite. More than twenty years ago, the restaurant chain began operations, and it now has 167 locations.
The majority of the business’s restaurants are located in the states of Florida, North Carolina, but also in Nebraska, Virginia, and New Jersey. The restaurant’s menu has a variety of mouthwatering seafood selections, such as crab cakes prepared in the Maryland manner, Atlantic salmon, Chilean sea bass, and a recent addition, crispy fried shrimp. In addition, the restaurant offers many excellent steak and chicken alternatives, such as filet mignon and chicken marsala.
9. Seamore’s
Over the course of many years, Seamore’s, a well-known seafood business that began its operations in New York City, has been a proud James Beard Foundation Smart Catch Leader. According to the website of the nonprofit organization, Smart Catch is a program that aims to increase the amount of sustainable seafood selections that are available on the menus of restaurants.
The menu at Seamore’s, which is now available in locations such as New York City, Arlington, Virginia, and Darien, Connecticut, is influenced by Southern California cuisine and has a variety of meals that are prepared with daily catches of seasonal fish ingredients. Approximately twenty-four to forty-eight hours before it is brought to your table, the fish is taken in the wild from locations such as Cape Cod and the Carolinas.
In addition to this, the company collaborates with local businesses in order to assist its attempts to be more environmentally responsible. By way of illustration, Seamore’s obtains its components from establishments such as Greenpoint Fish & Lobster in the state of New York, and in the state of Virginia, it collaborates closely with JJ McDonnell and ProFish. According to the website of the restaurant, “Call it sustainable—but to us, it’s just common sense,” that is the statement that is made.
8. McCormick & Schmick’s
When it comes to McCormick & Schmick’s, the company is known for producing products of exceptional quality. The highly regarded seafood restaurant brand, which now has more than 25 sites, places an emphasis on both quality and sustainability. According to the restaurant’s website, it only offers salmon that has been grown in a responsible manner and Ahi tuna that has been fished in a sustainable and ethical manner.
During this time, the company’s oysters are harvested from a customized oyster bed that employs restorative procedures that contribute to the preservation of the bay. Additionally, the chain takes great satisfaction in serving open blue cobia, a kind of fish that is native to the Caribbean Sea close to Panama and is widely regarded as the fish that is sustainably grown in the whole globe.
7. Brown Bag Seafood Co.
It is recommended that you investigate Brown Bag Seafood Co. if you are seeking for a casual seafood company that has an emphasis on both quality and sustainability. Fresh fish that is acquired in a sustainable manner is served at this restaurant, which presently has approximately twenty locations around the United States, including Georgia, Illinois, and North Carolina. According to the restaurant’s website, the seafood is “flown in from from around the world every day.” Better than that?
Only seafood that has been authorized by the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch is considered for purchase by Brown Bag Seafood Co. The commitment of the chain to quality and sustainability extends farther than the sourcing of its ingredients. For instance, it utilizes wind energy to power its restaurants, it invests in cooking equipment that is energy-efficient, it creates menu items that generate almost no food waste, and it employs packaging goods that are completely biodegradable.
6. Long John Silver’s
In accordance with what is said on their website, Long John Silver’s was environmentally conscious long before the term “sustainable” became a buzzword. The well-known fast-food fish business was established in 1969 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is committed to sourcing its seafood in a responsible manner, and it serves wild-caught Alaskan pollock, cod, and salmon from the North Pacific and coastal Atlantic seas, as well as hand-shucked clams from the Atlantic coast.
In addition, the organization has made a commitment to exclusively collaborate with partners that “fish smarter” and have a less negative effect on the environment. If there is a Long John Silver’s restaurant in your area, you should take advantage of one of the current promotions that are being offered. These promotions include a fish basket that costs $6 and includes two pieces of classic battered Pacific pollock, one side, and two hush puppies. Additionally, there is a shrimp share that costs $10 and gives you the opportunity to choose from three different types on fried shrimp baskets that you can share with your family and friends.
5. Truluck’s
Truluck’s, an upscale seafood restaurant, has a “unwavering commitment to providing the highest-quality seafood,” and the restaurant’s website states that it does not sell endangered or overfished types of seafood. It will come as a pleasant surprise to learn that Truluck’s includes this information on its menus, since it will satisfy your curiosity about the origins of the fish that you are consuming.
When it comes to capturing Florida stone crab in a sustainable manner, the chain has been working together with experienced crabbers for three generations, “long before sustainability became fashionable,” as the firm asserts on its website. The claws of the Florida stone crab are caught by its crabbers, cooked, and then sent to each restaurant in the state. In addition to stating that it never serves frozen claws, the company claims that it obtains its vegetables from local producers whenever it is feasible to do so.
4. Ocean Prime
Over the course of more than three decades, Ocean Prime has been dedicated to the ethical procurement of ingredients of the highest possible quality. As a result of this, the chain collaborates with a wide variety of farmers, fishermen, processors, suppliers, and bakers who are committed to the same principles.
Ocean Prime restaurants not only offer the highest-quality products that are acquired in a sustainable manner, but they also employ napkins made from recycled material, energy-efficient cooking equipment, and low-flow plumbing systems to help preserve water. Additionally, the company collaborates with Darpro Solutions to get biodiesel from the leftover cooking oil that it manufactures.
3. Legal Sea Foods
Over the course of more than three decades, Legal Sea Foods, which was established in Boston, has continually shown an unrelenting commitment to quality and sustainability. In the first place, the well-known seafood chain has a cutting-edge safety laboratory where each and every piece of fish is examined and evaluated before it is plated and served at any of its establishments. When it comes to cold-water fish, the chain notes on its website that it seeks for “top of the catch,” which indicates that the fish was brought aboard just before landing or that it was captured by fisherman who travel out to sea for a single pass before returning to shore.
Legal Sea Foods, which calls itself “fanatics for freshness,” offers more than forty different kinds of fresh fish and shellfish throughout the year. Additionally, the restaurant only serves fish and shellfish that are in compliance with federal regulations and are thus regarded as sustainable by the United States government.
2. Luke’s Lobster
Luke’s Lobster is a Maine seafood company that is owned and operated by a family and was founded by a lobsterman who is in his third generation. Luke’s Lobster is a Certified B Corporation business that only offers sustainable seafood. In Maine, the firm established its own seafood buying and manufacturing business ten years ago, which enabled it to purchase seafood directly from fisherman when it was available.
A few fundamental principles are upheld by Luke’s, as stated on the company’s website. At the company’s seafood factory in Maine, all of the seafood is gathered from clean seas using methods that are environmentally friendly, and then it is processed by skilled professionals. The firm claims that every single piece of fish is tracked from the dock to the plate in order to guarantee that it has the ideal taste, texture, and safety.
Furthermore, the company makes a commitment to exclusively collaborate with suppliers that “bring value back to the shore,” and it also promises to provide visitors with information on the origin of products and the methods by which they are obtained. In addition, the corporation claims that it makes use of the “power of the brand” in order to assist the community and the environment.
1. Eddie V’s
On a daily basis, Eddie V’s receives fresh fish from all over the globe, which is then prepared to be converted into meals that are full of taste. There are many different kinds, such as swordfish from Block Island in New England, scallops from Georges Bank in Massachusetts, and yellowfin tuna from the Caribbean. There are over thirty sites of the fine-dining seafood business, which is well-known for the painstakingly constructed meals that are made with only the highest quality ingredients.
The East Coast oysters, which are picked from locations such as Norwalk, Connecticut, and Thunder Cove on Prince Edward Island, are served on ice with a side of cocktail and mignonette sauces. The Ahi tuna that is seared rare with pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce is one of the dishes that stands out on the restaurant’s menu.