online seafood

Legal Sea Foods: If it isn't Fresh, it isn't Legal

If you're at all concerned about buying forbidden fish, there's one company that offers assurance in its name: Legal Sea Foods. Unusual moniker aside, the quality of Legal's products has earned it a Luxist award nomination in the best online seafood category.

Founded in 1950 by George Berkowitz in Cambridge, Mass., Legal Sea Foods got its name from the neighboring Legal Cash Market, a grocery operated by Berkowitz's father. In 1968 the family opened its first seafood restaurant next to the fish market, serving fish either boiled or fried on paper plates. Guests were seated at communal picnic tables.

Gallery: Legal Sea Foods

The modest eatery soon became a hit, and Legal expanded across the East Coast. In 1992 George's son, Roger, took the company's helm. As a third-generation Berkowitz running Legal Sea Foods, he has continued to push the company to grow into uncharted culinary and commercial waters, including a website, where customers from all over the country can order fish.

Legal's online offerings include the New England Feast Dinner (for two), which includes two fresh live lobsters, a quart of clam chowder, two Boston cream pies, oyster crackers, claw cracker kits, and cooking instructions. The meal will set you back about $120 plus shipping, but at least you can be assured it's Legal.

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Citarella: Fresh Seafood from the Ultimate Gourmet Market

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Services

Don't confuse Citarella with citronella. The grocery store may not be quite as adept at warding off insects as the candle with a similar name, but it's one of the best when it comes to fresh fish – and good enough to earn a Luxist nomination in the best online seafood category.

Mike Citarella founded his eponymous store in New York's Sugar Hill section in 1912. The original location was a turn-of-the-century marvel, awash in sawdust and dotted with marble slab counters. Citarella eventually moved south to the present location at Broadway and 75^th Street, building on an early reputation as a terrific seafood market.

Gallery: Citarella: The Ultimate Gourmet Market

In 1983, Joseph Guerra purchased the shop and started building the company into what it is today. The child of a family that owned a seafood shop, he developed relationships with the vendors at New York's Fulton Street Fish Market; within a few years he'd acquired his own wholesale operation at the famous seafood bazaar. In 1997, he expanded to the Hamptons, ensuring that New York's wealthiest could get their fix even when on vacation.

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The Fresh Lobster Company: Seafood from America's Oldest Seaport

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Services

What better way to get fresh lobster than straight from the fishermen themselves? The Fresh Lobster Company does exactly that – part of the reason it's a Luxist nominee in the best online seafood category.

Located in Gloucester, Ma., The Fresh Lobster Company has built its name by forming relationships with the New England lobstermen and using the connection to get the freshest fish possible. The company's offerings are taken directly from the boats and shipped overnight all across the country.

Gallery: The Fresh Lobster Company

The company specializes in shipping live lobsters, ranging from tiny (one pound: $20) to jumbo (twelve pounds: $152), which are delivered in special water-filled contained to ensure optimal freshness. The Fresh Lobster Company also offers live sea urchins, live sea scallops, live crabs and other critters; there's also gourmet sushi, steaks and desserts on the menu.

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