People who have experienced Alaska fish delivery agree: It’s just better. Whether you’re ordering salmon, halibut, or a different type of seafood, selecting a wild-caught Alaskan fish nearly guarantees a premium flavor and experience. But ordering quality seafood, especially from a far-away place, can feel intimidating, especially for first-time buyers.
Whether you’re shipping your own catch or ordering Alaska fish delivery online, there are a few things you should know about the process. How does the process work? How do you do it yourself? Is there anything to look out for when choosing a provider? This guide is designed to walk you through every part of Alaska fish delivery – from vacuum sealing your catch to scheduling your delivery window.
How Does Alaska Fish Delivery Work?
Alaska fish delivery works just like other type of fresh and frozen seafood shipping. In most cases, the only difference is that you will likely pay a premium for a longer shipping distance and a higher-quality product. We think that premium is worth it – and you probably will, too.
As with regular seafood delivery and shipping, the fish caught in Alaska’s waters are typically flash-frozen right on the fishing boat. This helps to preserve flavor, texture, and freshness. The catch is then processed at a fishing facility. Usually, this means it is sorted, weighed, and placed in freezers to guarantee freshness. When you place your order, the appropriate amount of fish is removed from the freezer, packing into an airtight container (typically a Styrofoam cooler), and shipped express to your home. As with most perishable delivery products, you will almost always be able to select a specific delivery window, allowing you to receive the parcel safely. If your company doesn’t send notification of this, we recommend contacting the shipping provider directly.
What to Look for in Alaska Fish Delivery
While most Alaska fish delivery providers follow a similar catching and shipping procedure, they are not all created equal. There are dozens of reputable online and in-person retailers providing wild- and fresh-caught salmon at home, no plane ticket required. That said, ordering frozen fish online isn’t as easy as renewing a coffee subscription or buying something from Amazon. You’ll need to do your research. Or, better yet, let us do the research for you. Our salmon buying guide includes only the best, most transparent retailers, ensuring that you get a great product at an accessible price point.
Still, perhaps your friend recommended a company, or you might want to venture out and do research of your own. If this is the case, here’s what you should look for.
- Unmatched Customer Service – Shipping seafood is a tricky business, and things can very easily go wrong. Maybe your shipment of frozen salmon gets lost, resulting in a thawed and compromised package. Maybe you miss the delivery window and the package is returned to the sender. When these things happen, you’ll want a company that has your back. Look for businesses that offer free returns, customer guarantees, and have a history of customer success, either on a testimonials page or Yelp.
- Transparent Sourcing: Wild-caught Alaskan salmon often comes with a premium price tag. When you buy online, you’ll want to do everything in that power to ensure that wild-caught claim is legitimate. Businesses who are proud of their operations will put information on the fore on their websites, which means they will be very transparent about how they catch their product. If you’re having trouble finding information about where the fish come from, who handles them, and how they will get to your door, consider moving on and researching a different company.
In addition to customer service and transparent sourcing, you’ll want to fully understand a business’s shipping practices. A product is only good if it can get safely to your door, which means you’ll want to prioritize companies that offer a lot of transparency around how they ship. Before buying, you’ll want to know the packaging they use, the shipping provider they use, and exactly when you should expect the parcel to arrive. A lot of us don’t have the time, resources, and energy to take a fishing trip to Alaska, but that doesn’t mean we can’t reap the benefits of wild-caught Alaskan salmon. Putting just a few minutes of extra research into the process can make a big difference in your shipping, delivery, and product experience.
How to Facilitate Your Own Alaska Fish Delivery
Many people looking for resources on Alaska fish delivery are interested in shipping their own catch. The Last Frontier is a highly sought destination for fishers of all skill levels. That said, if you go on an Alaska fishing trip, you’ll want to ensure your catch is delivered safely to your home. Here’s how to do it.
Depending on whether you choose to fish through a company or lodge, you may have fish cleaning services included in your trip. When this happens, you’ll likely also have access to vacuum-packaging, containers, and the refrigeration products necessary to get your catch to where it needs to go. If, however, you don’t have these services included in your stay, you’ll need to pack your fish on your own.
The best way to do this is to clean the fish thoroughly after each day. The faster the fish is cleaned, the better it will hold up in a shipping container. Then, vacuum pack the fish in smaller sizes. If you don’t have access to vacuum packaging, use a plastic bag, like Ziploc, and squeeze all the air out. Then, freeze these bags and don’t let them thaw until you’re ready to eat. When frozen, these bags can last for several weeks. If you can only refrigerate them, they should last for around 4 days.
Next comes one of the trickier parts of the process: actually facilitating the Alaska fish delivery. A lot of vacationers will want to bring their catch as checked baggage. We recommend checking with your airline to see if this is a possibility. Alaska Airlines, for example, has its own guide to shipping fish. If you want a more hands-free approach, choose a fast shipping option, like FedEx overnight. This will be pricey, but you’ll nearly guarantee that the fish arrive safe and sound.
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