• Why we're different
• How does shipping work?
• I'm local. Can I pickup my order?
• What is my order shipped in?
• How do I store all this great stuff I just got?
• Why do I have to order two or three pounds of some items?
• Sustainable means...
• How do you ensure traceability in your inventory?
• I want to learn more...
• I'm not happy...
• What about Mercury?
• Carbon Monoxide. Wait, what??
• What is sashimi grade? Is it safe to eat raw seafood?
• What is the difference between fresh and frozen sushi/sashimi products?
• I still have questions...

Well, it’s mainly because of how we source our seafood. Instead of selling just any old fish, we’ve partnered with the leading scientific body on sustainability of our oceans – Monterey Bay Aquarium – to ensure that everything we sell can continue without environmental damage. The other big difference, and this is a BIG difference, is our quality. We work with some of the best restaurants in San Francisco, so we’re constantly moving product. This is good for you because it means you get the freshest seafood available. Best of all, it’s chosen and filleted right before you get it.

We ship your order overnight via FedEx in eco-friendly packaging materials. That’s right, absolutely no Styrofoam used here! It will arrive on your door cold and ready to be enjoyed. Place your order by 9am for same day shipping Monday through Thursday. You will receive it the following day. You can choose what time you would like to receive it during checkout.

For sure! You can pickup your order at Radius at 1123 Folsom (Between 7th and 8th St) Tuesday through Saturday from 1pm-8pm. Please be sure to put your order in the day before and select the day you would like to pickup during checkout.
What is my order shipped in?

We’ve spent countless hours looking for “green” packaging materials and everything we use is better than the industry standard. Even still, we are not perfect and are constantly looking for more environmentally friendly ways to do things, so if you know of better alternatives, please let us know!

Corrugated Boxes - Our brown boxes are 100% recyclable and our logo stamped onto the box is from a water-based ink. Please recycle according to your municipalities' guidelines.

Packing Peanuts - The packing peanuts we use are 100% recycled material and are biodegradable. We always try to use the smallest box possible so it doesn't rain peanuts when you open your package!

Tape - The tape used to seal our boxes has a water-based adhesive. The adhesive is non-toxic. So feel free to lick it if you want! It is the most environmentally friendly commercial tape on the market. Although it's not recyclable, when a recyclable tape does come on the market, we'll be the first to buy it.

Gel Packs - The gel packs we use are reusable and non-toxic with a biodegradable gel. To reuse, either re-freeze or refrigerate to use on bumps and bruises or to keep food or drinks cool. Or, puncture the plastic, discard biodegradable gel into trash bag or outdoors, and recycle the #4 plastic accordingly to your municipalities' guidelines.

Foam Liners - These insulators are made from 100% repurposed materials. This is even better than recycled! A medical device firm here in Silicon Valley has supplies shipped to them using the foam as padding. We cut it to size and use it to insulate your order en route to you! Please keep this cycle going by reusing it!

After going to great lengths to find you the freshest seafood available, we want you to know how to keep it fresh! Most importantly, never let seafood stay unrefrigerated for long. Once you open your package, be sure to put everything in your refrigerator or freezer as soon as possible. You can stop here or if you really want to keep everything pristine, read on...

Refrigerating Fish...At the very least, place the fish in the coldest part of your refrigerator - usually the bottom crisper. If you want to really be a pro, check out this link that shows you how to easily make an awesome seafood storage container out of tupperware.

Refrigerating Shellfish... Since fresh shellfish need to remain alive until they are consumed, they cannot be stored in airtight containers or they will suffocate from a lack of oxygen. Place in the refrigerator and cover them with damp paper towels or another damp cloth to keep them from drying out.

Freezing Fish... If you plan on freezing for later use, fresh fish can be frozen for up to two months in a refrigerator freezer compartment and three to four months in a deep-freeze. To thaw, slowly place fish in pan, cover and leave for 24 hours in the refrigerator. To thaw more quickly, place the whole fish (in a watertight bag) in a sink with cool running water, allowing about 1/2 hour per pound.

Freezing Shellfish... An option for longer-term storage of fresh shellfish is to freeze them. Shuck (remove from shell) the oysters and immediately place them in a shallow waterproof container. Place the container full of oysters in a freezer with a temperature of no higher than zero degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the container from the freezer and allow the oysters to thaw in the refrigerator when you want to use them.

For even more tips... here’s a great link from Matt Wright.

When a fish is filleted, there are two pieces, one for each side. For some of the larger fish, each fillet weighs two or three pounds. We have the minimum so you’re able to get the whole fillet and nothing is wasted! If it’s more than you would have ordered, split an order with coworkers or neighbors, invite some friends over to enjoy with you, make a few meals out of it over the course of a week or freeze some for later!

Lots of things to lots of people. To us it means that the population of the species is healthy, well managed and farmed or caught in an environmentally friendly way. We are constantly monitoring every product we sell to ensure that your purchase is supporting those fishermen that are responsible stewards of the sea. We follow the guidelines established by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program.

Traceability is a huge problem in the seafood industry. Fraud and piracy are rampant, especially in the uncontrolled areas of the high seas. i love blue sea shares our customers’ concerns over this important issue, which is why we’re doing something about it.

First, we realize certain fisheries have higher levels of pirate involvement, and we refuse to offer products from these sources. For example, even though bigeye and yellowfin tunas can technically be sustainable if they come from certain areas and are caught in certain ways, there is such a high level of fraud that we do not sell these fish at all. We choose products where traceability is high and illegal catch is low or, even better, non-existent.

Beyond this, we package all of our seafood at our distribution warehouse so we can inspect the bill of lading, and we insist that our suppliers provide us with individually barcoded fish that can be traced back to their points of origin. This allows us to sell fish with as transparent a chain of custody as possible, not to mention a clean conscience. The foremost reason that we exist is to make it easy for everyone to buy sustainable seafood. i love blue sea aims to improve the seafood industry by directing pressure up the supply chain – we only deal with fisheries that are sustainable and ethical. Transparency remains a challenge, but we do our very best every day to give our customers what they want and deserve – honest fish from honest suppliers.

Right on! Explore what’s going on here and arm yourself with the knowledge to start making smart choices about our oceans. Knowledge is power!

Then we're not happy! We want this to be the way you get your seafood fix from now on. If something is not up to your demanding standards - please let us know! We will do everything in our power to turn that frown upside down.

Oceanic predators such as bluefin tuna, king mackerel, shark, marlin, and swordfish eat at the top of the food chain and live for a long time, thus accumulating high levels of mercury. These fish also tend to be severely over fished and will not be sold on this site. Eating sustainable seafood not only helps the sea recover but lowers your exposure to mercury.

To keep tuna lollipop-red, many vendors now treat the fish with carbon monoxide gas (also listed as tasteless smoke), meaning the fish could sit in your trunk for a year and still look fresh. Not only is this deceptive but it is dangerous to your health. While the FDA allows this practice, Japan, Canada and the EU have all banned it. But no worries, unlike many markets and restaurants - we will never sell fish that has been treated with CO.

Sashimi grade is a meaningless marketing term that does not mean seafood has been subjected to any guidelines or regulations. Our seafood is sushi quality. Sushi quality means the freshest seafood available to consumers, you! Our sustainable seafood is used in many of the best sushi restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. Seafood you buy at most supermarkets can be a week or more old and often not always properly taken care of. In other words, not the kind of stuff you want to be eating raw (or at all, really)! Please remember that fresh seafood may only be safe to eat raw for up to 2 days after you receive it when properly stored. After that, unless 'danger' is your middle name, it's best to cook it before enjoying.

Believe it or not, usually more than half the sushi you get at your favorite restaurant is previously frozen. Properly frozen seafood is completely safe for raw consumption. Most of our frozen seafood is individually quick frozen at sea meaning when you thaw and eat, the fish will be hours old. We keep our frozen seafood in -20 degrees coolers until you order it. We then ship it with gel packs that let it gently thaw en route to you. Although it's okay to freeze our fresh seafood, we recommend not refreezing this, but enjoying within a week of arrival.

A philosopher once wrote, “No man really becomes a fool until he stops asking questions.” So ask away! Email or call us anytime of day (we may be out fishing, but we’ll get back to you).

Good for you! You've no doubt worked up an appetite that can only be satisfied by the freshest, most sustainable seafood!