There’s nothing quite like getting a box of high-quality steaks or fresh seafood delivered right to your door. Whether you’re the lucky recipient of a gift box or just upgrading your protein intake with mail-order offerings not typically available at your local grocer, butcher or fish store, it’s a great way to shake up any home cooking routine.
Here, ten standout meat and seafood boxes worth sampling now.
CUTS
Butcher Pat LaFrieda–whose signature burger blends can be found everywhere from Shake Shack to New York’s upscale Minetta Tavern– recently beefed up his delivery business by teaming with ex-NFL quarterback Jay Cutler for CUTS monthly subscription boxes.
The CUTS boxes can feature USDA Prime dry-aged New York strips, flank steaks, prime rib, heritage pork butt, chopped beef that’s grass-fed and corn-finished for optimal marbling and tenderness, and antibiotic-free whole chickens, thighs and drumsticks. Naturally, there’s also an NFL game day-oriented Tailgate Box with custom beef meatball mix, burger patties, all-beef hot dogs and pork sausages.
For an even wider selection of meats, check out LaFrieda’s main delivery menu which offers additional burger blends, chops, sausages, roasts and steaks–including long-boned, 40-oz. black angus tomahawks as eye-catching as they are delicious–along with a solid selection of lamb, veal, chicken, turkey and jerky. Starting at $125.
Jimmy’s Famous Seafood
Craving legit Maryland crab cakes? Try the “Colossal”-sized lump crab standouts at Jimmy’s Famous Seafood, a Guy Fieri-approved Baltimore institution that’s been lauded on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Jimmy’s freshly-made, never-frozen 8-ounce cakes are heavy with sweet crab meat and seemingly bereft of any filler.
It’s also worth sampling Jimmy’s take on Maryland classics like cheesy, Old Bay-dusted crab dip, tomato-based Maryland crab soup and rich cream of crab soup, as well as enjoyably junky apps like crab cake-stuffed egg rolls, crab taquitos and “Jimmy’s Oysters” topped with both Oysters Rockefeller and Crab Imperial.
Steamed blue crabs and soft shells are also available for delivery, which features specialty boxes including a Triple-D-themed package with everything Fieri ate and a “Misplaced Marylander” filled with soft shells, Crab Imperial-topped rockfish and Smith Island Cake. Starting at $100.
Peg Leg Porker
Nashville pitmaster Carey Bringle’s Peg Leg Porker–a nod to Bringle losing his leg to cancer as a child–has been renowned for ribs, pulled pork and other porcine delights since opening his bbq spot in 2013, and he also delivers nationwide.
Bringle’s tender pulled pork is a pre-cooked standout–just add barbecue sauce to enhance the juicy meat and crunchy bark. His Memphis-Style dry rub ribs have been praised by Southern Living, Texas Monthly and Garden and Gun and come pre-cooked and shrink-wrapped, ready for an oven reheat.
The delivery box is notably emblazoned with a photo of Peg Leg Porker himself, whose cheeky branding can be found on everything from “premium” pork rinds to Tennessee straight bourbon. Starting at $109.
Island Creek Oysters
Oyster fans would do well to sample Island Creek Oysters harvested daily from Duxbury, Mass., as they’re likely to be among the best bivalves you’ve ever tasted.
ICO’s namesake offering is a paragon of East Coast oyster goodness—boasting standout salinity, a rich buttery flavor and a sweet finish, a stellar taste profile owed to the unique 12-foot tides and mineral-rich mud of Duxbury Bay.
Island Creek also serves up hatchery-raised “Row 34” oysters as well as extra briny Wellfleets and sweet, easy-shucking Aunt Dotty oysters from Saquish, Mass. If you don’t already have an oyster knife and glove to open them, they sell those, too. Starting at $95.
George Stone Crab
Dipping succulent stone crab claws into cold mustard sauce has long been a decadent South Florida tradition, and now you can get it delivered anywhere in the U.S. The dry-ice packed, cooked claws from Miami’s George Stone Crab come ready to be cracked and dipped, but are definitely sweet enough to eat straight up.
During high season (Oct. 15 to May 15) George’s fishermen catch 3,000-plus pounds of stone crab claws daily that are cooked, packed, shipped and delivered within 36 hours of being pulled from the water. The claws come in jumbo, large and medium sizes along with a wooden mallet, and packages can be tricked out with sides like key lime pie and Russian Osetra caviar. Starting at $149.
Omaha Steaks
A favorite of suburban dads everywhere, venerable mail-order meat purveyor Omaha Steaks is still sending out boxes of signature dishes like bacon-wrapped filet mignon, lobster tail skewers, tasty burgers, jumbo franks, beef meatballs, loaded baked potatoes and ready-to-bake caramel apple tartlets and molten chocolate lava cakes.
Seasonal offerings include a Holiday Surf & Turf Meal and a Holiday Spiral Sliced Ham Dinner. Starting at $129.99
Sitka Salmon Shares
Much like buying a share of a farm’s harvest through a local CSA, Sitka Salmon Shares sends a monthly box of wild-caught, sustainably-harvested Alaskan seafood from 4.5 to 5 pounds. Seafood subscriptions are delivered year-round, with monthly and bimonthly options available.
The rotating catch spans Alaskan King Salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, keta salmon, black rockfish, black cod, pacific cod, dungeness crab, albacore tuna and halibut. Members also receive access to special sales, recipes, cooking classes and more. Starting at $129.
Carne Collective
Carne Collective bills itself as the first company to import and deliver beef from Argentinian cattle ranches to U.S. tables. Their cattle is raised in the traditional Gaucho tradition–grass-fed, pasture-raised, hormone and antibiotic free–and is significantly leaner than grain-fed cows while still boasting a beefy, tender flavor.
The company offers a one-time trial box, custom boxes curated with different cuts every month, and three signature boxes: Campo, Asado Gaucho. The top-shelf Gaucho comes with two ribeyes, two strips, four filets, one skirt, one flank, one pound of ground chuck and one Picanha Culotte steak. Starting at $149
José Andrés For Goldbelly
Superchef José Andrés has teamed with delivery giant Goldbelly for a new line of meal kits inspired by classic Spanish dishes. The multiple-time James Beard Foundation award winner’s branded meals offer his take on everything from appetizers to desserts.
Boxes include a tapas sampler (with chicken croquetas, Manchego cheese and aged Ibérico ham and chorizo), duck foie gras canelones, red shrimp paella, Ibérico pork steak, Spanish Wagyu ribeye, and burnt basque cheesecake. Starting at $129
Citarella
Build your own seafood tower with a box from seafood-focused gourmet grocery chain Citarella. Among the offerings are a seafood grilling package, a lobster roll kit and an admirably indulgent, steakhouse-style raw bar sampler for eight people.
And when soft shell crabs are in season, be sure to try owner-turned-cookbook author Joe Gurrera’s favorite sauteed soft shell recipe. Raw Bar for 8 kit starting at $549
