Some of the Best Seafood in Connecticut? Don’t Sleep on Big Y

What is your favorite seafood restaurant here in Connecticut? Lenny & Joe's? Abbott's? Close Harbour? Shell & Bones? I'll agree with you, but I'll counter with Big Y World Class Markets.

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For over 20 years now, some of the most delicious fish & chips and fried shrimp that I've eaten in Connecticut have come from the deep fryers at Big Y supermarkets. Let me make this statement: I'm taking fish & chips and fried shrimp, not everything I've eaten that was prepared by the seafood counter at Big Y has been stellar. I've tried the fried clam strips and whole belly clams and some have been tasteless, or overcooked.

A grocery store? Serving fresh seafood? Do you buy ribs from Dollar General and burgers from gas stations? I know that's what you're thinking, but here's the truth behind what Big Y is doing.

Fresh Seafood Rules, and Big Y's Seafood Supplier is Among the Finest

Big Y is almost 100 years old, they started doing business in Chicopee, Massachusetts outside of Springfield in 1936, and started their Connecticut domination in the mid 1990's. Now in 2025 has more Connecticut locations than everyone except their chief competitor - Stop & Shop. With Massachusetts roots, Big Y has been partners with Boston's North Coast Seafood for almost the past 25 years.

Another reason why I think Big Y's cooked seafood offerings are superior is the volume of product that they go through during the course of a business day, no product sits for more than a day or so before it's used