Millions of Americans love to go to a good steak restaurant. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the amount of steak consumed every year is about 70 pounds per person. Most of that is consumed outside of the house. There are a lot of steakhouses out there boasting to be the best. There are nationwide franchises and homegrown one-branch favorites. Several factors come into play when looking for a good restaurant. Some of them, ambiance for instance, are relative to the individual food lover. Others can be used to size up any steak-serving joint.

First, there is the establishment itself. Is it clean? Are the fixtures and furniture well maintained? Can the bathrooms accommodate enough people so that there’s no line outside? The second factor for evaluation is service. A good steak house should be warm and welcoming. Quick yet polite servers do wonders in raising a restaurant’s popularity. Plus points if the restaurant has a sommelier to recommend exactly the right kind of red wine would go with one’s steak dinner. The restaurant should also be able to deliver customer-specific orders. When someone says they want a rare steak, medium-rare just isn’t going to cut it. And of course, lastly there is the steak itself. No self-respecting steak restaurant can serve a just-average steak. It would have to be good enough to keep customers coming back for more. Steak houses can have different gimmicks to draw in their customers, but a great steak is the best draw of all.

Some people crave martinis or dark chocolate. Me, I crave seafood. Ask me what I want for dinner, and I say “seafood!” Ask me what kind of restaurant I want to go to, and I say “seafood!” I know the best places to get fish sandwiches anywhere on the east coast, from halibut in Maine to grouper in Florida. Imagine my delight when I discovered I can buy fresh seafood and have it delivered overnight.

Fresh salmon is great in many different types of recipes. Besides being delicious it’s very healthy appetite-very high in omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. If you can’t cook your fresh salmon right away you can easily freeze it. Submerge it in a container of water, put the container in the freezer, and it will be almost as good as fresh when you thaw it out.

Fresh halibut is perfect for grilling. Marinate it for an hour in your favorite sauces, even plain limejuice works great. You can grill it on a gas grill or, better yet, over a wood fire when you’re camping in the great outdoors.

Fresh abalone is a special treat. Most people don’t know what to do with abalone, so here are some tips. The abalone you get from overnight delivery will be cleaned and ready to cook. While many chefs abalone steam the muscle, others prefer to bread and fry it. Before frying, however, you must cut slice it into steaks and pound the steaks to get them tender. Then dip them in liquid (milk, egg, etc.) and roll them in breadcrumbs. The Abalone steaks breaded frie in butter, then serve them with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley on top.

To ensure the best flavor, king crab legs are cooked and frozen before shipping. You can thaw them under running water, but it’s better to let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator. You can keep them in the refrigerator for two days after thawing, but the sooner you cook them the better. Since the crab legs are already cooked, you can just defrost them and use them in crab salad or with a hollandaise sauce. If you want to serve them hot, just steam them or heat them in the oven or in a microwave. Count on between one-half and one pound per person.

Lean, healthful, and delicious, Dungeness crab is a west coast staple for seafood lovers. With overnight seafood delivery even easterners can enjoy these giant crabs. If your crab arrives uncooked, steam or boil it (seven-to-eight minutes per pound). Take the crab out of the pot and rinse it under cool water, making sure to rinse both sides. Let it cool enough to handle. Crack open the shell with your fingers, remove the spongy gills and mandibles (mouth parts). Rinse out the body, leaving just shell and body meat. Now your crab is ready for your favorite recipe.