Chris Basile of the Quartdeck Fish Market delivers fresh fish for pickup at the General Store.(Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)

Having to go out of town to buy seafood is now a thing of the past. Chris Basile, Harvard resident and owner of the Quarterdeck Fish Market in Maynard, is bringing cut-to-order seafood to the General Store every Wednesday and Friday.

To place orders, customers send an e-mail to Basile at QuarterDeckFish@Gmail.com and ask to be put on the list for his newsletter, which arrives by e-mail twice a week and lists “just-in” catches, specials, and recipe suggestions. Then, customers simply call the Quarterdeck before 3 p.m. on Tuesday or Thursday, place their orders, and pay with credit cards. No staff at the General Store ever handles any of the product. The seafood is cut, wrapped, and bagged at the Quarterdeck, and Basile drops it off on his way home. It’s ready for pickup at the General Store between 4 and 7 p.m.

Basile’s primary source for the fish is the offshore boats that come in to Boston’s big fish hub. He said he prefers to buy hooked fish which typically do not die or become bruised in the process of being caught, as do fish caught by gill nets. Adam Horowitz, owner of the General Store, says, “The response has been terrific.” He says there has not been one complaint about quality. Horowitz plans to develop the store’s website to allow customers to place their orders through the site.

Steve Pope of Still River says he was thrilled recently that his wife Debbie could stop by the store on her way home from work to pick up some soft shell crabs, “which were delicious.” Dina Hettes of West Bare Hill says, “It’s the next best thing to surf-casting, and you don’t have to return anything to the sea!”