Ordering Whole Fish vs Fillets
Are you thinking about ordering fish online but not sure whether it’s more practical to get a whole fish or just the fillets? Well, there are pros and cons to either option – the choice really depends on what you need. If you know how to handle your own fish, then buying a whole fish will be more to your advantage. You can just fillet the fish on your own and you can make something out of the trimmings.
But, if you’re not very sure of your filleting skills, it’s easy and free to have our experts fillet it for you. Here at Wild Seafood Market, we give our customers the option to buy already cleaned and filleted fish as well as whole fish for those who prefer it. Here’s a short explainer on how you can order your fish from us – whether you want it whole or filleted.
Fish Larger Than 5 Pounds Must Be Filleted
At Wild Seafood Market, you can always buy whole fish. However, we can only ship 5 pounds and larger as fillets. The size of fish available on our online depends on what our boats bring in. Whether you want to buy a grouper or snapper, the size available will be displayed in the drop-down options.
We also offer Amberjack, Kingfish, and Blackfin Tuna (among others). However, due to the size of these three species, they are only sold and shipped as fillets.
Whole Fish Tend to Yield Fresher Fillets
If you know how to fillet fish, it would be better to order your grouper, snapper, or any fish available that’s less than 5 pounds. When you order whole fish and fillet them at home, you’d be able to get fresher fillets at any size you want. Simply select the size of fish you want to order (providing it’s less than 5 pounds) and we will ship it whole in shipping coolers.
Also, if you need the fish for grilling, a whole fish will be more forgiving when grilled. The skin and bones of the fish keep the juices from evaporating too quickly. They also act as insulation for the fish meat when grilling. Thus, you get a grilled fish that’s not too dry and delicious.
Our Team Are Expert-Level Filleters
Want to save time preparing your fish? Order them as fillets and we’ll do it for you! Wild Seafood Market has a team of experts when it comes to filleting fish – any kind of fish, really. Simply choose from the drop-down options whether you want your fillets to have skin on or off. For skin-on fillets, we will scale them for you, so your fillets are ready for cooking as soon as they are delivered right outside your doorsteps.
Save More on Shipping Costs with Filleted Fish
One of the pros of buying filleted fish, not just from Wild Seafood Market, is saving on shipping costs. Obviously, it will cost more to ship whole fish due to their size and how they will fit a shipping cooler. Meanwhile, if you order filleted fish, you can fit more in one of our 10lb max coolers.
Pinellas / Madeira Beach locals
To those of you locals out there, you can always come in and pick up your fish at our market in Don’s Dock at John’s Pass. You can also choose the exact fish you’d like and forgo shipping costs. However, if you’re local, you may just want to go ahead and let our experts fillet it for you as you’ll likely be cooking it that same day.
How to fillet a fish
Looking to fillet your own fish? We have an easy-to-follow guide for you here, however, we also put together a video that showcases one of our expert deckhands at work filleting a Red Grouper (which is much like other Grouper and Snapper species).
Related Resources
Ordering fresh whole fish and fillets online can be overwhelming to some. We’ve put together a step-by-step guide to help our customers understand exactly how our system works. Check it out: How To Order Seafood & Fresh Fish Online.
Located in Florida and looking to save on shipping costs? We’ve got the perfect article to help you do just that; How Florida Shoppers Can Save on Shipping.
Very helpful,educational. Clear concise instructions. Thank you