Fish and seafood: carp, salmon, prawns, how to buy well
Live, chilled or frozen
This is the first decision, and everything else depends on it. Live fish, for example carp or tilapia from a pond, is the freshest, but it needs quick transport and cleaning. Chilled fish must be kept on ice and has a short shelf life. Frozen fish lets you stock up, but it should not be thawed and frozen again. Check the signs of freshness: clear eyes, firm flesh, no sharp smell.
Wild, farmed, sea
- Pond fish (carp, tilapia) is usually cheaper than sea fish and is often bought for festivals and family occasions.
- Salmon and trout can be farmed or wild-caught; ask about the origin, for example Norwegian.
- Sardines and mackerel come salted, smoked or fresh; smoking can be hot or cold.
- Prawns, mussels, roe: ask about the size grade, ice glaze and what the brine contains.
Ice glaze on frozen fish or prawns is acceptable, but the more of it there is, the less meat you get for the same weight. So ask for the net weight.
Cleaning and cutting
Whole fish is cheaper per kilogram, but it needs cleaning: the head, guts and bones are left over. Fillets, steaks and gutted fish cost more but are ready to cook. When comparing offers for whole fish and for fillets, allow for the weight lost in processing.
What to put in your request
- what exactly — carp, salmon, trout, mackerel, prawns, mussels, roe;
- condition — live, chilled, frozen, salted, smoked, dried;
- weight or quantity — for example 20 kg;
- size and grade — weight of one fish or prawn grade;
- cleaning — whole, gutted, fillet, steaks;
- origin — wild or farmed, pond, sea, country;
- by what date you need it;
- delivery city and budget per kilogram.
Example: “I need live carp of 2–3 kg each, 20 kg, by 31 December. Dubai, home delivery, with cleaning (scaled and cut). Budget up to AED 18 per kg.”
How it works on BlaBlaPrice
You don't phone ponds and shops. You write a request on the home page, and fish and seafood sellers in your region reply in the chat. They say what they have in stock, the price per kilogram, the delivery terms and the timing. The best offer by content is shown first, and next to each one you see seller reviews.
Sellers compete for your request: each one sees their place among the others and what the offers above them give. Contacts stay hidden until you choose a seller. More on the How it works page.
How to compare offers
Compare the price per kilogram in a comparable state: whole fish against fillet, live against frozen. Ask about net weight, glaze, the date of the catch or packing, and the delivery terms. For perishable fish, check whether it is shipped in an insulated box with ice. Order well ahead of festivals, because demand jumps sharply.
At home, fish goes well with vegetables and mushrooms, and for a festive table also look at meat and poultry.
