Veteran Fishmonger: Stop Buying Halibut at Costco (Get This $8 Fish Instead)

Fresh halibut at Costco has been tagged as high as $29 a pound this year. Sitting in that same seafood case is a fish I carry home at $7.99 a pound, with less than half the mercury. Brine it fifteen minutes and it eats a lot like halibut. I'm Gus. Forty years cutting and selling fish on the Seattle waterfront. Here's how I read a halibut tag, and what I put in my cart instead. In this video: • Why every Pacific halibut in the store was frozen first from about Christmas to spring (the season closes December 7th) • The one word on the tag: "fresh" means never frozen, "previously frozen" should cost less • Why the frozen bag of halibut runs about $28 a pound too • Greenland turbot isn't halibut, so don't pay halibut money for it • "Product of China" on a bag of Alaska fish means it was frozen twice • How to check a fillet at the case: color, gaping, the finger press, the puddle • Halibut mercury vs cod mercury, from the FDA's own testing • Dinner for four: about $40 of halibut vs about $12 of wild Pacific cod • Ask for the cod loin, and how to read the cod tag • The 15-minute brine: 5 tablespoons table salt in 2 quarts cold water • Sear, baste with butter and garlic, finish at 425°F, pull at 145°F • Brown butter, lemon and caper pan sauce • Fish and chips, chowder and next-morning cod cakes • The one night I'd still buy halibut Chapters 0:00 $29 halibut vs the $8 fish in the same case 0:55 December 7th: when fresh halibut disappears 1:50 The one word on the tag: fresh vs previously frozen 3:04 The frozen bag costs just as much 3:31 Why fresh halibut in a store is a new thing 4:23 The smallest halibut catch in a century 4:48 Greenland turbot is not halibut 5:27 Product of China = frozen twice 6:23 How to check a halibut fillet at the case 7:16 Halibut and mercury 8:12 What halibut really costs per plate 8:52 The fish I buy instead: wild Pacific cod 9:54 Cod is not halibut (and how it's different) 10:27 Ask for the loin 11:06 Reading the cod tag 11:39 Frozen cod loins and other stores 12:31 The 15-minute brine 14:06 Sear, baste, finish in the oven 15:23 Brown butter lemon caper sauce 15:53 Fish and chips, chowder and cod cakes 17:11 The one night I'd still buy halibut 17:53 The short version for your next Costco run Tell me in the comments what the halibut tag says at your warehouse, fresh or previously frozen, and the price on it. Then take another look after December 7th. Prices move by warehouse and season, so trust your own sticker. If you've got a Costco run coming up, subscribe before you go so the next tag I read for you is waiting when you get home. Take care of yourselves, and keep an eye on that pan. #halibut #costco #fishmonger