Buying guides
The things people ask before they buy fish, answered plainly.
Buying fish is not like buying anything else. The same species can be excellent or two days old, you are standing in front of it, and the difference comes down to three signs. Sizes, cuts and local names shift from one fishmonger to the next, so people ask for one thing and take home another. These guides are written from inside the work: how to judge a fish before you buy it, which species suits which dish, what actually separates the shrimp grades, and which cut to ask for so the dish comes out the way you pictured it. No general advice, only things you can use today.
How to tell if fish is fresh
A practical guide to judging fresh fish by the eyes, gills, flesh and smell, plus cut and frozen fish. From Masr Seafood, Cairo delivery.
Read the guideThe best fish for charcoal grilling
Which fish work over charcoal and why, and how to ask for the right preparation so nothing sticks or dries out. Mullet to shrimp.
Read the guideFish species in Egypt and how to choose
A guide to the fish available in Egypt: tilapia, mullet, Nile perch, sea bream, sea bass, grouper, emperor and porgy, and what each one is best cooked as.
Read the guideThe shrimp guide: sizes and choosing
The six shrimp sizes by the numbers, from jumbo 8/12 to small 50/60: pieces per kilo, which size suits which dish, and how to spot fresh shrimp. Order at today's price, delivered next day.
Read the guideCleaning and cutting: exactly what to ask for
Every preparation explained: whole, gutted and scaled, butterflied, filleted, steaks, peeled or head-off shrimp, calamari rings or opened flat, cuttlefish pieces, split lobster, and which one suits which dish.
Read the guideEgyptian fish names in English
What bolti, bouri, denis, qaroos, mousa, wa'ar, sherifa and the other Egyptian fish and seafood names are in English, and what the words next to them mean. Order any of them fresh in Cairo, delivered the next day.
Read the guideWhere our fish comes from
Which of our fish is sea-caught from Suez and the Red Sea, which is Nile or Egyptian-farmed, and which is imported and labelled so. Plus what sweisy, baladi and farmed mean on a price board.
Read the guideHow to store fish at home and freeze it properly
How many days fresh fish keeps in the fridge, when to cook shrimp, calamari and crab, and how to freeze and thaw fish without ruining it. From Masr Seafood, Cairo.
Read the guidePortion calculator
Enter how many people and how you will cook, and we tell you how many kilos of fish, shrimp or calamari to order. Pick the species and you see the rough cost at today's price before you order.
Calculate now