Where our fish comes from
Fish does not all come from one place, and both the price and the taste follow where it was caught. That is why the name on our price board carries the origin word when we know it: sweisy means sea-caught from the Suez market, baladi and farmed are grades the market uses, and imported fish is labelled imported. This guide puts that in one place, species by species. If an item is not listed here, ask us on WhatsApp and we will tell you that day's source.
Sweisy: sea-caught from Suez
On this site the word sweisy means one thing: the fish is sea-caught and comes through the Suez market, not from a farm. The items that carry it are Suez red porgy (marjan sweisy), medium Suez grouper (wa'ar sweisy), white Suez makarona, the 6/8 super jumbo shrimp and the 20/30 qazaz shrimp.
The signs of sea-caught fish are on each species page: clearer, brighter colour, and on shrimp a glossier, slightly darker shell. It costs more than farmed, and that is the difference you are paying for.
The Red Sea
Nagil (coral trout) and shaour (emperor) are two of the best known Red Sea fish: firm white flesh and little fat, ideal for the oven, sayadeya and charcoal. Red marjan comes from both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, and both are sold here under the name marjan.
The Nile and Egyptian farms
Nile perch (qeshr bayad) is a Nile fish, and the market grades it Nile, sea and baladi; its page tells you how to judge it. Bayad baladi is a scaleless Nile catfish with long barbels, a different fish from Nile perch. Tilapia (bolti) is the everyday Nile fish of Egyptian homes; the market carries farmed and Nile grades and sells it by size.
Sea bream (denis) and sea bass (qaroos) come both farmed and sea-caught, and both are on the Egyptian market. If the difference matters to you, ask on the day and we will tell you which we have.
Imported, and labelled imported
Our salmon is imported from Norway, not an Egyptian fish, and we say so plainly on its page and on the price board. The mackerel is imported too; you know it by its steel-blue back with wavy dark stripes and its silver belly. Apart from those two, no item on the site is labelled imported.
Everything else on the counter
Everything else is sold fresh and prepared on the morning of delivery, and its source moves with the season and with what the market has that day. We do not print a source we are not sure of. If you want to know where a particular fish came from today, message us on WhatsApp before you order.
What the grade words mean: sweisy, baladi, farmed, imported
Sweisy: sea-caught through the Suez market. Baladi: the local grade the market asks for by name, and usually dearer than imported in the same species, red mullet being the classic case. Farmed: from Egyptian farms, gentler in price and milder in taste. Imported: from outside Egypt, and labelled so.
Common questions
Is your fish farmed or sea-caught?
Both. Items with sweisy in the name are sea-caught from Suez, nagil and shaour are Red Sea fish, and tilapia, Nile perch and bayad baladi are Nile or Egyptian-farmed. Sea bream and sea bass come both ways, so ask on the day.
Is the salmon Egyptian?
No. Our salmon is imported from Norway and labelled so on its page and on the price board. The mackerel is imported as well.
What does sweisy mean?
Sea-caught fish that comes through the Suez market, not farmed. The market asks for it by that name, and it costs more than farmed.
Can I find out where a particular fish came from today?
Yes. Message us the item name on WhatsApp before you order and we will tell you that day's source. We do not print a source on the site unless we are sure of it.
Items this guide covers
More guides
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