Buying seafood in bulk is a great way to save money for restaurants, seafood markets, and local buying clubs. Talk to your friends and neighbors about forming your own buying club. who are Frequent entertainers or cooking for a large, home chefs can also cut per pound costs as well as shipping fees when they order from a wholesaler.
If you’re not ordering for an event, a freezer is the safest place to keep your purchase. If you’re planning to order seafood in bulk, double-check to see that you have plenty of space, and remember that freezing seafood does not make it last forever. We never recommend freezing fish, mollusks, or crustaceans for long periods of time. As a rule of thumb, you can safely freeze whole, non-oily fish for six months and everything else, including oily fish, pieces of fish, and all shellfish, for up to three months.
Knowing What to Look For
Finding great seafood can be more difficult than the actual cooking, and the struggle is compounded when you’re buying in bulk. The more you order of a product, the more you have to lose if the quality is lower than expected. When buying in bulk, you should always look for a quality assurance guarantee, and if you don’t see anything advertised on a website, call ahead to ask.
Checking for Yelp reviews and customer testimonials is especially important when buying in bulk, as it helps potential buyers better understand the quality of the product and customer service. Remember to look for information about harvesting methods and catch dates. Just because you’re buying a lot of something doesn’t mean it should be of a lesser quality.
If you’re planning to buy a lot of seafood, whether from a small company or a wholesaler, be sure to look and ask for shipping costs. If you’re buying more than a hundred pounds, a company will likely cover the cost of shipping, which is a huge opportunity for savings. Don’t expect this if you do not plan to buy wholesale, but it never hurts to ask.
How to Buy Oysters in Bulk
Buying oysters in bulk, especially as a home cook, happens more often than you might think. A party of six can easily move through one hundred live oysters, the standard case size when buying in bulk or from a wholesaler. Plus, when you buy oysters in bulk, you can end up saving more money per mollusk – perfect for your next cocktail party or family gathering. Remember that oysters are more commonly eaten live and thus require overnight shipping.
How to Buy Shrimp in Bulk
Like oysters, shrimp are easy to buy in bulk, especially for parties. When you buy shrimp in bulk, the smallest wholesale amount is generally 20 lbs. Shrimp are sold by the pound rather than by piece, and you should expect each person to eat around 4 ounces per serving. This means that a 20-pound order should feed around 80 people – either two large events, eight dinner parties, or 20 standard family dinners.
Shrimp are often shipped raw frozen or simply raw, so be sure to have your cooking or freezing method ready to go once they arrive.
How to Buy Cod Fish in Bulk
Cod can be purchased as whole fish, steaks, or fillets, and they are often shipped frozen. When you buy cod fish in bulk, the smallest wholesale option is usually 10 lbs. The standard serving size for uncooked fish is around half a pound, so if you’re serving 20 or more people, buying in bulk is a great way to save money. Remember that cod is a relatively oily fish, which means that the standard freezing time will be about half that of a non-oily fish. Still, eating 10 lbs. of cod over three months is not an insurmountable task.
How to Buy Tuna Fish in Bulk
Tuna is an interesting fish to buy in bulk because some can grow to be several hundred pounds. However, like cod, you can often buy as little as 10 lbs. of tuna while still reaping the benefits of buying bulk. This means around 20 servings of tuna, which is pretty easy to move through if you like to entertain. Remember that tuna is a very oily fish, so be aware of how much fish you will be able to go through in the standard three-month freeze period.
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