Buy a fillet when you want no bones and no waste, a steak or tail when you want better value and do not mind the centre bone, and a whole fish when you want to steam it the traditional way or use every part. Heads, bellies and bones are the cheapest way to get a lot of flavour for curry, soup and porridge. At our Jurong West stall we cut every order the way you will cook it, so this guide explains what each cut is, what it suits and how to order it.
Which fish cut should I buy?
| Cut | What you get | Best for | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fillet | Boneless meat, cut from large fish, as a whole piece, child sized chunks or thin slices | Children and the elderly, pan frying, air frying, steamboat, porridge | Red snapper, sea bass, cod |
| Steak | A cross section with the spine in the middle | Steaming, pan frying, curry, soup; better value than fillet | Cod, batang, sea bass |
| Tail | About 500G from the tail end, left whole or cut into steak slices | Steaming whole on a plate, grilling, air frying | Threadfin, salmon, red grouper |
| Whole fish | The whole fish with head and tail | Chinese style steaming, frying whole, festive dishes | Sea bass, red snapper, leather jacket |
| Fish head | A head chopped from a large fish, about 750G to 2 KG | Curry fish head, assam, fish head soup, air frying | Ang go li, threadfin, salmon trout |
| Belly | The rich, fatty underside | Pan frying, grilling, porridge | Threadfin, salmon trout |
| Bones | Frames that still carry meat | Fish stock, soup and porridge | Assorted bones, threadfin, salmon |
Is a whole fish or a fillet better value?
Per kilo, a whole fish costs less, but you pay for the head, bones and skin too. A fillet costs more per kilo because only the boneless meat is left, so there is nothing to throw away. Steaks and tails sit in between: they cost less than fillets simply because fewer people ask for fish with a bone in, not because the meat is worse. If you are happy to eat around one centre bone, a steak or tail is often the best value cut at our stall.
A big whole fish can also be the cheapest way to fill the freezer. When you order a whole Atlantic salmon, the whole fish is yours: we fillet and debone it into the portion size you choose and pack the head, bones and belly as well.
Which cut is best for steaming?
For Chinese style steaming, families usually choose a whole fish of about 500G or a tail section of about 500G, steamed whole on a plate. Sea bass, red snapper, golden pomfret, flower grouper and threadfin are all in our steaming collection. If you would rather not deal with bones, threadfin, emperor red snapper and red grouper fillets are our picks for Chinese style steaming, and cod steams well too. Our fillet comparison lists which fish suits which dish.
Which cut is best for soup and porridge?
Use bones for the stock and add fillet or steak pieces at the end. Assorted fish bones (a mix of snapper, grouper and sea bass frames) or threadfin bones make a sweet stock. For the fish in the bowl, batang and threadfin are the local favourites; batang is chunky and firm, the one most families use for fish soup and porridge.
Which cut is best for curry?
A fish head. Ang go li is the curry fish head that zi char stalls use, and black grouper heads go into curries too. For a curry without the head, choose firm fish: ang go li and batang are the two our fillet comparison lists for curry. Our curry fish head recipe shows how we cook it at home.
Which cut is best for children?
Boneless fillets, ordered as child chunks so they are ready for porridge or the pan. Cod, threadfin and red snapper are the softest. We debone by hand with care, but always check for small bones before serving fish to young children or the elderly.
Can you cut the fish for me?
Yes. Choose the cut on the product page where it offers one (whole piece, chunks, thin slices, chopped in half or in three), or leave a note at checkout. Whole fish come cleaned and gutted where the product page says so; if you want the fins trimmed, a butterfly cut or anything else, tell us in the note or on WhatsApp. Everything is weighed on delivery day and you pay after, and delivery is free from $75. See delivery days and charges.
