Buy saba fillets when you want ready portions for the pan, and whole saba when you want to fry, grill or braise the whole fish, or have us fillet it and keep the head. Both are Norwegian saba sold frozen, frozen while fresh, so they keep well in your freezer. Here is how the two compare.
Whole saba or saba fillet?
| Whole saba | Saba fillet | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | About 500 to 600G per fish | 250 to 300G per pack |
| How we prepare it | Filleted with the head removed, or cleaned and gutted with the head kept | Filleted, ready for the pan |
| How to buy | 1, 2 or 3 fish; more fish cost less each | One pack at a time |
| Condition | Frozen | Frozen |
| Origin | Norway | Norway |
The whole fish includes the head and bones; the fillet pack is just the meat. Compare the two product pages for today's prices.
What does saba taste like?
Saba, the mackerel many people know from Japanese and Korean meals, has a rich, strong flavour that is slightly sweet and savoury. The flesh is firm and dense but tender, and its natural oils keep it moist when cooked. It goes well with citrus and soy based sauces.
How should I cook saba?
- Pan fried or deep fried: fillets go straight into the pan; the oil in the fish keeps it juicy.
- Grilled: whole or as fillets, with a soy based sauce or citrus.
- Braised: whole saba, cleaned and gutted with the head on.
How do I store and thaw frozen saba?
Keep it frozen until the day before you cook it, then thaw it in the fridge overnight, the US FDA's recommended method. Saba is an oily fish, and from our experience it tastes best within one to two months in the freezer. If you choose vacuum sealing, take the fish out of the pack or cut the pack open before thawing; our storage guide explains why.
Order saba
Order whole saba or saba fillets with the rest of your fish, delivered Wednesday to Sunday and free from $75. More mackerels, from batang to beh ka, are in our mackerel collection and batang guide.
