Looking for where to buy halibut in Canada and getting told to avoid Atlantic halibut? That advice comes mostly from U.S. sites. Canada's Atlantic halibut stock is at its highest level in Fisheries and Oceans Canada's records, and Larry's Catch sells hook-and-line Atlantic halibut from Digby, Nova Scotia, frozen and shipped across the country.
Halibut is thick, mild and almost impossible to overcook, so it's the fish people buy when they want a sure thing for dinner guests. It's also expensive, which makes knowing what you're buying worth the two minutes.
Larry's Catch Halibut: wild Atlantic, Digby, NS · hook-and-line · 7 to 9 oz fillet · $27
Ships frozen on dry ice across most of Canada. Check your postal code.
Where can you buy halibut online in Canada?
You can buy halibut online in Canada from seafood delivery companies, some grocery chains' online stores and specialty fish shops that ship frozen. The difference between them is origin, size and how the fish was frozen.
Look for a seller that names the region it was caught in, the catch method and the fillet weight. Halibut for sale with none of those details is a guess at a premium price.
Atlantic vs Pacific halibut: what's the difference?
Atlantic and Pacific halibut are two related species: Hippoglossus hippoglossus in the Atlantic and Hippoglossus stenolepis in the Pacific. Both are large, firm, white-fleshed flatfish, and both cook the same way.
In the kitchen, both are cooked the same way: mild, thick, white fillets that hold together. The real difference between Atlantic vs Pacific halibut is where it's caught and how that fishery is doing.
Is Atlantic halibut sustainable? What DFO's latest stock assessment shows
Canada's Atlantic halibut is in good shape. Fisheries and Oceans Canada's 2022 assessment of Atlantic halibut on the Scotian Shelf and southern Grand Banks estimates the 2021 spawning stock at 20.6 thousand tonnes, a time-series high, and places the stock in the healthy zone.
That stock was depleted in the 1990s and has rebuilt since. DFO also expects the biomass to dip in the near term, which is why its harvest rules adjust quotas instead of letting fishing grow without limits.
What it means for you: the "avoid Atlantic halibut" advice is about the U.S. population. NOAA Fisheries lists the U.S. Atlantic halibut stock as overfished, with a rebuilding plan that targets 2055. Halibut caught off Nova Scotia comes from a recovered, managed Canadian stock.
What to check before buying halibut online
Before you buy halibut online in Canada, check three things on the product page.
Catch method, MSC label and origin
Hook-and-line halibut is caught one fish at a time on a line, not in a net. Ours is hook-and-line from L.J. Robicheau & Son Fisheries in Digby, Nova Scotia, a family business started in the 1960s and an MSC-certified fishery. The MSC label tells you the fishery passed an independent sustainability check.
Fillet size and thickness
Thick fillets stay moist; thin tail pieces dry out fast. A 7 to 9 oz fillet like ours is thick enough to sear and finish in the oven, and each one is quick-frozen within hours of landing.
Want a fillet you can trust for guests? Ours is weighed, frozen at the source and labelled with where it landed. Shop Atlantic halibut.
How much does halibut cost online in Canada?
Halibut is one of the priciest fish you can buy, so compare by the pound, not by the package. Our Atlantic halibut is $27 for a 7 to 9 oz fillet, which works out to about $48 to $62 per pound depending on the fillet's weight.
When you compare halibut for sale online, check three things behind the price:
- Weight per fillet: a cheaper pack with thin tail pieces cooks worse than one thick fillet.
- Shipping: ours is free on orders over $150, so adding halibut to a larger box lowers the cost per meal.
- Catch method and origin: a named, hook-and-line, MSC-certified source is worth more than an unlabelled fillet.
Is frozen halibut as good as fresh?
Frozen halibut is often better than fresh, because "fresh" fish at a counter can be several days out of the water. Larry's Catch flash-freezes its halibut soon after landing, which locks in the firm texture and mild flavour.
The key is how you thaw it: in the fridge overnight, never in hot water, then cook it within 24 hours. You can read more on why frozen fish is better.
How halibut is shipped frozen across Canada
Halibut delivery from Larry's Catch is packed with dry ice in an insulated, recyclable liner that holds it at about -80 °C in transit. You don't need to be home: we pack enough dry ice to last an extra 24 hours after the courier drops it off.
Shipping is free on orders over $150, and if anything arrives thawed, we replace it or refund you. Frozen, it keeps up to 6 months.
How much halibut per person?
Plan on 6 to 8 oz of halibut per person for a main course. One of our 7 to 9 oz fillets is a generous serving for one, or enough for two with sides.
For a dinner party of six, order six fillets so everyone gets a full piece.
Easy ways to cook halibut fillets
Halibut is lean, so it likes butter, acid and gentle heat.
- Baked with lemon and herbs: 12 to 15 minutes at 400 °F. Our lemon herb baked halibut is the easiest start.
- Pan-seared: a hot pan, a golden crust, then butter and capers. Try pan-seared halibut with lemon caper sauce.
- Tacos: flaked, seasoned and wrapped. See Chef Fin's halibut tacos.
More on the fish itself: wild-caught Atlantic halibut.
Where to buy halibut in Canada: Larry's Catch
If you want to know where to buy halibut that's Canadian, hook-and-line and from a healthy stock, start with a seller that tells you all three. Larry's Catch buys directly from Nova Scotia fishers and ships across most of Canada.
Add halibut to your own box, or pick one of our ready-made seafood boxes with halibut, scallops and more.