Whether you are looking for fresh, frozen, salmon, cod, wild caught or farm raised you have several options for shopping for fish at Costco. Read our guide to find out how much it will cost as well as our best tips.
📋 What's New In This Post (1/12/26) - Prices updated for 2026. Add new types of fish as well as what country some fish was sourced from.
Costco Fish Explained: Selection, Sourcing, and Freshness
One of the biggest questions people have about Costco: What kind of fish do they carry and where does it come from? What can you find fresh or frozen?
I've been buying, cooking, and writing about Costco meat and seafood for over a decade. After the popularity of my beef buying guide, I expanded into all types of meat, including fish. This guide is based on what I've personally found in Costco stores across California, Michigan, Ohio, Utah, Alabama, Texas, and Oregon. Selection varies by store and by season, so think of this as a realistic look at what you're likely to see, not a perfect inventory list.
For more Costco meat and seafood tips, be sure to head over to my Costnivore Substack page, where I share weekly tips for buying meat at Costco and host the $100 Meat Challenge—showing you what kind of meals you can make with just $100 worth of Costco meat.
Jump to:
- Costco Fish Explained: Selection, Sourcing, and Freshness
- 🥶 What Kind of Frozen Fish Does Costco Sell?
- 🐟 What Kind of Fresh Fish Does Costco Sell?
- ❓ Can You Refreeze Fish?
- 🎣 Farm vs. Wild
- 🌊 Atlantic vs. Pacific Cod
- 🏆 Chilean Sea Bass Discounted?
- 🔴 Salmon
- 🧗♂️ Rockfish
- 🐠 Whole Fish
- 🏗️ Steelhead
- 🍟 Fish & Chips
- 🌮 Fish Tacos
- 📧 Sign Up For Our Emails
- 📚 More Costco Guide
🥶 What Kind of Frozen Fish Does Costco Sell?
We are going to start by listing what you would typically find in the frozen section.
The selection of seafood may vary quite a bit depending on where you live. Stores in California are obviously closer to the ocean so fish is easier to get there as opposed to living in Nebraska. This matters more with fresh fish than frozen but I still did find more frozen fish options in states closer to the ocean as I think in general people tend to eat more fish overall if they live closer to the ocean.
| Wild Alaskan Cod | $19.99 for 2 lbs |
| Wild Pacific Cod | $23.49 for 2 lbs |
| Wild Sockeye Salmon | $39.99 for 3 lbs |
| Wild Alaskan Halibut | $45.99 for 2 lbs |
| Tilapia Loins | $179.9 for 3 lbs |
| Farm raised Atlantic Salmon | $34.99 for 3 lbs |
| Barramundi | $17.49 for 2 lbs |
| Wild Mahi Mahi | $25.99 for 3 lbs |
Tilapia is typically your cheapest fish, followed by cod.
🐟 What Kind of Fresh Fish Does Costco Sell?
Here is something you want to pay attention to when selecting fresh fish at Costco. Some of the fish is going to be fish that was previously frozen and then thawed to sell. Anything marked with a "*" is previously frozen.
| Wild Sockeye Salmon* | $13.99/lb | from USA |
| Wild Pacific Cod* | $8.99/lb | |
| Wild Atlantic Cod* | $9.99/lb | |
| Wild Chilean Sea Bass* | $28.99/lb | from Australia |
| Fresh Wild Ahi Tuna | $16.99/lb | from Philippines |
| Farm King Salmon Filet* | $11.99/lb | |
| Fresh Wild Rockfish | $5.49/lb | from Canada |
| Fresh Farm Whole Trout | $3.99/lb | |
| Fresh Farm Catfish | $7.99/lb | |
| Fresh Farm Steelhead Filet | $10.99/lb | from Norway |
| Fresh Farm Tilapia | $6.49/lb | from Honduras |
| Fresh Farm Atlantic Salmon | $12.99/lb | from Norway |
| Fresh Farm Atlantic Salmon Portions | $11.99/lb | from Norway |
| Wild Monkfish | $7.99/lb | |
| Wild Pacific Halibut | $22.99/lb | |
| Farm Whole Snapper | $6.49/lb | |
| Wild Black Cod | $12.99/lb | from USA |
| Fresh Whole Branzino | $9.99/lb | from Turkey |
| Wild Swordfish | $13.99/lb | from USA |
Most of the fresh fish at Costco is farmed raised. Most of the wild fish they do is previously frozen.
❓ Can You Refreeze Fish?
So if you are buying a big pack of fish that was previously frozen, can you freeze it again? For quality reasons it's not great to freeze and refreeze. But I think it can be done still.
If I am going to freeze fish I bought at Costco, you need to do it immediately when you get home. Don't let is sit in the fridge, package it that way you want and freeze it.
🎣 Farm vs. Wild
Besides choosing between buying fresh or frozen fish, your next choose is picking whether you want farm raised or wild. I suggest doing your research and deciding what you think is best for you. I don't claim to be an expert in this area but I want to present some different pros and cons to consider.
Wild caught fish eats what it would eat in the wild. But what was the water like where they were caught? Is it polluted? Typically we also associate wild foods with having better flavor- for example wild blueberries. That can be true with fish.
There is also the sustainability factor. Wild fish can be overfished, which is why you might consider farmed fish. But what are they feeding the farmed fish? And are the close quarters more likely to lead to the fish getting sick? You can find fish that is labeled antibiotic free.
I am not saying one over the other. You need to decide what you think is best. Do a little research before your next shopping trip. Costco offers plenty of choices in either option.
🌊 Atlantic vs. Pacific Cod
Costco offers both, so you can try them out and decide which you like better. There is a difference in that Atlantic Cod has a sweeter taste and larger flaking.
As far as sustainability goes, Pacific cod is more sustainable according to Seafood Watch. A lot of areas where Atlantic Cod was fished has been overfished now.
🏆 Chilean Sea Bass Discounted?
Chilean Sea Bass is actually not bass at all. It's actually called "Patagonian Toothfish", that name doesn't sound as nice on a menu. It has been the most expensive type of fish in Costco. It's heralded for it's sweet, rich flavor.
A few years ago, I saw some frozen Chilean Sea Bass with the dreaded asterisk next to it. That often means that Costco is no longer going to be carrying that item and what you see, that's going to be it. There has been a lot of sustainability concerns around Chilean Sea Bass and from what I have read Costco chose to discontinue.
However in January 2026, I went into the store and found a package in the fresh fish section that said "Wild Chilean Sea Bass". The origin on it was Australia. The name is really about marketing, is not limiting the fish to a certain region. The label has a certification on it from MSC. Here is a photo:
So it appears it is back now and Costco found a source that is sustainable.
How to Cook Chilean Sea Bass - Cook it in a pan over medium heat with butter and herbs. Cook between 10-15 minutes. Once the fish is flaky, immediately remove from the heat. Don't forget a squeeze of some lemon juice over top.
Alternatives
If you want an alternative that has a similar buttery flavor then look to see if your store has Black Cod (Sablefish) or Barramundi. I found Black Cod in both the fresh section and the frozen section. The frozen one is miso marinated.
🔴 Salmon
Wild or farmed aside, here are the 3 types of salmon you can find at Costco.
| Sockeye Salmon | Strong flavor, great for grilling, deep color |
| Atlantic Salmon | Only sold at farm raised, soft pink color, milder salmon flavor |
| King Salmon Filet | Rich flavor, meaty texture, may also be referred to as Chinook salmon |
Something to know about farm raised salmon is that it's naturally gray. The fish aren't eating their normal feed. The color is added through the feed. It actually says so on the package.
Also note that it says the salmon is raised without antibiotics.
Did you know you can broil salmon? A broiler is like an upside down grill. Set your oven to broil with the rack about 3 inches from the heat. Place the salmon on a sheet pan and season it. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until the fish flakes easily separate. The USDA recommends it cooked to 145 degrees, but many agree that it's overcooked at that point and instead shoot for 130 degrees. Use your discretion.
🧗♂️ Rockfish
The rockfish I found at Costco was from Canada. You may also see it called rock cod or Pacific snapper.
The fish has a slight pinkish hue to it, but not as pink as salmon. It's a medium firm lean fish with a mild taste. It's versatile to be used in most recipes calling for fish.
Check out my full review of the Rockfish from Costco to get all my recipe ideas
🐠 Whole Fish
If you are looking for the whole fish, I have seen a couple different options:
- Farm Raised Trout
- Whole Branzino
The Branzino that I saw at Costco is from Turkey and was farm raised. It is a type of fish that is more often than not served whole.
🏗️ Steelhead
Steelhead are a type of Rainbow trout. It's an oily fish. Most comparisons with it are to salmon in which Steelhead has more of a delicate flavor and more flaky than salmon. If you are a salmon fan or someone that has tried to like salmon and failed, this would be a fish to put on your list to try.
🎧 On our podcast we talked about how to prepare Steelhead trout for a crowd in an episode about buying fish at ALDI.
🍟 Fish & Chips
The types of fish I would recommend if you are going to turn out your own batch of fish and chips. These fish work well when using a wet-batter approach.
- Any cod
- Rockfish
- Tilapia
Cod would be my go-to. Tilapia works too.
Catfish isn't normally included as a fish for fish and chips. It's better for a cornmeal batter like they do in the south, where I have had some of the most amazing fish. I am just day dreaming about the catfish I had a restaurant in Pigeon Forge, TN near the Great Smoky Mountains. Yum!
🌮 Fish Tacos
If you want to make fish tacos for dinner, here are the 3 types of fish at Costco I think would be best:
- Tilapia
- Mahi Mahi
- Barramundi
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📚 More Costco Guide
Here are some other guides that we have done
Vicki Samuelson
Good info
jack
whole Branzino fish winston salem, NC Costco have all the time