YOUBAN Fresh Hybrid Grouper: cleaned for you, vacuum-packed, one fish is one meal

YOUBAN is the fresh hybrid grouper brand of 韋泉有限公司 (Weiquan Co., Ltd.) in Kaohsiung; the name is a pun on the Taiwanese phrase “ū-phài-thâu”, meaning something with style, good enough to put on the table. The product is Taiwanese farmed hybrid grouper (pearl gentian grouper; Epinephelus fuscoguttatus × E. lanceolatus), sold whole. Before shipping, each fish is scaled, gilled and gutted, then vacuum-packed and frozen one fish per bag. A fish weighs about 400 to 1,200 g; every 600 g is NT$250, charged by the weight taken at packing, with a minimum order of 5 fish. Hybrid grouper is a farmed fish bred by crossing a female brown-marbled grouper with a male giant grouper; it grows fast, the flesh is fine-textured and there are few small bones, which suits everyday cooking — steaming, steaming with pickled cordia, braising in soy sauce, soup, pan-frying and sweet-and-sour. To order or ask what is in stock, contact us on the LINE official account or by phone.

One fish, exactly one family meal

Not steaks, not fillets — a whole fish. In Taiwan, serving a fish whole at New Year or a banquet carries the wish of “a head and a tail”, a proper beginning and end; on an ordinary day it just means one steamer takes care of the main dish.

One fish, exactly one family meal

Price	NT$250 /600 g（charged by weight）
Product	Hybrid grouper (pearl gentian grouper), whole fish
Size	About 400–1,200 g per fish
Preparation	Scaled, gilled and gutted; left whole, not cut
Packaging	Vacuum-packed one fish per bag, frozen
Storage	Keep frozen at -18°C or below
Pricing	Charged by actual weight: every 600 g is NT$250
Minimum order	From 5 fish
Origin	Taiwan

• Portion guide: a 600 g fish gives about 222 g of edible flesh once the head, tail and bones are removed — a main dish for about 2–3 people; the smallest, 400 g, gives about 148 g, and the largest, 1,200 g, about 444 g, enough for about 4. These are conservative floors converted from the TFDA hybrid grouper entry J0405102 and its refuse rate of 63.0%; at home a whole steamed fish is eaten skin and all and the meat around the bones gets picked off, so you will actually eat more than this.
• Every fish weighs a little differently; the final amount is based on the weight taken at packing.
• Shipping fees, delivery areas, delivery times and payment methods must be asked about on LINE, and the shop's reply is what applies.

So what exactly is hybrid grouper?

Hybrid grouper is a farmed grouper produced by artificially crossing a female brown-marbled grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) with a male giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus); it is also called pearl gentian grouper. It inherits the giant grouper's growth rate together with the brown-marbled grouper's disease resistance and fine-textured flesh, and after about a year in the pond, at around 900 g, it is ready to ship. It is currently the biggest farmed grouper species in Taiwan.

• Mother (female)：Brown-marbled grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus)
• Father (male)：Giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus)
• Common aliases：Pearl gentian grouper · pearl grouper · ba-longdan
• Pond to market：About 1 year
• Cold tolerance：Cannot cope with water below 15°C
• Bred in Taiwan：First bred in 2009 by a Pingtung farm with guidance from the Fisheries Research Institute

Why this fish works at home

• Few small bones, easy to eat.Dietitians note that grouper flesh is tender and the bones are large and easy to pick out, with few fine bones, which makes it easier for older people and children.
• 20.6 g of protein.Per 100 g of edible portion, from the hybrid grouper entry J0405102 in the TFDA food composition database; the same entry lists 3.8 g of fat and 122 kcal.
• The skin has a gelatinous bite.That is where the silky mouthfeel in steamed fish and soup comes from, and why grouper skin usually does not get thrown away.
• A clean flavour.The Ministry of Agriculture's food and agriculture education platform notes that steaming is the most common way to eat grouper in Taiwan, because it lets the natural sweetness come through.

Hybrid grouper, giant grouper, brown-marbled grouper: what is the difference

Hybrid grouper, giant grouper, brown-marbled grouper: what is the difference

Common name	Origin	Pond to market	Typical market size	Crude protein / 100 g	Crude fat / 100 g
Hybrid grouper	Cross of brown-marbled grouper (mother) × giant grouper (father)	About 1 year	600–1,200 g, mostly sold whole	20.6 g	3.8 g
Giant grouper	Native species (Epinephelus lanceolatus), the father of the hybrid grouper	About 3–4 years	12–18 kg, mostly cut into steaks	19.1 g	8.2 g
Brown-marbled grouper	Native species (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus), the mother of the hybrid grouper	Rarely farmed on its own	Seldom on the market; mainly kept as broodstock	19.1 g	3.7 g

Growing time and market size come from an interview with a former director of the Fisheries Research Institute's Mariculture Research Center and from Agriculture Policy and Review, Issue 204. Nutrition figures come from the TFDA food composition database (hybrid grouper J0405102, giant grouper fillet J0405501, brown-marbled grouper J0405401, sample size 1 for each); the giant grouper sample was a fillet, so its preparation differs slightly from the other two. According to the Fisheries Agency's ROC 114 stocking survey, brown-marbled grouper was stocked on only 1.54 hectares by 7 households nationwide, while hybrid grouper covered 837.69 hectares and 1,129 households in the same year.

Hybrid grouper is a Taiwanese aquaculture success story

Taiwan bred its own hybrid grouper fry back in 2009, and today the fish carries more than seventy percent of the country's grouper output; in 2024 it also opened up the Japanese market after eight years of negotiations. All the figures below are taken straight from the raw tables of the Fisheries Agency's Fisheries Statistical Yearbook for ROC 113 (2024).

• Hybrid grouper output per year：12,621tonnes－Nationwide in ROC 113, 73.4% of all grouper produced, every bit of it from inland brackish-water ponds.
• Hybrid grouper output value per year：3.11billion NT$－Nationwide in ROC 113; grouper as a whole was worth NT$4.425 billion.
• Kaohsiung grouper output：2ndplace－In ROC 113, 4,445.54 tonnes, or 25.8% of the national total, second only to Pingtung County.
• of Kaohsiung's grouper is hybrid grouper：91.5%－4,067.64 tonnes of Kaohsiung's output was hybrid grouper; farming is concentrated in Yong'an, Mituo and Qieding.

Output and output value are taken from the Fisheries Statistical Yearbook tables for production volume and value by fishery type and by county; the percentages are converted from the raw figures. The Kaohsiung district breakdown is stocking area and household counts from the ROC 114 stocking survey (Yong'an accounts for 85.13% of the city's hybrid grouper farming area, Mituo 12.39% and Qieding 0.72%), not production statistics.

Nutrition (composition analysis per 100 g)

Every figure here comes from the entry for hybrid grouper (database ID J0405102; also known as pearl gentian grouper) in the TFDA food composition database — that is, tested values for this fish itself, not figures for some other grouper. “Edible portion” here means the flesh with the skin on, after scaling and after the head, tail, viscera and bones are removed. This page only describes composition; it makes no claim of any benefit or medical effect.

• Crude protein：20.6g－Per 100 g. Protein is a main building material of the body's cells, tissues and organs.
• Crude fat：3.8g－Per 100 g, of which 1.0 g is saturated fat. Cholesterol 67 mg.
• Energy：122kcal－Per 100 g. Dietary fibre 0 g, total sugars 0.1 g.
• EPA + DHA：335mg－Per 100 g: EPA 128 mg, DHA 207 mg.
• Potassium：430mg－Per 100 g. Also contains phosphorus 193 mg, magnesium 32 mg, calcium 24 mg, zinc 0.6 mg and sodium 69 mg.
• Vitamin B12：0.73µg－Per 100 g. Vitamin B12 helps in the formation of red blood cells.

• Grouper is a high-purine food; if you have gout or elevated uric acid, please eat it in moderation.
• The Ministry of Agriculture advises against eating it just before or after persimmon, which is high in tannic acid, as this can affect protein absorption.
• The TFDA's Fish Consumption Guidelines recommend that pregnant women and women of childbearing age eat a balanced 7–9 servings (245–315 g) of various fish per week; children aged 1–3 should have at least 2 servings a week and those aged 4–6 at least 3. The fish the guidelines say to avoid are the four kinds: shark, swordfish, tuna and oilfish.
• If you have special dietary restrictions or a medical condition, adjust according to the advice of your doctor or dietitian.

The nutrition figures on this page are quoted from the analysis of that one sample under “hybrid grouper” (database ID J0405102) in the TFDA food composition database (sample size 1). They are not an individual test report for our product; actual values vary with the size of the fish, the cut and farming conditions. Everything on this page is food information. It has no medical effect and cannot replace professional advice from a doctor or dietitian.

Six home-style recipes, the quickest in ten minutes

Steamed hybrid grouper with spring onion and ginger（About 20 minutes／Beginner-friendly）

The classic

1. Thaw and pat dry, cut two diagonal slashes in the body, lay on the white parts of the spring onion, shredded ginger and minced garlic, then pour over 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1/2 tbsp rice wine.
2. Only put the fish in once the water is at a rolling boil, then steam over high heat for 8–10 minutes (600 g: 8–10 minutes; 1,200 g: 14–18 minutes).
3. Pour off the liquid in the bottom of the plate, put on fresh shredded spring onion and chilli, and finish with a ladle of oil heated until it smokes.

Always pour off that layer of water in the plate after steaming — almost all of the fishy smell is in it.

Hybrid grouper steamed with pickled cordia（About 10 minutes／Foolproof）

No skills needed

1. Put the fish on a plate and lay the mature ginger slices on it, then pour over the cordia berries, the pickling liquid, the rice wine and the soy sauce.
2. Put 0.5 rice-cup of water in the outer pot of the rice cooker and steam for 8–10 minutes.
3. Scatter shredded spring onion on before it comes out, put the lid back on for 15 seconds, then finish with sesame oil.

Soak the shredded spring onion in cold water for 1–2 minutes first and it curls up on its own — it looks far better.

Taiwanese-style braised in chilli bean paste（About 20 minutes／Intermediate）

Great with rice

1. Pat the fish dry and rub it with a little salt; fry the ginger slices until fragrant, then fry the fish until golden on both sides and lift it out first.
2. Over low heat fry the white parts of the spring onion, the Sichuan peppercorns and the garlic until fragrant, add the chilli bean paste and stir until the red oil comes out, splash in the rice wine, then add the soy sauce, sugar and water.
3. Return the fish to the pan and keep spooning the sauce over it so the flavour soaks in; thicken lightly and scatter the green parts of the spring onion before serving.

It comes down to one line: the bean paste has to be fried first, or you get neither the aroma nor the bright red colour.

Grouper soup with ginger（About 30 minutes／Beginner-friendly）

Uses the head and bones

1. Rinse the head and bones and fry them in hot oil until half cooked and lightly browned — this step decides how rich the soup will be.
2. Pour in hot water and boil for 10 minutes until the broth turns milky, skimming off the foam.
3. Add the tofu, ginger slices and rice wine and boil for another 10 minutes; if you like the miso version, stir the miso in at the end and do not let it boil hard again.

Frying the bones first is what makes the soup full-bodied; if you want it as a stock, keep it boiling for up to 30 minutes.

Pan-fried hybrid grouper fillet（About 15 minutes／Beginner-friendly）

Cooking for one

1. Thaw it completely, blot the surface thoroughly dry with kitchen paper, then rub with a little salt and rice wine.
2. Heat the pan and the oil for 20–30 seconds to bring the oil up to temperature, then lay the fillet skin-side down and fry slowly over low heat.
3. Only turn it gently once it has set and the edges have turned white; take it out as soon as both sides are golden and the flesh is just cooked.

Three don'ts: not drying it makes the oil spit, not thawing it makes it stick, turning it too early tears the skin. Rubbing the pan with a slice of ginger also stops it sticking.

Wuliuzhi (Taiwanese sweet-and-sour)（About 20 minutes／Intermediate）

New Year and guests

1. Score the fish, rub it with salt, dust it with a thin layer of potato starch and deep-fry over medium-low heat for 3 minutes on each side.
2. Fry the minced ginger until fragrant, add the shiitake, onion, wood ear, carrot and shredded bamboo shoot and cook until soft, then add the soy sauce, sugar and water and bring to the boil.
3. Add the black vinegar and ketchup, thicken and reduce the sauce, pour it over the fried fish and scatter with coriander.

Served whole with the head and tail on, it goes perfectly with the old saying about having a surplus year after year.

How many minutes to steam a whole fish

How many minutes to steam a whole fish

Whole weight	Steam on high (minutes)	Notes
600 g	8–10	Only in once the water is at a rolling boil
900 g	12–14	Do not lift the lid partway
1,200 g	14–18	Use the upper end for thicker fish

• The rice cooker clicking off does not mean the fish is cooked — it only means the water in the outer pot has boiled dry, which has nothing to do with the core temperature of the flesh (recipes call for anything from 1/5 of a rice-cup of water in the outer pot to 2 rice-cups). Once it clicks off, run through the checks below.
• The most reliable check is the core temperature: the US FDA sets 63°C for fish, and Taiwan's TFDA requires 70°C.
• When the eyes clearly bulge out, it is about there.
• Push a chopstick into the thickest part of the back: if it goes through without sticking, it is cooked; if there is no resistance at all, it is usually overdone.
• The flesh lifts off the bone easily and does not cling to it.
• When the first bone in front of the vent pulls out easily, it is ready to serve.

Thawing and storage: three routes, including the “I forgot to thaw it” one

First, the thing people get wrong most often: the fish has to come all the way out of the vacuum bag — cutting one slit in the bag is not enough, and the US FDA has stated plainly that partially cutting the bag open or poking holes in it does not meet the rule. For fridge thawing, take it out of the bag “before” it goes into the fridge; under cold running water you may leave it in the bag, but the moment the water stops, take the whole fish out of the bag straight away. If you genuinely forgot to thaw it, do not panic: the USDA's official position is that cooking from frozen is safe, as long as you extend the cooking time by about 50%. What follows is put together from the public guidance in the TFDA's Food Safety and Sanitation Management Handbook for the Food Service Industry, the US FDA Food Code, and the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.

1. ① Overnight in the fridge (safest)：Take the whole fish out of the vacuum bag first, put it on a plate, cover it, and move it into the fridge at 7°C or below for 8–12 hours. It never leaves fridge temperature, and you do not have to watch the clock.
2. ② In a hurry: cold running water, in the bag：Squeeze the air out and tie the bag tight, then thaw it under “running” water at 21°C or below, finishing within 2 hours. Going by the USDA's weight table, 400 g takes about 30–60 minutes and 1,200 g about 1–1.5 hours. The moment the water stops, take the whole fish out of the bag and into the pan — do not thaw it and leave it sitting.
3. ③ Forgot to thaw it? Cook it from frozen：The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service puts it plainly: cooking from frozen is safe, and the cooking time needs to be about 50% longer. But the TFDA warns that thawing by heat only suits thinner items, or the outside burns while the inside is still raw — so keep this route for the small 400–600 g fish, and for anything over 1 kg, run it under water first to part-thaw it.
4. ④ Microwave thawing: cook it right away：One of the three safe thawing methods the TFDA lists. But a microwave lightly cooks the edges first and takes them into the danger zone, so you must cook it the moment it comes out — do not thaw it and leave it standing on the counter.
5. ⑤ Done or not, only the core temperature counts：Whichever thawing method you use, the test is the core temperature at the thickest part of the flesh: the US FDA sets 63°C for fish, and Taiwan's TFDA is stricter and requires 70°C. Time is only a guide; temperature is the standard.
6. ⑥ It all comes down to avoiding 7–60°C：Between 7°C and 60°C is where pathogens grow best. Every route above follows the same single logic — keep the time the fish spends passing through that band as short as possible: the fridge never lets it in, running water gets it through fast, and cooking from frozen never stops there at all.

Do this

• Take the fish right out of the vacuum bag “before” fridge thawing — the US FDA has clarified that just cutting the bag open or poking holes in it does not meet the rule.
• Of the three safe thawing methods, only running water lets you keep the fish in the bag, and the moment it is done, take the whole fish out straight away.
• Keep frozen at -18°C or below; unopened, best eaten within 6 months for flavour.
• Thaw only as much as you are going to cook and leave the rest in the freezer.
• Check the packaging and the temperature as soon as the delivery arrives, and get it into the freezer quickly.

Do not do this

• Do not thaw it at room temperature — the 5–6 hours that takes is long enough for bacteria to multiply heavily.
• Do not soak it in hot water, and do not soak it in water that is “not moving” either; the whole point of thawing under running water is that the water keeps being replaced.
• For the salt-water trick that goes around online, we could not find published experimental data supporting that it speeds thawing up safely; and most of those guides have you soaking the fish at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour, which breaks the 21°C-or-below, within-2-hours rule outright.
• A metal thawing tray is just room-temperature thawing that conducts heat faster; it does not take the fish out of the danger zone — the TFDA lists only three safe thawing methods, fridge, running water and microwave, and this is not one of them.
• Do not put it back in the freezer after thawing.
• If the vacuum bag is swollen, leaking or smells off, throw it away and do not eat it.

Basis: the process safety and sanitation chapter of the TFDA's Food Safety and Sanitation Management Handbook for the Food Service Industry (the three safe thawing methods — fridge, running water and microwave; the danger zone of 7–60°C; running water must be 21°C or below and finished within 2 hours; thawing by heat limited to thinner items); the US FDA Food Code rules on thawing and on vacuum-packed seafood; and the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service's “The Big Thaw” on cooking from frozen needing about 50% more time. The running-water thawing times are estimates based on the USDA's weight table, not measurements of this product. The frozen storage period is quoted from the US FDA Refrigerator & Freezer Storage Chart, which sorts raw fish by fat content into lean fish (frozen quality period 6 months) and fatty fish (2–3 months), and notes that under continuous freezing at -18°C the food is safe indefinitely, the months being only a quality guide. Per 100 g, hybrid grouper has 3.8 g of crude fat, which puts it in the first of those two bands.

From the farm: not one photo in this section is AI

The hero image above is an AI-generated impression of the species; everything here is on-site photos and video supplied by the advertiser — what the harvest, the grading and the vacuum packing actually look like.

The photos and video above were supplied by the advertiser; for when and where they were taken, the shop's own account is what applies.

How to order

Orders are currently taken by LINE message or phone, in four steps.

1. Add us on LINE or call：Add the official account or just call, and tell us how many fish you want.
2. Confirm quantity and size：Minimum order 5 fish. Each one is about 400–1,200 g; natural weights vary.
3. Weigh and quote：The amount is worked out from the actual weight, every 600 g at NT$250, and we ship once you confirm.
4. Frozen delivery：Shipped vacuum-packed and frozen. Please confirm the delivery method, shipping fee and arrival time when you enquire.

Shipping fees, delivery areas and payment methods must be confirmed with the shop when you enquire; this page makes no promises on the shop's behalf.

Frequently asked questions

What is hybrid grouper? How is it different from giant grouper and brown-marbled grouper?

Hybrid grouper is a farmed grouper bred by artificially crossing a female brown-marbled grouper with a male giant grouper; it is also called pearl gentian grouper, and its name comes from those two parents. According to the Ministry of Agriculture's food and agriculture education platform, it grows fast and has fine-textured flesh. Giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) and brown-marbled grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) are two separate native species, and the hybrid grouper is their crossbred offspring.

How much is one fish? How is it priced?

Every 600 g is NT$250, charged by actual weight. A fish is about 400–1,200 g, which works out at roughly NT$167 to NT$500 each; the final amount is based on the weight taken at packing. The minimum order is 5 fish.

Why do I have to buy at least five?

Because it is frozen home delivery, the five-fish minimum is mainly there to keep the delivery and packing costs reasonable. Each fish is vacuum-packed and frozen separately, so you can take one out at a time to cook without them sticking together, and five fish is about five meals.

How many people does one fish feed?

A 600 g fish gives about 222 g of edible flesh once the head, tail and bones are gone — a main dish for about 2–3 people; the smallest, 400 g, gives about 148 g, and the largest, 1,200 g, about 444 g, enough for about 4. This is a conservative floor converted from the TFDA hybrid grouper entry (J0405102) and its refuse rate of 63.0% — at home a whole steamed fish is usually eaten skin and all and the meat around the bones gets picked off, so you will actually eat more than these figures.

If I am in a hurry and thaw it fast under cold running water, will that ruin the fish?

On drip loss, the research we have does not back the claim that fast thawing always tastes worse. One study on headed and gutted whole fish under 1 kg (Atlantic cod) compared three rapid thawing methods and concluded there was no significant difference between the three groups, with drip loss running from 1.3% to 2.8% — all below the 4% to 8% the same study cites for fresh cod in modified-atmosphere packaging at the end of its shelf life. In other words, the main advantage of slow thawing in the fridge is food safety (it never leaves 7°C or below), not that it necessarily tastes better. Cold running water is fine when you are pressed for time, but stick to 21°C or below and finish within 2 hours. (The study was on cod, not hybrid grouper, so take it as the principle only.)

Has the fish been cleaned? What is left to do at home?

Before shipping, the fish is scaled, gilled and gutted, and the bloodline and viscera where the fishy smell concentrates have been cleaned out, so there is no gutting to do at home. It is left whole and uncut; once thawed, give it a quick rinse and it goes straight into the pan.

How do I thaw the frozen vacuum pack? Should the bag be opened?

For overnight fridge thawing, cut the vacuum bag open first, put the fish on a plate, cover it and move it into the fridge at 7°C or below; a vacuum pack is an oxygen-free environment, so opening the bag to let air in is safer. If you are in a hurry, leave it in the bag under cold running water at 21°C or below for about 20–40 minutes; it must be finished within 2 hours, and once thawed, open the bag and cook it immediately. Never thaw at room temperature or in hot water, and never refreeze after thawing.

How long can it stay frozen?

Kept continuously at -18°C or below and unopened, it is best eaten within 6 months for flavour. According to the US FDA Refrigerator & Freezer Storage Chart, lean fish (fish with a lower fat content) has a frozen quality period of 6 months, and the chart notes that continuous freezing at -18°C is indefinite as far as food safety goes, the months being only a quality guide. Per 100 g, hybrid grouper has 3.8 g of crude fat, which puts it in that band.

How long do I steam a whole fish?

Only put the fish in once the water is at a rolling boil: 600 g steams over high heat for 8–10 minutes, 900 g for about 12–14 minutes and 1,200 g for about 14–18 minutes. To judge doneness, see whether the eyes bulge, whether a chopstick pushed into the thickest part goes through without sticking, and whether the flesh comes off the bone. The rule is under rather than over — just steam another minute if it is not there yet.

Is “pearl grouper” the same fish as hybrid grouper?

No, and this is the most common misunderstanding. Hybrid grouper goes by the alias “pearl gentian”, but there is another fish on the market sold as “pearl grouper” or “freshwater grouper” whose proper name is the jaguar cichlid (Parachromis managuensis). It belongs to the cichlid family and is a relative of tilapia — it is not in the grouper family at all. The two are also separate items at the wholesale market. When buying, look for the full name “hybrid grouper” or “pearl gentian grouper”, and do not assume that anything with “pearl” in the name is the same fish.

Is hybrid grouper the same thing as “老鼠斑” (mouse grouper)?

No — these are two different fish. “老鼠斑” is a common name for the fish called 駝背鱸 in Chinese: scientific name Cromileptes altivelis, English name Humpback grouper. According to the Ministry of Agriculture's Agriculture Knowledge Portal it belongs to the family Serranidae, and it also goes by the Taiwanese Hokkien local names 鰵魚, 烏丸悅, 尖嘴鱠仔 and 觀音鱠, while in Penghu people call it 斟鰻鱠. It is found only in the western Pacific; in Taiwan it lives mainly on the coral reefs of the southern waters and around Penghu, at depths of about 10 to 40 meters. Hybrid grouper, on the other hand, is a farmed fish produced by artificially crossing brown-marbled grouper (棕點石斑魚, Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, called 老虎斑 in Chinese) with giant grouper (鞍帶石斑魚, Epinephelus lanceolatus, called 龍膽石斑 in Chinese), and both parents belong to the genus Epinephelus. The mix-up usually happens because the Chinese name 老鼠斑 differs by only one character from 老虎斑, the mother fish of hybrid grouper. What we sell on this page is hybrid grouper, not 老鼠斑.

Can farmed hybrid grouper carry ciguatera toxin?

Ciguatera is a toxin that tropical reef fish accumulate through the food chain, and the TFDA lists grouper among the species that may contain it. For Taiwan's farmed hybrid grouper, from ROC 106 onwards our government commissioned National Taiwan Ocean University to run tests, and the results confirmed that it does not contain ciguatoxin. Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare also announced on 2024-10-30 that Taiwanese farmed hybrid grouper is permitted for export to Japan; the Taiwan–Japan talks took about 8 years, and this toxin was Japan's main concern. These are official inspection results for the category “Taiwanese farmed hybrid grouper”, not a test report for our individual product.

How can I check where seafood comes from?

Taiwan has two official systems you can search. One is the Ministry of Agriculture's Traceable Agricultural Product (TAP) scheme — voluntary certification, with a logo, a traceability code and the name of the certifying body on the pack; you can enter the code at taft.moa.gov.tw to see the producer and the production records. The other is the Fisheries Agency's seafood production traceability system, which charges no certification fee and has a simpler procedure; its lookup address changed to fishqrc.fa.gov.tw in ROC 114-12. On top of that, farmed fish in Taiwan must pass the on-farm monitoring of aquatic products before they go to market in order to be sold. Whether our product carries a TAP or a production traceability barcode is something to confirm directly with the shop.

Who should take care when eating it?

Grouper is a high-purine food; if you have gout or elevated uric acid, please eat it in moderation. The Ministry of Agriculture also advises against eating it just before or after persimmon, which is high in tannic acid, as this can affect protein absorption. If you have special dietary restrictions, follow the advice of your doctor or dietitian.

What does the name “YOUBAN” mean?

It is a pun on the Taiwanese phrase “ū-phài-thâu”, meaning something with style, good enough to put in front of guests. Grouper has always been one of the centrepiece dishes at Taiwanese banquets, and the Ministry of Agriculture's food and agriculture education platform notes that because grouper costs more to farm and is relatively expensive, in the past people mostly ate it at restaurants or at celebrations. What the brand wants to do is take this fish with style and turn it into a meal a household can afford on an ordinary day.

Shop details

• Brand：有斑 YOUBAN（The brand name is a pun on the Taiwanese “ū-phài-thâu” — having style, good enough for the table）
• Company name：韋泉有限公司
• Unified Business Number：60520135
• Phone：0903-263-707
• LINE official account：@862zvofa（LINE official account）
• Main product：Fresh hybrid grouper (pearl gentian grouper), whole fish · vacuum-packed and frozen

Sources and disclosures

• Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Education Platform | Grouper (species and food culture) Parent species of the hybrid grouper, market size, steaming as the most common preparation, the place of grouper at banquets
• Agriculture Knowledge Portal | Hybrid grouper Scientific name, aliases, wide temperature and salinity tolerance and disease resistance, cannot cope below 15°C
• Ministry of Agriculture, Agriculture Policy and Review, Issue 204 (ROC 98/6, June) How it was bred in Taiwan, growth of more than 1 kg a year, comparison of the flesh of the three fish
• Fisheries Agency, Ministry of Agriculture | Fisheries Statistical Yearbook for ROC 113 (2024) Output, output value and county-level figures for hybrid grouper and for grouper as a whole
• Fisheries Agency | Aquaculture stocking lookup platform ROC 114 hybrid grouper stocking area and household counts for Yong'an, Mituo and Qieding in Kaohsiung
• Academia Sinica | Fish Database of Taiwan Official names and scientific names of Epinephelus lanceolatus and Epinephelus fuscoguttatus
• AgriHarvest | Taiwanese farmed hybrid grouper approved for export to Japan (2024-10-30) Ocean University ciguatoxin testing and approval by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
• Ministry of Agriculture | Traceable Agricultural Product (TAP) information site What TAP certification is, the labelling requirements and how to look up a traceability code
• Fisheries Agency | Seafood production traceability lookup system Traceability barcode lookup for traceable seafood (new address from ROC 114-12-12)
• TFDA, Ministry of Health and Welfare | Food composition database (hybrid grouper, database ID J0405102) All the nutrition figures and the refuse rate on this page come from this entry
• Agriculture Knowledge Portal | Humpback grouper, 駝背鱸 (common name 老鼠斑) The formal name of 老鼠斑, its scientific name Cromileptes altivelis, its family, its other common names and the waters where it lives
• Ministry of Health and Welfare | Criteria for determining whether the labelling, promotion or advertising of food and related products is false, exaggerated, misleading or implies medical efficacy (amended ROC 113-05-08) The basis for the wording red lines on this page
• TFDA, Ministry of Health and Welfare | Fish consumption guidelines for pregnant women, women of childbearing age and children aged 1-6 Weekly servings and the four fish to avoid
• TFDA, Ministry of Health and Welfare | Food Safety and Sanitation Management Handbook for the Food Service Industry Fridge and running-water thawing rules, danger zone 7–60°C
• USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) | The Big Thaw — Safe Defrosting Methods The three safe thawing methods, the cold-water thawing rules, cooking from frozen being safe but needing about 50% more cooking time
• US FDA | Food Code Thawing temperature capped at 21°C/70°F, vacuum-packed seafood must be taken right out of the bag before thawing, core cooking temperature for fish 63°C
• Food Science & Nutrition | The effect of three rapid thawing methods on the quality of headed and gutted Atlantic cod (PMC5725708) No significant difference between the three groups, drip loss 1.3%–2.8%, below the 4%–8% for fresh cod in modified-atmosphere packaging at the end of its shelf life
• US FDA | Refrigerator & Freezer Storage Chart Frozen quality period of 6 months for lean fish
• National Immigration Agency, Ministry of the Interior, New Residents' Global News Network | Taiwan's bandoh banquet culture Steamed grouper as the centrepiece dish in the middle of a banquet
• iCook | Steamed hybrid grouper finished with hot oil, hybrid grouper steamed with pickled cordia, Taiwanese chilli bean paste fish, grouper miso soup, wuliuzhi The quantities, timings and steps for each dish
• News&Market Supplement | The highest art of steaming fish Baseline steaming times for a whole fish and the “under rather than over” rule
• Liberty Times, Recipe section | The keys to frying fish without sticking or tearing the skin Thawing, drying and oil temperature for pan-fried fillets

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This page was last updated: 2026/7/30.