For Buyers · Restaurants
A Texas story you can put on the plate.
Redfish from one Texas farm, raised and harvested to a chef-direct standard. Whole or filleted, case-sized, menu-ready. A relationship you can text on a Tuesday when a tasting changes.
Independent restaurants and chef-owners are our home audience. We farm one species — Redfish, Sciaenops ocellatus, the Texas State Saltwater Fish — which means we can talk to your team about grade, size, and cook performance the way a fish program manager would. If your menu tells a Texas story, our fish is built to hold up to a customer's questions.
What matters in a chef's kitchen
Consistency, a story, and a phone that gets answered.
01 · Grade
Consistent size, week to week.
Hand-graded at harvest, not after. Common food-size weights run 2–4 lb whole. We match a target count-and-weight grade to your order, printed on the lot card. A menu portion costed on a 6 oz fillet should still be a 6 oz fillet next Friday.
02 · Story
Provenance your server can repeat.
Farm location, species name, harvest cadence, feed type, broodstock genetics — all on record. The Texas State Saltwater Fish status is a one-line tableside explanation. Commercial wild redfish is illegal across the Gulf, so "farm-raised" is not a qualifier we defend against — it's the category.
03 · Cold chain
Fresh, not frozen. Delivered on a kitchen's clock.
Insulated packaging, gel or wet ice to transit time, refrigerated trucks on direct routes. Temperature logs on request. A Friday-morning service is a Thursday harvest, not a frozen stock-out.
04 · Relationship
Chef-direct, not a call-center.
A first call goes to a person at the farm. A standing order comes with a contact who knows your menu. A late-Tuesday tasting change is a conversation, not a ticket.
Order shape
What a first restaurant order looks like.
Typical first order
- Single case. Whole or filleted, sized to your menu plan.
- Harvest-to-door in days. We harvest twice a week, so a first delivery is usually measured in days, not weeks.
- Lot ID on the carton. Harvest date, raceway, hatchery date — the card travels in the box.
- Account setup on the first call. We'll work out ordering cadence and logistics together.
Menu language we support
- "Texas-grown redfish" — direct from our farm.
- "Farm-raised redfish" — always defensible; wild commercial redfish is illegal across the Gulf.
- "From Palacios, Texas" — our address.
- "Sciaenops ocellatus" — scientific name, the Texas State Saltwater Fish.
A chef said so
"We also have a redfish dish from Turtle Creek Aquaculture. … Turtle Creek runs a sustainable fishery in Palacios, Texas, near Matagorda Bay. It's so fresh, I think they grab it right out of the pond and bring it to us."
— Lung Ly, owner of 93 Til, Houston
Restaurant FAQ
What chefs ask on the first call.
What's a typical first order?
A first restaurant order is typically a single case, whole or filleted, sized to your menu plan. We harvest twice a week, so a first delivery is usually measured in days, not weeks. From there we scale to your standing weekly cadence.
Can you hold a consistent fillet size for a standing menu?
Yes. Hand-grading at harvest means a 6 oz fillet costed into your menu this week is still a 6 oz fillet next Friday. We match a target count-and-weight grade to your order and print the grade on the lot card.
Where do you deliver?
Texas by default — Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Corpus Christi, the Coastal Bend. Out-of-state is available case-by-case via cold-chain freight. Tell us your zip and we'll quote.
Can I visit the farm?
Yes — by appointment. 7474 TX-35 S, Palacios, TX. Chefs are welcome on a harvest day; schedule it through your sales contact.
Can I label the fish "Texas-grown" on my menu?
Yes. Fish we sell direct to restaurants from our farm is labeled Texas-grown redfish. For specific menu language ("farm-raised," "Texas-raised," "from Palacios," "Sciaenops ocellatus"), we will send you the public reference set. Confirm final wording with your counsel.
First inquiry
What to tell us on the first call.
No web form in v1. The fastest path is a phone call. If you'd rather email, here's what to include so we can quote on the first reply.
- Restaurant name and concept. A one-line read on the menu.
- Weekly poundage estimate. Even a rough range.
- Whole or filleted. Size or portion preference if you have one.
- Delivery address. Zip or back-of-house dock notes.
- First-delivery timing. Menu launch date or first-of-the-month standing.
Call (713) 364-3701
Email Sales@turtlecreek.fish
Hours Daily, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Central
Visit 7474 TX-35 S, Palacios, TX 77465 — by appointment
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