Fellow fishmonger Jimmy Mac was pictured alongside the whopper, showing the sheer scale of it in comparison to his 5ft 10in frame.

The fish has now been filleted into a huge 450 portions and will be sold to restaurants around the capital, as well as in the family run business itself.

‘It’s the biggest halibut I have ever seen come in,’ Clare said.

‘It’s quite a feat to think about how they even got a fish that size on the boat.

‘It was caught in the North Sea and landed in Peterhead on Monday. Everyone was so impressed and excited by it – it was amazing to see one that size.

‘It took four guys to get it up on the bench and they were knackered after it.

‘With a big fish like that you are never sure how to tackle it so we all had a ten minute discussion to see how best to fillet it. It made about 450 fillets, which is loads.

‘We’ll sell it in the shop and to restaurants around Edinburgh who we supply halibut too. It was a great novelty for a Wednesday morning.’

Halibut fish can live to aged 33, which may go some way to explaining the sheer size of the catch.

The fish are highly regarded food fish due to their firm, dense flesh and the fact that four large fillets can be gained from each one.

They are also highly regarded sport fish, with fishermen keen to catch the popular animal because they can grow to large sizes.