This is going to be summer then - there are going to be times when I can't do a post (such as the last two days for instance). A daily post, my original aim for this blog, is impossible sometimes.
Anyway, I did say I was going to write about the lovely Fethiye fish market a couple of days ago and as we have friends out at the moment, we are all going to eat there tonight before going to Deep Blue Bar so it's fitted in quite well. I'll just write about the fish market itself today and add a couple of extras into tomorrow's post about the meal we eat tonight.
Anyway, I did say I was going to write about the lovely Fethiye fish market a couple of days ago and as we have friends out at the moment, we are all going to eat there tonight before going to Deep Blue Bar so it's fitted in quite well. I'll just write about the fish market itself today and add a couple of extras into tomorrow's post about the meal we eat tonight.
Take your pick at Fethiye fish market
Judging by the reaction of my friend last night when we diverted through the fish market, I'm fully aware that these photos are not going to appeal to everyone but we just love walking around the stalls to see what's available. She's vegetarian and hates the sight of fish - we're complete opposites when it comes to food because I think all of this looks great.So, what makes Fethiye fish market so special? A few years ago, the mayor of Fethiye had the idea to create an attractive fish market, surrounded by small restaurants that would cook your fish for you and provide salad and bread for a small fee. At the time of writing, this fee is 5 lira per person. Simple idea, but genius. It's become a bit of a tradition now that we go with our friends who are out at the moment which is why we're going there tonight. I suspect we'll go to the restaurant we always go to, order far too many mezes, buy far too many king prawns and end up absolutely full to the brim - well, this is how the tradition stands at the moment. We used to order prawns as a starter and then a fish but a couple of years ago, we just thought, 'Forget the fish; extra prawns!' Very extravagant but we only do it once a year.
Obviously, the mezes and drinks are extra so you can make your fish market experience as cheap or as expensive as you like. Prawns are anywhere between 35 lira and 50 lira per kilo at the moment, depending on their size. But then you have your sea bass and sea bream. A treat when we were living in England, but the staple fish of Fethiye. If you are in Turkey on a budget, you can pick a decent sized bass or bream for as little as 4 lira each. These cheaper ones tend to be farmed (they are clearly labelled) and the ones caught in the sea cost around 10 lira each, depending on their size.
A meaty swordfish steak, perfect for the barbecue
The fish market is not just somewhere you go for an alternative eating experience in Fethiye. It's also a fantastic shopping experience where we do quite a bit of our food shopping. If you read this blog a lot, you'll know we buy our fruit and vegetables from Fethiye and Çalış markets. Fish is bought from the fish market and there are also butchers (our favourite butcher has his shop here) and dairy stalls. On Fathers Day, we had a barbecue at our house for Barry's mum and dad and decided to make swordfish şiş kebabs. One swordfish steak (30 lira and weighing just under a kilo) made up five meaty şiş kebabs - and swordfish is perfect on a barbecue. We also bought our chicken, cheese and olives from here. A one-stop shop for all of our favourite goodies.
We've never ordered a lobster but there seems to be more of them around at the moment
If you are desperate to visit the fish market and you are with people who just don't do seafood, it's perfectly okay for them to buy meat from the butchers and pass it on to your chosen restaurant to cook. Some of the bigger restaurants also have a separate menu where you can order other non-seafood meals. Two of the people in our group tonight can't stand fish and one of them is vegetarian. Meze, chips and salad for those two then while we gorge on the delightful fruits of the sea. Hopefully, more photos in Fethiye Fish Market Part Two tomorrow.
(Some people struggle to find the Fethiye fish market as there is no obvious sign pointing you to the various entrances. We've added it to our Google Map of Fethiye to make it easier to stumble across.)
(Some people struggle to find the Fethiye fish market as there is no obvious sign pointing you to the various entrances. We've added it to our Google Map of Fethiye to make it easier to stumble across.)
6 comments:
what a great tradition. Reminds me a bit of Thailand, where you choose your meal around the fish. There you have banana shakes instead.
In Israel much of the fish is farmed or imported. Very few fish in the water because of overharvest (and not necessarily by Israelis). Pollution probably also factors in
We sometimes buy the farmed fish for that reason Sarah. The Med is horrendously over-fished and I do think Turkey is going to have to look into farming more, just to help stocks replenish.
Is the fish market open all year? Also what time do you need to be about to buy fish from the fishing boats?
@ Anonymous: Yes, the fish market is open all year round. If you want to buy fish from the fishing boats, the boats are getting back into the harbour around 9am and a lot of the fishermen will put their fish on the harbour for you to see.
My attitude to fish are at best ambiguous, but I love buying the at the market.
@Italian Notes: We love the fish markets here in Turkey. I don't like buying it from the supermarket as it always looks too clinical. :)
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