Not being a seafood lover I did not expect much from Sydney Fish Market. However knowing this is the place where Aussies do their Christmas food shopping was a reason good enough for me to go and check it out.
Sydney Fish Market was established in 1945 and privatised in 1994. It is easily accessible by public transport. We travelled to Central station and then caught a tram (that is directly in front of the station exit) to well… Fish Market station. The journey from Central to Fish Market takes about 20 mins.
Sydney Fish Market combines a working fishing port, wholesale fish, fresh seafood retail market, a delicatessen, a sushi bar, a fruit and veg market, beverage outlet, a seafood cooking school, indoor and outdoor seating area. It is the worlds third largest fish market. Monday to Friday early in the morning fishermen sell their nights catch to seafood retailers.
Come early and learn from trade adepts
It is always a good idea to come here as early as you can to beat the crowds and the heat. We arrived early and our first stop was De-Costi seafoods. We were truly overwhelmed by the variety of produce , its freshness and lovely staff working there. I must say most of the fish and seafood was unfamiliar to me and it was only lucky I met Maria there who talked me through the wide array of fish molluscs and crustaceans available at De Costi Seafood. She loves seafood and that shines through her. I am not adventurous when it comes to seafood and usually I’m very happy with just fish and chips. But being here at Sydney Fish Market I thought fish and chips would be an insult to the place.
Maria suggested I should try one of her favourites: Balmain Bugs! Its flesh is apparently super soft and almost sweet, already cooked and ready to eat. I was not too keen on trying a creature with the word “bug” in its name. Marie said that if there is only one thing to try I should really try Alaskan King Crab. Surprisingly this one came to Sydney Fish Market all the way from Russia. As interestingly only crabs legs were being sold I asked Maria why was that? She said that the crabs body is relatively small and doesn’t have much flesh so it is simpler and easier for transport. I was seriously considering giving this delicacy a go…. Perhaps it is not long before Alaskan King Crabs will be just a distant memory. Its industry was at its peak in 1980 producing 90,000,000 kg to drop to only 11,000,000 kg in 1983.
Make lunch a special affair
There are 20 vendors mostly offering fresh seafood either ready to take home or cooked and ready to serve if you fancy lunch at the Sydney Fish Market. The lunch there is an affair on its own terms. Here you can see whole families sharing huge seafood platters, impressive sized crabs that just wait to be consumed, trays of oysters, shrimps, mussels, sea cucumber (not for vegetarians this one!) and exotic looking sea urchins amongst many other seafood delicacies. We ordered ours much smaller and way less exotic tray. It consisted of grilled lobster tail, shrimps, salmon + chips (fish + chips in disguise) and very adventurous for my standards red abalone.
Red abalone turned out to be a sea snail which I was not aware of when I ate it. It was rubbery and almost hard in texture and did not overwhelm me. I was even less impressed when back home I checked how the live creature looked like! Nevertheless I can now say I ate a sea snail.
If you enjoyed came back for more
For true seafood lovers and chefs at heart there is one big surprise at the Sydney Fish Market and that is the famous Sydney Seafood School. Sydney Seafood School is Australia’s leading cooking school. The school runs workshops during the week and also at weekends and its program is available a few months in advance which helps in deciding on which class to go to.
At the beginning of November 2016, the state government announced that the iconic Sydney Fish Market will be replaced by a new $250m development next door. Will it be bigger and better? To answer that question we have to wait until 2020 when the new market is expected to open.
All of us really enjoyed the visit. Our 9 year old daughter said it was good but that we stayed there too long! Well we did, because it was worth it and I’m pretty certain we will be back. Next time for a behind the scene tour of the Sydney Fish Market and perhaps even trying the Alaskan King Crab legs Maria was so fond of...
Quick review:
Level of enjoyment 4 out 5
Cost involved: entry free, food moderately expensive
Time required: 1 - 3 hours
Hot tip: Take proper footwear , it is wet and slippery at times
23rd December 2016 at 09:21
Thanks for sharing. It does sounds like a great place to visit. Will be on my to do list if I am ever in Sydney
20th January 2017 at 03:20
Thanks for stopping by Artur. It is a great place and definitely worth a visit 🙂
1st March 2017 at 08:39
Such an exotic range of fish! I’ve worked at a fish market myself when I was a student, but I’ve never seen these kind of fish before. How cool are those spider crab legs!?
2nd March 2017 at 02:55
Hey Laura,
Great to have you here. I know! This spider crab legs (btw I love how you named them!) have freaked me out, lol. They are apparently really tasty. Sadly I was not adventures enough for them, lol. Perhaps next time!
5th March 2017 at 20:37
Fish markets are always so interesting and this one looks especially fun. Good tip to get there before the heat! 😉 I think taking a workshop would be pretty cool and you’d learn a lot.
5th March 2017 at 20:41
I am a HUUUUUUGE seafood lover and this is like heaven for me! Now that explains why it’s only the legs that I see from an Alaskan King Crab, it’s one of my favorites. The meat is a bit sweet, ah! I can have a kilo of it right now.
19th March 2017 at 14:10
Hello Noemi, great to have you here. I think next time when I am there I may just buy Alaskan King Crab and try it!!! 🙂
5th March 2017 at 20:59
I have tried the king crab legs before and the same as you, I always wonder why I have never seen other parts of the king crabs for sale. I do not know their body is very small and does not have much meat for us to taste. Nevertheless, the fish market is one of my favorite as I am a seafood fan. if I go, I think I would stay longer than your daughter. I also love the part that they have cooking school do the workshops and prepare the food for visitors to eat. If I ever travel to Sydney, I will not hesitate to pay a visit there.
19th March 2017 at 14:08
Hello Julie, great to have you here. I think you would really enjoy the visit here. The cooking school is not cheap but it is something that would make you a dinner part expert. How great it would be to serve a dish to your friends and being able to tell them ‘I learnt this at the Sydney Seafood School’!
5th March 2017 at 22:43
I have been to a lot of fish markets around the world, they are great to visit to see what they have on sale. It’s great that there are so many places you can eat too, as I always find the food in markets the best and so much cheaper than restaurants. Will definately visit next time I am in Sydney.
19th March 2017 at 14:02
Hello Clare, thanks for stopping by. Like yourself I love markets as well. They are such a great places to meet the locals and try the ‘real’ food. I don’t think this particular market will offer great deals if it comes to prices( that was what i was hoping for but didn’t find) The freshness and quality of the food here is unbeatable tho!
6th March 2017 at 08:40
I used to work in a pub about a block away from the Fish Markets, called the Harlequin, many of my friends and I used to chip in to get a feed and some alcohol, great food and many sore heads the next day as well!
6th March 2017 at 11:10
I was looking at photos of the Sydney Fish Market on Instagram yesterday so it’s interesting to read about the place too. It’s quite a recent market dating back to 1945. I’d visit with an empty stomach and eat as much as possible whilst there. The new market scheduled for 2020 will be worth visiting too.
19th March 2017 at 13:56
Hello, great to have you here. Yes I think you are right it will be interesting to visit the new venue once is built. It is such a great place for photography too. So even if you are not a seafood lover, like myself, you will find things that make the visit worthwhile. Going on an empty stomach sounds like a perfect plan!
6th March 2017 at 15:01
I am from Sydney but only visited once many years ago, I had no idea it’s the largest fish market in the world – that is so cool. I do remember it being expensive also, but the freshness would be hard to beat. Thanks for sharing this, next time I’m home I’ll be sure to visit again and eat something adventurous!
19th March 2017 at 13:53
Hello Sasha, thank you for stopping by. I am so glad we have inspired you to visit this iconic place. As a girl from Sydney you have so many reasons to be proud of your city! Good luck at trying something adventurous- there is no better place than Sydney Fish Marked to do exactly that!
6th March 2017 at 17:41
*GASP* not a seafood lover?! My goodness, this place is like HEAVEN for my husband and me. I love seafood as is but when it comes to giant crustaceans and fresh sashimi? Oh man, we’d hurt somebody to get our hands on some. We’ll definitely be making our way here when we visit Sydney!
19th March 2017 at 13:49
Hello Ivy, great to have you here! I am so thrilled you love seafood as it will be like heaven for you. We loved the experience and it is such an iconic place. You will LOVE the place and the food!! 🙂 At lunch time you will see the whole families gathered at the tables eating this massive portions of fish, crabs, shrimps, you name it! It makes you hungry even watching them!