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They say you have not really sampled all that Sydney has to offer
if you have not gone to Sydney Fish Market (SFM). Touted to be the
largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere, and the world’s
second largest in terms of variety outside of Japan, it is supposedly
the place to see some interesting ‘fish’ scene and also to sample
some of Mother Nature’s delicious creation. The Sydney Fish Market
has a widest selection of fresh seafood, where one can find anything
that you wish for from Sydney rock oysters to snappers, prawns,
lobsters, mud crabs and even Canadian rainbow trout. For those who
do not have strong stomach for fishy smell, it might need some getting
adjusted to.
When my sister first asked me to go to the market with her, I thought,
“No way! … I am not going to a stinky market…” But she said
that we are meeting some friends and that we are going to have our
lunch there, so I guess I have no choice but to actually go to the
market. So my sister and I got up early Saturday morning and walked
to the Sydney Fish Market, a 15 minutes walk from Darling Harbour.
As they say, it is nothing like a walk in fresh air to work up your
appetite.
The Auction
When we got there, the auction has already ended. Using the Dutch
Auction system, the auction sees over 50 tonnes or over 2,700 crates
of fresh seafood being auctioned off to an average of 150 buyers
each weekday.
The Tour
So for those who would like to see some fast and furious bidding
action going on, you can actually go for the guided tour of SFM.
During which, you will be given the tour of the auction floor and
a chance to view over 100 species of seafood, explanation on how
the auction is carried out, the tour of the Sydney Seafood School,
view the oysters shucking and also the retail area. For those who
wish to go for a guided tour of the market, the meeting point would
be outside of Doyles Seafood Café. Adults only have to pay $20 while
children under 13 pay $10. The tour which will last approximately
1 1/2 hours, is conducted every Monday & Thursday, at 6.55 am and
all participants are advised to wear enclosed shoes.
Seafood Galore
Apart
from the auction, SFM is also host to several retailers who sells
fresh seafood. Not only some of these retailers sell them fresh,
for you to bring home, you can also choose the seafood and get them
to cook it for you so you can sit outside on one of the benches
at the wharf and enjoy good freshly cooked meal, good view and clean
fresh air. You can get from the typical fish and chips, the seafood
platter, sushi or even a dozen of oysters, whichever tickles your
gastronomic delight. The place can get so packed that some days
you might even have to sit on the ground. At the retail area, not
only can you get fresh seafood, you can also get a bottle of wine
from the bottle shop, fresh bread, vegetables and even fruits. So
basically, you can actually have a complete meal and even have a
picnic, if the benches are all booked up.
That was what we actually did. We each had a plate of freshly cooked
meal, sat on the ground outside and had a picnic. My freshly cooked
seafood platter has never tasted so good, what with the smell of
the ocean and the sunshiny day.
Sydney Seafood School
For those who not only enjoy eating seafood, but would also love
to learn how the seafood is prepared and how their favourite meal
is cooked, there is also the Sydney Seafood School. Those who are
interested can sign up for the cooking class which ranges from 2-hour
lessons to 4-hour lessons and the lessons are priced between $75
to $135. The classes are conducted on most evening and also on weekends.
In these classes, there will be demonstration on how the dishes
are prepared and those who attend the classes are also given the
chance to get down and dirty, by trying to recreate what they have
just been taught. The last part is of course the best part of the
lesson as you get to sample the food that you have just cooked.
I am tempted to actually enrol in the class but before I can do
that, I think I should perhaps attempt at learning how to gut a
fish.
With all these fascinating things to see and do, Sydney Fish Market
is not just any conventional market. So when anyone were to invite
you to Sydney Fresh Market, hopefully the first thought that comes
to mind would be that of freshly cooked delicious seafood meal instead
of a stinky smelly traditional market, as SFM is anything but that.
How to get to SFM
Sydney Fish Market is located at Bank Street Pyrmont and is open
daily at 7.00 except on Christmas day. Visitors can get to SFM by:
Bus: Departs from Sydney Electricity Building and Queen Victoria
Building. Every 20 minutes or weekdays and 30 minutes on weekends
Metro Light Rail: Departs from Central Station, Hypermarket
or Darling Harbour. Trains operates every 12 minutes, 24 hours a
day for 7 days a week
SFM is also accessible via Monorail (Darling Harbour Monorail Station
– 10 minutes walk from SFM), by boat (Blackwattle Bay) and by car.
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