The Fethiye fish market is the place where you will find the best restaurants in Fethiye. As well as the tastiest, freshest and cheapest seafood too.
The Fethiye Fish Market is the perfect place to stock up on fresh seafood. Located in the picturesque harbor, the market offers a wide variety of fish, ranging from common favorites like tuna and salmon to more exotic options like swordfish and lobster. In addition to being a great place to buy seafood, the market is also a popular tourist destination.
Visitors can enjoy watching the fishermen unload their catch, bargaining for the best prices, and sampling some of the fresher-than-fresh seafood on offer. Whether you’re a local looking for a great deal on dinner or a tourist searching for a unique experience, the Fethiye Fish Market is definitely worth a visit.
Seafood and local markets. Two things that we love to devour and explore when we are traveling. Combine the two into one evening at the Fethiye Fish Market, and you have us salivating at the very thought.
Eating at the Fethiye Fish Market
We are always on the lookout for excellent food when we travel. And when a recommendation is handed to you from a local at your accommodation, you should listen. Our Fethiye Guesthouse hostel told us that the freshest, tastiest, and cheapest seafood in Fethiye was to be found at the local Fethiye fish market.
We didn’t need much convincing.
But finding the local fish markets in Fethiye is just the beginning.
Walking the streets of Fethiye, you wouldn’t realize that tucked away in one of the squares is a fish market. From the outside, the square looks like a regular block of shops. Jewelers, tour companies, and local supermarkets sit side-by-side, hiding the gem inside.
It isn’t until you walk through one of the four arched entrances into the open-aired courtyard that the Fethiye fish market is revealed in all its glory.
As you step from under the awnings, your mind begins to piece together the scene in front of your eyes.
Surrounding the square are tables covered with white linen and sparkling dinner sets—each lit from above with paper lanterns.
In the middle of the square sits a brightly lit stand with local fishers jostling together, selling their fresh bounty from that day’s expedition on the Aegean Sea. Each fisher takes up a small shelf of shaved ice piled high with squid, fish, mussels, and prawns.
The seafood stand in the middle is where all the action is.
Seeing the confusion spreading across our faces, we were approached by one of the English-speaking waiters. He quickly explained that we were to select and pay for our dinner from any fishermen. They would prepare our seafood to our liking, whether prawns with shells off, chopped calamari, or whole snapper.
We would then bring our bounty in plastic bags back to the restaurant of our choice, where for a measly 6 – 8 Turkish Lira (US$4 – 5), they would cook our seafood. Included in the price was all-you-can-eat salad and bread—a bargain.
Strolling around the stand several times, we were waved in with friendly smiles and broken English.
While the fishers were all competing, they were all friends. The mixed banter between them as they enticed us to their stalls was good-natured, and there was a lot of it.
With so many options, it was hard to decide on what we wanted to eat. We were eyeing the sailor-style mussels But as a sucker for calamari, that was immediately diced and thrown into our bag. As well as king prawns, a side of quickly filleted fish, and a couple of pieces of tender salmon.
Handing our bags of fresh seafood over to our waiter, we began downing the local Turkish beer, Efes, and watching as other locals and tourists joined the crowds in the square.
It wasn’t long before we were tucking into our meals. Each plate was perfectly cooked to our specific liking. Each morsel is as succulent as the next. And with 8 of us in our group, there was a lot of sharing and mixing of meals as we all wanted to try what others had.
The Fethiye fish market was the perfect way to finish another incredible day in Fethiye.