Curious travellers, particularly seafood lovers, will find that a visit to the biggest fresh fish market in Bali is a real excitement. It’s a good opportunity to get a better understanding about from where most of the seafood restaurants on the island get their fresh fish products. Kedonganan Fish Market in Jimbaran is very famous for its fresh and big catch among the seafood lovers. Bustling with either tourists or locals, this market is one of the hottest culinary destinations on the island. Ask your local driver or point your GPS to Jalan Segara Madu, Jimbaran, and follow the road until the end to reach the market.
Market activity starts from 5AM after the fishermen hauling their boats and dropping off their fresh catch. It is the busy hours, a hunting time for customers to pick the freshest and best quality fishes. There are so many selections in the morning; sardines, shrimps, crabs, lobsters, octopus, chunks of fish eggs, tuna – a long array of fishes from large to small sizes are weighed and auctioned to customers. There’s something about getting fresh fish that makes people excited to shop here, regardless of the annoying flies and the strong smell of fish. As tourists, this opportunity allows you to see how the locals live and shop.
Finish with the auctioning, the activities then centralised at the fish market stalls, lining inside a huge airy hall. Sellers put smaller fishes in a row on the table while the bigger chunks are hanged on the air. Next to the table stall, men are usually busy with cutting big fishes into smaller pieces while the women are behind the table negotiating with the customers. If you happen to arrive pretty late, you can work on your bargaining skill and end up negotiating at a really low price. For better deals, come early in the morning and buy directly from fishermen who lay out their catch on the coast.
In case you are craving to eat seafood, you may go to the nearby warung selling grilled fish. Alternatively, you can buy the fish yourself from the market and ask the warung to have it grilled for you. A fresh and young whole coconut drink is a good pair for a plate of Jimbaran style grilled fish on your table.
