SYDNEY — Tucked away in a curious little corner of Pyrmont, the Sydney Fish Market offers bucket loads of fresh seafood and old Australian atmosphere.

Things begin around 5am each day, when wholesalers gather to partake in the daily fish auction. Arrive at a more civil hour — the ozone will still smack you in the face and the fish remains fidgety fresh.

It is a pleasant spot — everything sunburnt, bleached and salty. The Anzac Bridge is just there, so too a jetty with old trawlers and rusty winches.

Deciding where to buy the day’s fruits is no mean feat, just wander around and see what looks best. De Costi is a good bet for quality with prices to boot, the wares displayed in a tiled room of fruity neon and faded fisheries charts.

The sashimi here is perhaps the markets best — a glass cabinet shimmers with salmon, scallops, tuna and kingfish. They’ll slice it to order, sit it in a plastic tray and offer you chopsticks, soy and wasabi. The quality is well ahead of most sushi places in town, the price is right and here it can be eaten in the sun at waters edge, on a soggy, seagull lined strip of astroturf.

The care taken by the folks at Claudio’s is apparent in everything from signage to the filleting room that gives workers a floor-to-ceiling view over the harbour.

There you’ll find sardines so inexpensive and fresh you could keep a Sicilian mob sate, the prettiest, pencil-thin garfish and wonderful wings of skate. The tricky leatherjacket sits beheaded but remains ghastly, its appearance and rock bottom price giving no indication of the sweet, firm flesh it yields.

Inside the main building things get a little flustered, but a brief visit is worthwhile for a tray of oysters from Christie’s. There may be up to twenty varieties available on any one day, sourced from all over the country. Cleaned in plain view and shucked to order, bivalves rarely taste better.

A great day out.

7 Days a Week
7am - 4pm