Well, technically, it's already Saturday here in my part of the world and I failed to publish this Market Friday contribution in "time", but it's still Friday somewhere else so yeah...
I've honestly not been paying to the days and dates anymore -- they confuse me. The changing of weekends here in the UAE that effected last January definitely did not help. I am always still thinking that Fridays are off days so the weeks seem longer for me since I have to wait 2 extra days before the actual Sunday off.
Fish Market
Today I would like to share our trip to the fish market on Christmas Eve. I wanted to prepare some seafood for Christmas Eve dinner so we decided to go to the Mina Fish Market to have better options.
The Mina Fish Market is located just across the Abu Dhabi Port. We walked a few meters from the parking lot for Little Miss to get a view of the ships docked at the harbour. She remembers it from the last time we visited the also nearby Mina Plant Market. "Mina" in Arabic means harbour or port.
Entry to the Fish Market is limited only to those who have their QR codes on the Al Hosn Tracking App green. Anyone who wishes to enter should show a green code to the security guard.
Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside so I can only share a photo of the entrance. The place is run by the Abu Dhabi Fishermen's Cooperative so the prices here are a bit cheaper and fresher than when we would go buy fish and seafood at the supermarket.
Should you want to have your seafood cleaned, there is also a section inside where you can get this done for a few bucks.
Fruits and Vegetable Stalls
There are also a few fruits and vegetable stalls outside so you can buy goods to complement the seafood you buy inside the Fish Market.
Seafood Restaurants
Not in the mood to cook, but craving for seafood? There are also seafood restaurants that line alongside here. The weather is still perfect for outdoor dining and this restaurant is ready for their customers.
Fresh Young Coconuts!
We are delighted to find this stall that sells fresh young coconuts. It's been a while since we last had fresh coconut juice. Ahh, so refreshing!
This vendor expertly cuts open the coconut for his customers. Seriously, he has a long queue of people waiting for him. He sells the coconuts for AED 8 ($2.17) each which is still pricey, but understandable since coconuts are not grown here in the UAE.
Little Miss enjoyed the coconut juice. This coconut surprisingly had so much juice in it, we had to share in one.
After we finished drinking the fresh coconut juice, we asked the vendor to cut it open for us so that we can also start eating the meat. He also cut this part of the husk to serve as the spoon so we can scoop the coconut milk. Hmmm, reminds me of how we used to do it back in the Philippines!
We bought a few more coconuts so we could add them to the fruit salad for the Christmas Eve dessert.
Going back to the seafood, we got a few crabs, prawns, and fish. I steamed them and made cajun sauce to match. Arghhh, I am salivating at just the thought of the seafood! I guess it will be time for a trip down to the Fish Market sometime soon again.
This is my contribution to @dswigle's Market Friday where you can share your experiences from different markets and cultures across the world.
Happy Weekend!
You make me wanna have coconut now :D
Valentine's or Christmas? 😅
Either way, have an amazing one <33
Both will do. Haha. I've been wanting to get this post out since yeah, after Christmas but I kept on chasing Fridays and finally caught up pre- Valentine's. Lol.
Cool little post! I've had fresh coconut a time, or two, and really enjoyed it. It is so much better than the processed coconut shreds we often have to buy.
Abu Dhabi is on my travel list. Hopefully, Covid ends soon so I can resume my travels.
Thanks for sharing this post!
Cheers!
Yep, fresh coconut is definitely much better than the processed and canned we can usually buy.
Covid and it's restrictions! Ahh, when will this end?! Hopefully soon. ☺️
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