We live near Fethiye and are lucky enough to have one of the most beautiful fish markets in Turkey. Fethiye fish market is one of the best experiences for the tourist or local alike, to go there for lunch or dinner.
If you don’t enjoy fish, then you can order meat or a vegetable dish and still have a fabulous meal in a relaxed but vibrant atmosphere. Whatever one is going to eat, you still say you are going to The Fish Market.
The fish market takes up a large area of a market square that was once on the outskirts of the old town. Fethiye fish market is not far from the port but now lies embraced by the rest of the city. It is actually an old ‘kervansaray’ where travellers came and stayed overnight and housed their camels or donkeys in the same building, but different quarters.
FETHIYE FISH MARKET IS MORE THAN JUST FISH
It has many typically arched doorways and is a very attractive building. Nestled into the little arches on the exterior of the building are a dying race of artisans including shoe repairers, knife sharpeners, lace and bead shops and more traditional necessary masters of fading trades.
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR MEAL
The very centre of the market has the fish stalls and then set around the kervansaray walls, within the enclosed area are the restaurants, all specialising in preparing seafood of any kind to your choice.
After choosing your fish, octopus, prawns, lobster, or whatever, you simply tell the fishmonger which way you would like to eat it.
Filleted or whole, peeled, shelled or trimmed, beheaded or whatever, they will obligingly clean the catch and deliver it to your restaurant’s chef in the manner you choose.
The restaurants all generally charge 6 lira per person (a little more than £1.50) to cook the seafood and serve it along with a salad, fresh bread and often chips as well. This does sound ridiculously cheap but they make up for it by offering many delicious starters (meze) which cannot be resisted.
It is accepted that most Turks will drink raki, an alcoholic aniseed drink to accompany their fish meal. Raki cleanses the palette beautifully and is the preferred accompaniment to fish.
By the end of the night, it’s generally not as cheap a meal as anticipated (if you think that eating in a market is going to be a bargain!) but indeed it is always memorable.
The Fethiye Fish Market is much more than a fishy square. It has life at all times of the day and night and has beautiful trees and plants along with a lovely Ottoman tiled marble fountain. There are hanging lights which lend such a unique atmosphere to this buzzing place. All our senses are soaring when we go there.
We are not big football fans but on summer nights you cannot get away from the large plasma TV screens hanging from the grapevine trellises broadcasting who is winning. Sitting amongst all the diners happily chatting you will hear screams of joy or woe depending on who scored.
Rather than this being a detraction, it adds another dimension to the night and you cannot feel anything but full of life when you go there. It’s hard to actually describe this full-on wonderful, lively atmosphere that feeds all your senses so I just hope that somehow you will manage to visit such a place at least once.
The Fethiye Fish Market is definitely a local attraction that should not be missed if you come visit this lovely seaside town. It’s great for either lunch or dinner, offering two very different atmospheres.
Hoping to see you there!
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