Central Fish Market Manama

My instinct is to always show people the sunny side of things, so this one is a challenge; I’m going to classify the fish market as type 2 fun. Do you know what that means? It’s kinda like at the time it wasn’t exactly enjoyable but you are happy you did it. Will I go back? I think so…but I don’t see this being a weekly staple.

We arrived at 5 am and the street was bustling with people loading and unloading all sorts of products, a man with a trolley comes to our car and we politely decline but he points us in the direction of the fish market and just kind of follows us anyways *shrug.*

The main reason you go so early is that the fish smell hasn’t yet mixed with the heat of the day, and had we gotten there just a tad earlier we would have witnessed a bit of auctioning as local restaurants bid for the best products.

It was overwhelming to be honest. This isn’t Pike’s Place Market with its show for tourists, it’s a plain tiled hall used purely out of function. We began to walk the aisles, grateful for COVID masks that provide just a small barrier to the smell of seafood and fishermen, I’d suggest bringing some gum or mints to block some of the smell . It was at this point I remembered: I don’t know how to cook seafood, I don’t know what seafood to cook, I don’t know what it looks like and I can’t exactly ask this man who hardly speaks English “What is a good white fish for tacos?”. We decide on squid because “How hard can it be to make ceviche or calamari?” <-HAHAH. However, there was no huge financial undertaking, the prices were CHEAP- 1 BHD ($2.65 USD) for 1 KILO of squid. I don’t know the going rate but it felt like a bargain for sure.

However, don’t get hooked on going just yet, there are a few things worth noting: Shark fishing. This one felt deeply upsetting to me, I don’t know why I hadn’t even considered it to be something we would encounter but as I began to realize what I was looking at my curiosity fell away and was replaced by sadness and anger. The fishermen were quite proud and I can imagine that the typical reaction they receive is one of awe but I couldn’t stand the sight. While I understand that these men are doing what they know to survive I think sharks are majestic creatures and stand firmly against this sort of fishing.

Clothing. I’ll get more specific into the dos and don’ts of what to wear in Bahrain in another post but I would be remiss not to mention it here as well. It is far too easy to dress for the temperature and not the culture because the majority of places in Bahrain are completely relaxed to Western standards. However, I would recommend making this one of the places your cover up. It is hard to put this delicately so I’ll just say it, Tanita and I were the only women and the only white people at the market, which is usually indicative of a more traditional crowd. We both wore loose pants but she forgot a shoulder cover-up and received a handful of looks and comments, I have experienced similar things while wearing yoga pants in the past. These days I like to keep a lite flowy button-up shirt in my car just in case.

Photography. I always feel hesitant to take photos in this kind of setting; these people are here to live their lives, not to put on a display for me. I also feel guilt knowing that the cost of my camera is an unfathomable amount of money, especially here in Bahrain where so many ex-pats are living in dismal conditions. However, this was just another lesson on being a person, several of the men actually sought us out to take their photos and hold their fish in our own photos (there’s probably a joke here.) I really love this kind of playfulness with strangers; when there is a complete language barrier it is far too easy to assume an “us “ and “them” mentality but the reality is no matter the cultural differences some dudes will try to shoot their shot with a pair of pretty girls.

After the market we stepped outside to the blissful site of fresh produce, this is my comfort zone. The aforementioned trolley man reappeared just in time to assist our overflowing arms of fruits and vegetables. He was also helpful in providing recommendations for where to find some of our less generic ingredients like figs and specific herbs. I didn’t take exact notes on the prices but I can assure you that this was SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than shopping at the grocery store, it worked out perfectly as I was preparing to host a luncheon the next day. This may have been the moment our squid expedition went foul- there was ice in the bag but later that evening when we attempted to cook the most putrid-smelling seafood I could only imagine that we dug our own graves here, better luck next time.

Well, that’s it, folks. If you have any questions or suggestions please reach out and share with me, I’d love some pro tips for fish market round 2!

Rd 1405, Block 313

Hours:3am-2.30pm