Huangsha Fish Market Guangzhou; China: Fresh Seafood Meets The NYSE Trading Floor!

I recently had an amazing sushi experience that I had at Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market (be sure to read my Tsukiji Fish Market: The Real Deal Sushi posting) so I had to visit Guangzhou's huge seafood market to do seafood in the Guangzhou-Cantonese style.  The market is located on the banks of the wide Huangsha River providing all deep sea fishing vessels easy access as they enter Guangzhou.  These ships bring all types of seafood items such as fish, shrimp, prawns, crabs, clams, lobster and countless other types of seafood items from the ocean.  All are kept alive as they are immediately placed in tanks that have oxygen continuously pumped through them.  The market is mainly a wholesale market where all of the restaurants both in Guangzhou and the surrounding area load up on all types of seafood.  The market is open around the clock and refrigerated trucks pull in and out of it regularly stuffed with freshly caught delicacies from the sea.  Individual shoppers interested in creating a delicious dinner may also purchase items directly from the vendors.  The shopping experience here is very different from fish markets in the States where prices are uniform and clearly posted.  At Huangsha, there are few posted prices and each shop owner is free to set his or her own price  EVERY price is negotiable!  In fact,  drastically different prices for identical items in will be found in shops that are attached to each other!  The shopping at Huangsha mirrors the NYSE floor since every deal is the result of direct interaction between a seller and a buyer.  So be sure to sharpen your negotiating skills before visiting because the vendors always begin with much higher prices when a laowei (foreigner) approaches their shop.  A good rule of thumb for negotiating prices is to cut the vendors initial request in half.  Work your bargaining from there but remember to always have in mind the amount that you would like to pay.  Don't be afraid to walk way if the vendor refuses to budge as this will often soften their stance (they usually follow and begin offering lower prices once they see that you are serious about leaving).  However, you should not worry at all if walking away does not lead to a better offer from that vendor as you will find a seemingly endless number of shops and vendors happily willing to negotiate a price with you for whatever you are seeking.

But buying your seafood is only half of the fun at the Huangsha Fish Market.  Many restaurants found in the neighborhood are happy to prepare your purchases in the typical Cantonese style.  Obviously, this takes much more communication that simply bartering with the vendors so I recommend having a Chinese-speaking friend or guide with you to manage this part.  The restaurants are beautiful and very large so you will never have to wait long to be seated.  Cantonese seafood is among the best in all of China and absolutely holds its own versus the other great seafood dishes of the world.  We ate fish, clams, crab, shrimp, prawns, and other mollusks in various dishes all of which were fabulous.  We also ordered a few vegetable and tofu dishes to complement the seafood.  As is the case with all Chinese restaurants, eating is a communal process with all of the dishes placed on a lazy-Susan apparatus in the center of large (8-12 person) table so all may easily try each dish without leaving their seat.  Throw in endless beverage options such as pots of hot Chinese tea (flower, oolong, or red), warm corn juice (delightfully delicious), cold local beer, and even some decent Chinese wine (we had a Cabernet Sauvignon produced by a winery in the Helena Mountain region) and you have a complete, perfect meal.  Oops, I forgot to mention the dessert options like soft, steamed buns filled with sweet custard or red bean paste.  And the arrival of the watermelon slices ALWAYS indicates that the food service has ended since it is always the final plate delivered to the table.

The Huangsha Fish Market is a must-visit stop when you find yourself in the Guangzhou, China area.  You will have a purchasing and eating experience there that will rival any other in the world!!

Bon Appétit!  Power to the Purple!