Fresh Seafood Retail

[junglechef]

Looking to buy any kind of fresh from the sea fish, clams, squid etc. to cook for myself. Just got here for a month and it would be a shame to find somewhere really good at the end of our stay. I'm in Maenam but will travel anywhere on island if worth it. Thai market or straight off the boat is what I'm thinking but freshness, quality and variety are most important.

[Mole]

You'll have to have a motorbike and drive around to all the markets on the island where the fishermen sells their daily catch. They don't sell every day and some locations may be selling, while other may not, and you can judge the freshness yourself. I tell you this time of year, there's not much, usually mantis shrimp and if you're lucky some flat head lobsters (similar to Moreton Bay bug). The season for the really big tiger prawns are around December/January. Anything caught in this time of year will be not much and sells for very high prices.

Here's the markets that I'm aware of.

1. Nathon, along the ocean road just behind where the Pantip buses are parked. There are several vendors here and you'll just have to start walking immediately behind the parked buses (which you will find the cheapest vendor), then walk against the one way road and you'll see more vendors, but they're usually very expensive, but sometimes may have the really really big tiger prawns.

2. The road from ringroad going to Racha ferry pier, just near the T junction where it goes off to that military area.

3. Opposite Maenam market, if they're selling, you'll see whatever they've got. It's not hard to find.

4. Hua Thanon market.

5. Big Buddha market.