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December 23, 2025 — 5:00am
Fish have been traded for millennia. There is evidence of sophisticated seafood markets in China dating back more than 3000 years. Jerusalem’s Fish Gate is referenced in the Old Testament. In Australia, the fish traps at Brewarrina (Baiame’s Ngunnhu) in outback NSW – estimated to be anywhere from several thousand to up to 40,000 years old – also had trading aspects to them.
For contemporary seaside communities, fish markets are integral to local identity, and none display that relationship more prominently – or more proudly – than Sydney, where the working harbour colours every aspect of life and the fruits of the fresh catch appear on tables and menus as everything from easy family meals to exquisite fine dining.
Yet the Sydney Fish Market facility at Blackwattle Bay is often chaotic, difficult to access, overshadowed by road infrastructure and too small for its popularity and purpose. But as a new market opens on January 19 just down the way, the Sydney Fish Market is poised to remain a cultural touchstone deep into the 21st century and beyond.
Much has been made of its showstopper roof – a remarkable architectural feature both inside and out. But the designers of the new Sydney Fish Market were acutely aware of what fans of great fish markets around the world already know: the real star of the show is, quite simply, the trading of fish.
In designing the new $836 million Sydney Fish Market, world-renowned Danish architects 3XN, in collaboration with BVN Architecture and Aspect Studios, aimed to balance an authentic seafood-market experience with broader public enjoyment.
Anticipated to attract 6 million visitors a year, that’s quite a balancing act. But the new Sydney Fish Market will be the largest in the southern hemisphere, with many features enabling tourism and commercial fishing to operate side by side, without interrupting each other.
That was the guiding principle, too, behind the design of Toyosu Market in Tokyo, Japan – opened in 2018 as the successor to the legendary Tsukiji.
If Sydney’s new facility has given you fish-market fever, Toyosu is a must-visit. Now the world’s largest wholesale fish market, famous for its pre-dawn tuna auctions, pristine facilities and sushi restaurants serving fish that landed only minutes earlier, it’s a pilgrimage site for seafood devotees. For tourists generally, it offers an intensely exciting insight into Tokyo and Japanese life.
Likewise, Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul, South Korea, is the beating heart of the city’s seafood culture. Open 24 hours, it allows visitors to buy live fish, crab or octopus and have it cooked upstairs. But it’s the buzz, neon glow and endless tanks of this sprawling market that make it a superb experience. Meanwhile, Jagalchi Market in Busan is South Korea’s largest seafood market, known for its dizzying array of live seafood.
It’s easy to find seafood culture in coastal South America, too. In Santiago, Chile, Mercado Central – a national monument – combines grand heritage architecture with an authentic, everyday food scene.
In Europe, Mercat de la Boqueria in Barcelona, Spain, is a general market, but its seafood section is exceptional, and tapas bars cook seafood right before you. Mercato di Rialto in Venice, Italy, is also a mixed market but sells lagoon specialities such as soft-shell crab, cuttlefish and scallops. Its beauty lies in the interplay between ancient architecture and day-to-day Venetian life.
Rusticity and authenticity await, too, at Essaouira, Morocco – an open-air fish market on the Atlantic coast, where nearby grill stalls will cook your pick on the spot (perhaps lobster).
And then there’s the 117-year-old Pike Place Market in Seattle, US. It’s a cultural icon, and yes, it’s touristy – but like all good fish markets, the catch is still the thing.
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