Antonio Ramblés travels

The half day drive to Puerto Vallarta or Manzanillo puts the bounty of the Pacific Ocean within easy reach of Guadalajara, and nowhere is this abundance as evident as at the Mercado del Mar in the Zapopan section.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here restaurant chefs and housewives browse more than a city block of pescaderias and seafood restaurants that compare well with anything to be found in Boston or San Francisco… except for the price!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As at any fresh seafood market, the best picks are available early in the morning, but shops are still well-stocked when I arrive before noon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are nearly 50 seafood vendors and half a dozen seafood restaurants from which to choose, and sifting through the choices is at least half the fun.

 

 

There are plenty of fish that shoppers from north of the border will recognize even if their Mexican names are unfamiliar, but there are also plenty of local varieties that beg to be tasted.

 

 

 

 

There’s not much English spoken here, but most of the shop owners will gladly explain their products at the slightest prompting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The breadth of selection is staggering, and there seems to be something in almost every color of the rainbow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fishmongers expertly carve out filets and deftly shuck oysters.

 

 

 

The ceviche is about as good and fresh as any you’ll find anywhere without a beach in sight.

 

Get there from the Periferico on the northwest side.  Exit Avenida Los Laureles toward the city and drive less than two miles to its intersection with Avenida Piño Suarez.  The market is two blocks to the left.

 

Remember to take an ice chest.  In fact, remember to take two, because some of the best stuff is not even on your shopping list!

 

Mercado del Mar has a web site which lists all of the seafood shops and restaurants (go to the Locatarios page), and as you scroll over each name more information – including individual web sites for many merchants – displays in the lower right hand corner. http://www.mercadodelmar.com/

 

If you’re uncomfortable with Guadalajara traffic, one of the Mercado del Mar merchants has opened a location just west of Ajijic on the Carretera  in the Plaza La Huerta.  I’ve found it to be among the best at Lakeside.

 

Buen provecho!

 

For more about the Guadalajara open market experience, see my related post Guadalajara’s Mercado Libertad