The fishermen show up early in the morning at the pier in Catbalogan so
they can sell their catch before the morning sun gets too intense. You see a huge variety of marine life offered for sale. Here a couple of puffer fish are on display.
I'm not sure if these are any relation to the infamous puffer that the "fugo" is made from, but I decided not to take any chances. These shrimp like shellfish have long arms that resemble the praying mantis. I bought two piles for 20 pesos each. The tails were not that meaty and had a taste that resembled crab meat.
I've never seen these offered before and am going to give them another go. Sustainability is not a big issue in the Philippines as these female crabs loaded with eggs would indicate.
It just doesn't seem to make sense to capture and remove the brood stock but looking to the future is not done here. These are all male crabs except for the yellow one. Look at the underbellies and you can spot the difference in the shell structure.
In the Alaskan crab industry only the males are kept.
There is a stiff fine per crab if female crabs were found on board. Here is a nice mix.
These delicious grouper looking fish are called lapu lapu. The small ones go for around 50 pesos a piece and are among the best tasting fish I have ever eaten.
(Right after smoked red salmon from Alaska!)
Check the red gills on this fish - that is the color you are looking for.
We bought 2 kilos of shrimp but I forgot to take any pictures as I got caught up with the negotiations.
The large shrimp went for 200 a kilo and the super jumbos were 250 a kilo. We had guests for lunch and ate them all.
Barracuda are often for sale but I am not as fond of that fish as the others. I went back and took a few shrimp pictures a few days later. I bought a half kilo of these beauties for 100 pesos.
A good rule of thumb with shrimp is to feel them for firmness of the flesh and if there is any odor of ammonia it means that they are starting to spoil. Usually the very small shrimp have a shorter shelf life.
If they are not iced soon after being caught I will give them a pass.
With fish, lift the gill plate and check for bright red gills. If they are brown the fish is no longer fresh though they might still be edible. I really enjoy cooking my own meals in the Philippines.
I usually pick up 3 pineapples for 20 pesos at the market from a gentle old lady that sets up her shop on the edge of the roadway. I take this small TMX motor bike on my errands.
Delicious!
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