Falling for a market's charm hook, line and sinker

Abu Dhabi: The sun hasn't yet made its way over the skyscrapers to shine on the Abu Dhabi fish market. Yet, it's bustling with buyers and salesmen, dressed in blue shirts and over-sized gloves, emptying truckloads of shiny fish and examining each one.

Although intriguing and deeply rooted in the nation's history, this is by no means a tourist destination. Here is where fish enthusiasts come because they have a perfect seafood platter in mind.

If not for the skyscrapers and wholesalers dressed in shirts and ties walking around examining the fish, the market would look much as it did 20 years ago, says Mydeen Adlulngal, a salesperson at the market.

Twenty years ago, Adlulngal left his home in India and came to Abu Dhabi to "sell fish," as he puts it. The short, stocky 46-year-old with a salt and pepper beard has seen how some things have changed and how some have stayed the same.

"There were no restrictions or regulations like there are today. Aside from this 10 year-old building, everything is still the same. The fish still looks the same," he laughs. Gulf News reported in 1988 that a multi-million dirham fish market would be built the following year near the free port.

The day starts with the Dubai shipments coming in. Then the local fishermen bring in their day's catch. By 9am, more than 95 tables are neatly stacked with all kinds of fish. This is when residents flock to the market to buy the freshest meat.

Abu Dhabi is a big market for fish. Trucks even arrive from Dubai to sell their fish. "Fish from our own sea is not enough for Abu Dhabi," Adlulngal says.

Abundant hammour

While the Arabian Gulf has more than 52 kinds of fish, Abu Dhabi has gained a reputation in the region for hammour, which is the most abundant catch in the capital, says the director of the Abu Dhabi Fishermen's Cooperative Society, Abdullah Khalfan.

"A lot of our bulk consumers buy for their markets in Saudi, Oman and other GCC countries," Khalfan says.

Because there is a risk of poor hygiene, Abu Dhabi Food and Control Authority employs two full time staff onsite that comb through everything from the workers' health certificates to off-colour fish.

"Our goal is to ensure the consumers' and the workers safety. We walk around checking every table. Of course this is going to be a little messy. This is fish straight from the sea," the Khalfan said.

During the summer months, a lot of fish goes to waste. "The climate is cool now so we don't have the problem of rotten fish, but come the summer when it reaches 50 degrees, we have to throw away many fish," the agent says.

From the early hours of the morning, the market is flooded with wholesalers who buy for restaurants and hotels. These are passionate people who see the end product of a good meal and not just a slab of raw meat sitting on ice packs. One of these men is Mohammad Jamali, owner of a seafood restaurant named Layali.

He walks from table to table, occasionally poking his index finger in the gut of the fish as if tickling it, but through that he is able to tell how good the quality of the fish is. He leans in and then stares at the fish in the eye.

"If the eye is bulging out, then it's fresh. If it's bloodshot and sunk in then it's a few days old," he says while walking through different stands.

Jamali has been coming here for the past 10 years and has seen the changes to the industry. "Prices have increased beyond measure... like everything else in this country, the price of fish has soared through the roof," Jamali says. But the price increased hasn't stopped him being passionate about fish.

"These are not fish. These are fruits," he smiles as if he is revealing a secret. "The French call it fruits de mer, fruits of the sea," he says proudly.