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Dubai Middle East Travel UAE

Dubai Fish Souk

Mention to someone that you’re travelling to Dubai and they often respond with intrigue. Tell them that you’re planning a visit to the fish markets, and watch them raise a brow and turn up their nose.

Explain your affliction with discovering global food markets, remind them that you publish a travel and food website, and watch their features relax into acceptance behind thoughts such as “we know she’s mad”.

But Dubai’s fish souk is nothing that turns up your nose.

Dubai Fish Souk

Arriving shortly after noon from a visit to the Jumeirah Mosque, the benches are almost empty and the workers are busy putting the day’s catch away.

“Hamour! Hamour!”

I hear one of the men call out to me, pointing to grouper fish lying over ice. Hamour is the specialty fish of Dubai, a tasty fish we ate at the Moroccan restaurant Shoo Fee Ma Fee in Souk Madinat Jumeirah.

Another gestures me to take his photo. He holds up a fish and looks as proud as if he had just caught it. I have a second to capture his photo before I move out of the way of containers being put away.

Dubai Fish Souk

His co-workers look on in amusement.

Dubai Fish Souk

There is fresh fish around, with varieties I don’t recognise. I note the large sized prawns and ponder where they come from.

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Dubai Fish SoukDubai Fish Souk

To one side, there is a display of dried fish that captures my interest but none of it labelled.

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I would have liked to see the buzz of the markets with the workers weighing and preparing the fish and seafood but that has to be for another time.

Dubai Fish Souk

Dubai’s Fish Souk is located in the Deira district, conveniently adjacent to the Food Markets and Date Souk, and a five minute walk from the Gold Souk. If you’re planning to visit, best to arrive early in the morning as there is little to see after midday.

Dubai Fish Souk

Mosque outside the Fish Markets

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Fish Market Mural

Visiting Dubai? Don’t miss our Top 10 Things in To in Dubai.

About the author

Corinne Mossati

Corinne Mossati is a drinks writer, author of GROW YOUR OWN COCKTAIL GARDEN, SHRUBS & BOTANICAL SODAS and founder/editor of Gourmantic, Cocktails & Bars and The Gourmantic Garden. She has been writing extensively about spirits, cocktails, bars and cocktail gardening in more recent years. She is a spirits and cocktail competition judge, Icons of Whisky Australia nominee, contributor to Diageo Bar Academy, cocktail developer and is named in Australian Bartender Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential List. Her cocktail garden was featured on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia and has won several awards. She is a contributor to Real World Gardener radio program and is featured in several publications including Pip Magazine, Organic Gardener, Australian Bartender and Breathe (UK). Read the full bio here.

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