Market Day in Abu Dhabi

Going around Abu Dhabi is quite a challenge especially during summer time. The sun is already blazing hot at 7 a.m. and dodging the rays is quite impossible simply because UAE is one big open desert. On a Friday morning, a visit to the Mina Port Fish Market and a shopping spree of fresh seafood is a good way to spend your hard earned salary. At 7:30 a.m. the fish market is already packed with shoppers. Most of them are Filipinos who are working here in UAE.

The good thing about buying your seafood supply from Mina Fish Market, aside from it being fresh and the first catch of the day, is you can haggle for the price. For those expats who are penny pinchers this is definitely heaven. All kinds of fish, squids, prawns and crabs lined up every stall with vendors barking their prices. Tip for the first time seafood buyers go from stall to stall before buying, you’ll never know when you can get a good price for a kilo of crab till you completely scanned every stall. By the way, just make sure you remember the stall that bid the lowest price, because they all look the same. Also another point for buying fish from the fish market is that you can have the fish cleaned and have it cooked right away at the grilling station at the other wing of the building unlike at the mall.

A small part of the building also holds stalls that sell fresh vegetables and herbs. But if you prefer more variety, a few kilometers away from the Mina Port Fish Market is the Abu Dhabi Vegetable Market. The vegetable and fruit market is a mere 15-20 minute walk. Of course, if the sun is already up and about like around 8:15 a.m., the 20 minutes is like an hour already.

The vegetable and fruit market is an open market stall unlike the fish market which is inside a building. Vegetables and fruits sold in this market are cheaper than the ones sold at the malls. Some of the fruits are packed in bundles and are sold for 10 AED or less. Buyers can also haggle for the price of fruits and vegetables per kilo. An open space used as the drop-off area also serves as temporary/ make shift vending areas for vendors with no stalls. Most of the vegetables are still inside their crates and trucks are even used to display goods. Feel free to choose among their products and haggle for a good price too.

After 3 hours of scouring good finds and haggling for its price, market day in Abu Dhabi is complete. A good supply of fresh seafood and a mountain of huge vegetables enough for a week of healthy cooking will only cost you more or less 50 AED. Remember, when going to the market, always bring a shopping bag suitable for the wet market, wear a poker face when haggling and oh yes, bring along a good friend to make the day less hot but very fun.