At Ensenada’s Seafood Market

It is generally referred to as the Mercado Negro, the Black Market. Not because its contents are smuggled in illegally, but because the market used to be on the dingy side. In yesterday’s post, I mistakenly referred to it by the name Mercado de Pescados. Actually, it is more properly called the Mercado de Mariscos.

I love visiting Latin American seafood markets. Perhaps the most impressive I have ever seen is the one in Puerto Montt, Chile—mainly because so much of what was on display was totally unknown and strange to me. That was not the case in Ensenada.

As my brother and I wandered down the aisles looking at the seafood on offer, one enterprising young salesman suggested I buy one of the large fish and have one of the local restaurants prepare it for me. I had this picture of myself hauling a smelly and dripping 10 pound (4.5 kg) salmon from one restaurant to another begging they would take it off my hands and filet and cook it for us. Nice try, kid!

Given all the seafood stands and restaurants in Ensenada, I was surprised that the mercado de mariscos was so small, but then Ensenada is flanked by a number of small fishing villages which probably also supply it. Some of these villages, like Puerto Nuevo and Popotla, have developed reputations of their own for seafood.