El Salvador - Big fish in a big pond

January 22

Hello everyone!

One of the reasons for moving to a new country almost six months ago was to live in a place which had a nearby coastline. We have spent a little bit of time on El Salvador’s sandy (often black sandy) shores, and it is something we will look to do a lot more in 2023.

My massive crevalle jack

Plenty more fish in the sea!

My first trip this calendar year wasn’t actually to the beach. Instead, it was to the large fish market at La LIbertad, about 30 minutes south of Santa Tecla.

The boats will go out for 24 hours at a
time, with workers taking shifts

The Pacific Ocean. Surprisingly warm.

I was with a friend who speaks Spanish and has been here before. As soon as we parked, we headed briskly towards the dark wooden pier. A small boat had arrived, ready to share its catch.

Development is in progress

The slight problem is that the boat is at sea level and the pier…well, isn’t. Of course, there’s a plan for that…

Probably about 20 feet from sea to pier

People edge closer as the boat is slowly hoisted up to the edge of the pier, then ushered back as it starts to swing towards the planks.

One of many boats coming in during the day

Once secure, people start to throng closer again. The smell permeates the people, a saltiness which reminds you how fresh this stuff is. None of the fish or crustaceans are alive, instead covered with small ice cubes to keep them cool. 

These small fish were of interest to many

The variety of the catch is remarkable. Rays (which I didn’t realise people ate). Lobsters. Snapper. Slightly more sinister things as well, like a small shark. 

A giant stingray

Possibly a type of snapper

What I was curious about was the big kahuna with the yellow fin. We asked what it was called. It sounded like ‘legur’. This translates as…nothing. Anyway, I was told it would cost five dollars. Sold!

Look how big it is compared to the other fish!

It wasn't much of a negotiation -
he said five dollars and I said OK!

Fresh off the boat! This of course means that it isn’t quite ready for the plate. Next step was to get it filleted. A man with a large knife did the dirty work to turn it from a massive fish into four large, dark-coloured fillets.

Getting the fish filleted cost $2

It took less than five minutes to transform the fish

The market itself is next door. A stronger, fishier aroma welcomes you into the large, covered, concrete area. People of all ages stand behind stalls, keenly welcoming you to browse their collection of fresh fish.

The new building, costing $5.5 million, was
inaugurated in February 2020. Unfortunate timing...

Giant shrimp on sale

We ended up buying some giant shrimp - camarones - from a man who had been recommended. Giant is certainly an apt word as you can see below.

Alternative earrings

Cooked in butter and garlic: yum!

After returning to the city, I had to work out what the fish was and how to cook the thing: cooking fish well is not in my repertoire. I discovered through Google Lens that it is actually called a crevalle jack. It turned out to be pretty tasty, with a lot of similarities to tuna.

One of the four fillets

Pan fried with garlic, lime and chilli

One rumour I’ve heard is that the best morning catch is actually sent to San Salvador and Santa Tecla to be sold in the city. Well they didn’t have time to get their hands on my crevalle jack! I’ll definitely be back.

Plenty more boats in the sea!

Love you all,

Matt