In the smallest of fishing villages along the coasts around the world, there has been
a fine-tuning over time in preparing seafood. Small, often unseen communities by
mainstream tourism hold on tight to the cooking traditions reflective of centuries of
local wisdom about the ways to prepare and preserve fish.
From the cold northern waters down to the tropical shores, these 20 villages show
seafood experiences with their maritime heritage amalgamated into the respective
local cultures.
Sète, France
This Mediterranean fishing port is famous for its ‘tielle’, a spicy octopus pie invented
by the Italian immigrants in the 19th century. Today, local fishermen still bring their
catch straight into the town’s covered market, where the restaurateurs choose the
freshest seafood every morning.
The village network of canals, ‘Little Venice,’ gives a very romantic setting to enjoy the local specialty while watching fishing boats return with their catch of the day.
Paternoster, South Africa
This white-washed West Coast village is famous for its classic seafood potjiekos –
stew slow-cooked in heavy cast iron pots over open fires on the beach. The local
women collect fresh mussels from the rocks at low tide, as has been done for
generations.
This village’s signature dish features a combination of indigenous herbs and spices, reflecting both the Dutch colonial influence and that of the local Khoi.
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Tai O, Hong Kong
This stilts-built fishing village of old has specialized in producing dried seafood and
shrimp paste by traditional methods. Along its waterfront, local families still spread
out fish and shrimp to dry on bamboo racks to create products prized throughout
Asia: the village’s signature shrimp paste is made from tiny krill caught in hand-
woven nets during specific phases of the moon.
Getaria, Spain
This Basque coastal town is famous for its ‘txakoli’ wine and grilled turbot, cooked on
massive outdoor grills called ‘parrillas.’ Local fishermen catch the turbot using traditional methods during certain seasons to ensure the prized fish are sustainable.
The outdoor grills, visible from the harbor, fill the narrow medieval streets with the
enticing aroma of grilled seafood.
Menemsha, Massachusetts
This Martha’s Vineyard fishing village is renowned for fresh lobster, which is sold
directly from the fishing boats to waiting customers. Local lobstermen still tend
traditional wood lobster traps and hand-paint their buoys in distinctive family
patterns.
The village fish market serves up lobster rolls from catches that came in just hours earlier, often enjoyed on the public beach while watching the sunset.
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Port Isaac, England
This picture-postcard Cornish fishing village is famed for its fresh crab sandwiches
and lobster caught in the old ‘parlour pots.’ In fact, local fishermen continue to use
small day boats to harvest these often-tempestuous waters of the Celtic Sea as part
of efforts to keep this fragile industry alive.
Narrow lanes wind their way down to harbourside restaurants, where the catch often goes from sea to plate within hours.
Reine, Norway
This village in the remote Lofoten Islands is home to stockfish, including air-dried
cod, which is hung on wooden racks, ‘hjell,’ and dried during winter months. The
Arctic winds and specific climate conditions create perfect natural preservation
conditions for the fish.
Locals here preserve the traditional drying techniques, which date back more than a thousand years.
Tomonoura, Japan
This historic port town on the Inland Sea is famous for its ‘homeishu,’ a medicinal
liquor made with dried seahorses, and fresh fish sashimi. Local fishermen still use
traditional ‘binary’ nets to catch fish in the whirlpools off the coast.
The town’s morning market features fish so fresh that locals eat it as breakfast sashimi, a practice known as ‘asa-sashimi.’
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Marsaxlokk, Malta
This colorful fishing village is known for its Sunday fish market and ‘aljotta,’ its
traditional Maltese fish soup. The harbor, lined with traditional fishing boats, also
called ‘luzzu,’ sport the Eye of Osiris painted on their prows for the protection of the fishermen while out at sea.
Local families have secret ingredient recipes for aljotta, a mix of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean ideas.
Cascais, Portugal
This old fishing village, not far from Lisbon, now specializes in the rich fish stew
called caldeirada, featuring a range of different local seafood. The sardines and
mackerel are caught by traditional small boats – traineiras – from waters close to
land.
The town’s seafood auction, where fish are sold in an old chanting ritual, provides each day’s fresh catch for the many restaurants.
Essaouira, Morocco
This fortified coastal town is famous for its grilled sardines and fish tagines seasoned
with local herbs and spices. Fishermen bring their catches to the historic port’s blue
boats, creating a vivid scene against the whitewashed ramparts.
Traditional weighing methods using brass scales and stone weights that have been in use for many centuries can be seen here in the fish market.
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Klaksvík, Faroe Islands
This fishing village is a specialist in wind-dried fish and traditional fermented pilot
whale meat, known as ‘grindahvalur.’ The local fishermen still practice whaling in the
traditional way, which has been sustaining the community for centuries.
The signature drying houses of the village, painted black with grass roofs, cure fish using only wind and sea air.
Celestún, Mexico
This Gulf Coast fishing village dishes out the freshest of ceviche and flame-grilled
fish cooked on the beach. Fishermen still harvest fish in the shallow waters of the
Celestún Biosphere Reserve using traditional nets.
Seafood is prepared in waterfront restaurants within a few hours of being reeled in, sometimes spritzed with a pinch of sea salt, also harvested there.
Cudillero, Spain
This amphitheater-shaped fishing village on Spain’s northern coast is famous for its
‘curadillo’ air-dried fish that has been treated with the same methods since medieval
times. The village’s rainbow-colored houses, piled upon the cliffs, still retain
individual smokehouses for curing fish.
Locals continue the old ways of line fishing in the Bay of Biscay to catch hake and sea bream.
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Mousehole, England
This village in Cornwall is renowned for its ‘stargazy pie,’ a curious dish where fish
heads poke through the pastry crust, looking up at the stars. The local harbor,
sheltered by two large stone piers, allows fishing boats to venture out into the usually
rough Celtic Sea during every month of the year.
Today, the village still keeps tradition by serving stargazy pie on Tom Bawcock’s Eve to celebrate a legendary fisherman who saved the village from famine.
Fraserburgh, Scotland
This northeastern Scottish port is renowned for its smoked fish, mainly haddock,
produced under traditional smokehouses known as ‘kippers.’ Local families who
practice smoking keep the exact recipe for their curing brines secret, often passed
down through generations.
Historic smokehouse chimneys still dot the skyline of the village and pump the distinctive aroma of smoking fish throughout the day.
Nazaré, Portugal
This is a dramatic coastal town with sun-dried fish and traditional fish soup prepared
by the wives of the local fishermen. Women still don up to seven layers of petticoats
selling dried fish in the market, following a tradition dating back to the days when
they would stand out waiting for fishing boats and had to keep warm.
Its wooden drying racks follow the cliffs where the fish are still dried using the same methods as centuries ago.
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Dungeness, England
This inimitable shingle beach settlement is famous for its fresh seafood shacks
offering just-off-the-boat fish and shellfish. The local fishermen pull out fish and
shellfish from the shallow waters off the headland using characteristic black wooden
boats.
Being sited next to a nuclear power station gives this village a surreally modern background to present some of Britain’s freshest seafood.
Cinque Terre, Italy
These five villages, connected by their fishing industry, are well-known for their
anchovy preservation methods and seafood pasta. The local families still prepare the
traditional salted anchovies in wooden pressing barrels called ‘arbanelle.’
Ancient terraced vineyards in the villages produce the perfect white wine to accompany the fresh seafood from the Mediterranean waters caught daily.
Mui Ne, Vietnam
This fishing village is famous both for its fish sauce production and the fresh seafood
morning market. The local producers still ferment the fish sauce in traditional wooden
barrels buried in the sand for even temperature control.
Dotting the coastline are the village’s distinctive round fishing boats, ‘thuyền thúng,’ while fishermen gather the morning’s catch.
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A Taste of Maritime Traditions
These coastal villages represent a portion of the wide variety that maritime cuisines
boast from around the world, each with its peculiar interpretation of the seafood
bounty available. Be you a dedicated food traveler or just curious about traditional
fishing communities, these destinations offer real experiences where very ancient
fishing traditions meet timeless cooking methods.
It’s best to experience these culinary treasures at the height of the fishing season
when villages really come alive with the catch of the day and traditional ways of
preparation.
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