Okinawa’s colorful fish

Fish sold in Okinawan markets are so colorful!
It is said that Okinawan market shelves filled with colorful fish are a surprising sight for first-time visitors.
This time we went to Okinawa’s “kitchen”, the Naha City Makishi Public Market, to look for local fish.

The bustling public market is full of Okinawan foodstuffs.
Colorful Okinawan fish really stand out among all these goods.
We decided to pick up our fish at the very friendly “Nagamine Sengyo” stall.

Among all the fish in the stall, the fish we fatefully picked was the "irabucha" (Knobsnout Parrotfish) which is emerald green like the Okinawan sea.
Yes, we are going to eat it!

Ms. Nagamine, the stall's owner, taught us a great way to prepare and eat it.
Thank you very much!

First, the staff at Nagamine Sengyo prepared half of our "irabucha" as sashimi.
The colorful fish is actually white-fleshed!
This slightly chewy fish is delicious.

We had the other half of the fish cooked at "Tsubame Shokudo", a restaurant located on the second floor of the public market. They served us their recommended "deep-fried irabucha with thick sweet-and-sour sauce".
In the public market you can have the fish you bought on the 1st floor cooked for ¥500!

The simple taste of irabucha perfectly matches this recipe!
It was absolutely delicious.

The most popular dish at "Tsubame Shokudo" is the Chinese-style sautéed "nokogirigasami" (crab). While we were there, a large group of tourists was enjoying this sumptuous lunch!
Of course you can buy a crab in the market on the 1st floor and have it cooked.
How great is it to be able to have the fish you just bought prepared and then eat it on site?

Makishi Public Market
2-10-1 Matsuo, Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture
098-867-0111
10am-8pm
Regular Holidays: 4th Sunday of the month  *fresh fish stalls are closed every 2nd , 4th and 5th Sundays of the month. Open everyday in December.

Tsubame Shokudo
Makishi Public Market 2nd Floor, 2-10-1 Matsuo, Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture
098-867-8696
10am-8pm
Regular Holidays: every 2nd , 4th and 5th Sundays of the month.

Okinawa CLIP Photo Writer　Reina Chinen (0173)