Ang Sila Fish Market is a waterfront seafood market in Chonburi town, selling both the day's catch and preserved goods that travel. It is a standing stop for anyone driving the Chonburi–Bangsaen road, and — unlike markets built for visitors — it is also where local families buy their own dinner.

Fresh and dried

The wet side has fish, prawns, shellfish and blue swimmer crab, depending on what the boats brought in that morning; the selection is widest early. The dry side sells dried shrimp, dried squid, shrimp paste and fish sauce — the things that keep, and the easier souvenir to carry home.

Many stalls will cook what you have just chosen, charging for the cooking separately from the ingredients, and you eat it at the tables facing the water. It is the reason to come hungry rather than with a cool box.

Ang Sila stone mortars

Ang Sila was known for hand-carved granite mortars long before it was known for seafood. The mortar workshops sit along the same stretch as the market — a craft passed down within this community, still sold by the people who cut them.

When to go

• Morning for the freshest stock and thinner crowds
• Late afternoon for the better atmosphere — softer light and the sea in view — though the fresh counters are picked over by then
• Not every stall posts prices; ask at several and look at the fish before committing
• Bring a cool box if you plan to take anything raw home