One of our favorites during our week-long visit to
Santiago, Chile in October 2012 was the Mercado Central. Located on the northside of downtown Santiago
overlooking the concrete-lined Rio Mapacho, the market is housed in a vast Victorian-age
metal structure that was prefabricated in England and constructed in Santiago
in 1868.
Mercado Central is primarily a fish market with an immense and varied array of fish
and shellfish: Scallops, conger eel, turbot, calmar, albacore tuna, reinetas,
clams, jibia (squid), picoroco (barnacles), black eel, red eel, salmon, shrimp, mussels, pejerrey (silverside
fish), Spanish mackerel, stone crab claws, shark, sardines, and more. All fresh.
There are
also a number of fish restaurants ranging from large centrally located ones
that cater largely to tourists to small hole-in-the-wall cafes tucked in
between stalls that serve a more local clientele. Both a ramble through the market and a meal at
one of the many cafes is a must-do for any visitor to Santiago.
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