Wet Market

A what? you ask.

A wet market.

Its exactly that....a market that is very wet.

Wet markets are found all around Hong Kong. It's a fresh food market selling fruit, vegetables, meat,  fish and seafood. We also find the fresh noodle guy with his dumpling wrappers and noodles in all shapes and sizes.

Water is used extensively in these markets - the floors are soaking wet so remember not to wear your flip flops and white trousers. The water is used to keep the fruit and veg fresh, the fish and seafood alive - clams squirt at you from every angle and beware of the odd fish or two that goes AWOL and last but not least to keep everything a wet market kind of clean!

But be warned these markets are definately not for the squeamish.

I'd been craving squid - or calamari - if that makes you feel better. So off to the market I trot!

I must admit that I went to the same market twice the week before but I just couldn't go through with it. After walking around looking for the blackest beady eyed squid I saw quite a few things that had me clicking my heels and darting for the stairs.

But today I was determined to just go in and get the god damned squid.

Of course you go to places like these 'sans enfant'. I can only imagine the looks and things Olivia would say if I took her to a place like this.  Its already a stressful situation add to that the moans and groans of one child and the excessive need to touch everything of another and you'll come running out of there sans enfant.

So I had my blinders on and I braced the wet market with one thing to find - squid. My blinders must have failed at one stage because I saw a lady empty a bag full of frogs onto a chopping board, pick up a cleaver and as she lifted her arm (no gentle gestes here) I turned away and upped my already fast paced walk to high speed.

I walked all the way around, inspecting the eyes until finally I say the brightest beady black eyes. This stall was swarming with people. I guess that's an easy indicator of the freshest fish.

I pointed to what I wanted and how many. She asked in what I understood if she had to clean them? I replied no because the sooner I got out of there the better.

I didn't want to see any more cleaver lifting.

A kind lady next to me asked ' Do you know how to clean them?' I answered no, but I wanted to try. She replied 'You should let her clean them, if you don't do it properly it will be really messy'. Well I was willing to chance the mess. The locals were looking at me as if I was crazy - why the hell doesn't she get them cleaned here??? Mind you, by now I'm starting to question my own sanity about still standing about in puddles of water, fish guts and heaven knows what else!!!
My squid was placed in a red plastic bag, I paid the whole 56 HKD for 5 beautiful squid and I was so out of there.

As Gordon Ramsey would say..... SQUID - DONE!!!!

In my case, shopping for squid - Done!!!

At home hubby jumped on board without me even having to ask - bonus. He started to clean these beauties. I had to tell him about the quill of cartilage - which I ended up pulling out.  Not a lot of mess to my relief and it was quite a relaxing time, the two of us together in the tiny kitchen.

I fried them whole (this way they didn't dry out) with a good drizzle of olive oil, crushed garlic and a squirt of fresh lemon juice. A sprinkling of Maldon and the squid was done.
The little tentacles turned a lovely shade of pink and we enjoyed it all with a crisp, green salad.