Crawford Fish Market of Mumbai - a memorable visit!

Crawford Market has the distinction of being the first building in the entire country to be lit up by electricity in 1882. Now that's something rather impressive, but that's no longer unique in Mumbai, or even large parts of India. I wasn't there to check the electrical supplies to the market, but for something way more fun - buy fish for my lunch with chef Shrey from ITC Grand Maratha.

Women displaying their fish catch!

Busy busy busy!

In the middle of a heated argument

My visit to Crawford Fish Market

The sky was completely dark and it was raining cats and dogs when we reached the fish market. The streets outside at the back entrance of the market were deceptively quite, but as soon as we entered the market, all hell broke loose. It was just 5.30am, yet the place was more than bustling with activity. There was madness all around, but there was some sort of an order as well. It felt like I was at a stock exchange of early 20th century when shares were still traded as physical papers, just that here it was the fish instead of shares.

For someone like me who was visiting the market for the first time, the space made absolutely no sense. As soon as we entered, we were part of a human train which moved ahead virtually by itself. In case anyone found something interesting he/ she would get off the train and then join in again later on. There were actually two sets of human-trains in opposite directions and right next to each other. If you ever wanted to change direction of movement, you need to get off the train first and then get on the train on the other side again. Beware, this change of direction isn't easy and can also cause bodily harm. There were buyers as well as sellers, and most also carried big crates full of fresh fish on their heads. If you were tall, crashing into these crates was a real danger at all times, thankfully for me, that wasn't an issue.

Have a look at the video below to understand what I mean by human-trains :)



We decided to visit the space of one of the biggest suppliers of fresh fish in Mumbai - Bamve. Bamve started about 30 years, and it's now run by the second generation of the family. They usually take their boats in the sea around evening and come back by 2am. After that the fresh fish moves to the fish market, and all the fish is sold out by 7.30am. The total catch varies between 40-60 tonnes/ day.

It's brisk business and also profitable. In monsoon when fishing is banned in Mumbai waters, fish comes from Gujarat coast. Basically they ensure that fresh fish is made available to Mumbai across the year.

At the Bamve space

Sorting the fish

A woman scanning the fish...

Conversations are virtually impossibly during work hours as everyone is insanely busy with selling, and the noise around is so high that it's tough to hear each other. You literally have to scream at the top of your voice to even make purchases.

Despite that I could learn a few things from chef Shrey from Shanghai club at ITC Grand Central about how we identify if the fish is fresh. So here are his tips:
1. Look for the gills - they should be bright red in colour. Older fish has pink gills.
2. The eyes should bulge a little - feel for them with your hands and the should feel convex in shape. Flat or concave eyes are signs of stale fish.
3. The skin should bounce back - press on the skin with a finger and if it bounces back (some soft rubber) the fish is fresh. Stale fish is harder and not flexible.

History of Crawford Market

I can't visit a building as iconic as this one without exploring a bit of its history. Yes, it was the first to be lit up with electricity in India, but there are many more stories around this busy city marketplace.

Business as usual

Fish fish!

Lovely eyes of a dead fish...

Exit of the market

The market opened in the year 1869 and was initially named after Arthur Crawford, the first municipal commissioner of Mumbai (then Bombay). Just like most other iconic buildings of Mumbai from the British era, this was also renamed Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, though I have never every heard anyone call the market by that name. So much so for changing names on paper (and on plaques etc).

Anther interesting story from history is about the stone fountains inside - they were designed by Rudyard Kipling's father Lockeood Kipling.

As the market expanded, the original building wasn't enough for everything. The current fish market is actually located inside a newer wing which is just behind the old building. The design is neither iconic not interesting, but it's just about enough to serve its purpose. God forbid if you ever need to use the toilet here - it's thankfully there, but stinking dirty. Here is a toilet from the fish market as part of my #ToiletTales project.

To reach the market:

The market has an excellent location and is best reached by local trains from anywhere in Mumbai as it's just walking distance from CST station (originally Victoria Terminus. You can, of course, take a cab as well but Mumbai roads can be unreliable, especially during monsoon and are best avoided.

To shop:

Crawford market is not just fish market and you can practically buy anything from here. People come here to buy fruits and vegetables, and also meat and Chinese goods. Make sure you bargain as it works for almost everything here. It's a wholesale market so rates are anyway less compared to other smaller markets.

To eat:

Just outside the market there is a tea stall which is quite famous with all locals. Also, their maska bun is also quite good - we had both and can recommend it. However, the place is very non-hygienic and so skip it if you are worried for your health.

Maska-bun tea stall