Taiwan has plenty to be proud of: it sports an efficient public transportation network, some of the highest food safety standards in the world, an abundance of nature and incredible seafood.
Whether you pay a visit to Taipei’s Addiction Aquatic Development or one of the many sushi stalls that line the Keelung night market, you can find next-level fish, mollusks and crustaceans pulled from the island’s well-appointed surrounding waters. But it is Keelung, a 45-minute train ride from Taipei, that is home to Bisha Harbour Live Seafood Market, where many of the best sea-based vittles are sold.
The market is easily accessible by buses departing from Keelung station in the center of the port city. After 20 minutes of driving along a verdant but semi-industrial coastline, you’ll be greeted by a massive trawler entombed on land and an anime-style squid statue that ushers visitors into the uninspiring structure.
The poorly-lit, one-story market requires your eyes to adjust to the relative darkness – Taipei does its best to impersonate Seattle weather – with a little help from the neon lights and LED signboards advertising the catch of the day.
Discerning local customers make their way up and down the rows of stalls, which offer up everything from oysters the size of an iPhone 6 to shark meat to fresh sushi and sea urchins.
The market certainly isn’t the biggest of its kind, but it had the best spread of seafood I’ve ever come across.
While most shoppers appeared to bring their finds home, many stalls offer the ability to grill or cook their catch, which can be enjoyed at an outdoor dining area flanked by the sea and the very boats that bring these delicacies to market.
After gorging on seafood, walk it off on the adjacent boardwalk with views of the harbor and the verdant hills that lie across the road.
