Finding great seafood in a city located far from the ocean can be more complicated than the cooking process itself.
Luckily, with modern shipping technologies, freshness can be largely preserved, making fresh seafood available to everyone. Still, there are not that many places in Kyiv to shop for it. We recently discovered Vystavka-Yarmarok Moreproduktiv (Seafood Exhibition-Fair), located on the territory of the Global Fish company in Obolon. Global Fish is one of the largest seafood retailers in Ukraine, supplying gourmet restaurants and supermarkets all over the country with a wide selection of whole fish, steaks, and fillets as well as live Maine lobsters, nine kinds of oysters, shrimp, mussels, clams, caviar and more. They offer wholesale and retail fresh frozen fish and seafood from Norway, Greece, Australia, Portugal and other countries. Everything is processed, packaged and shipped under the strictest international food safety guidelines.
From the outside, Vystavka-Yarmarok Moreproduktiv looks like a humongous refrigerator standing to the left of the Obolon beer factory. There are no direct marshrutkas running from the nearest metro stations (Petrivka and Obolon) to the market, therefore the best way to get there is by car. The giant refrigerator-building is located on Bohatyrska Street just before the bridge that leads to the Karavan shopping center. Parking can be found to the left of the fish market. If you don’t have a car, take the free marshrutka from the metro going to Karavan.
Before entering the market, you will be provided with appropriate shoe covers to ensure sterility – just like in a museum. Once you’re fully equipped you can wander from counter to counter choosing from an assortment of more than 30 species of edible fish (Atlantic mackerel, herring, capelin, catfish etc.) together with the most popular gourmet fish such as salmon, trout, halibut and many others. For example, Hoki fish, or blue grenadier, is supplied by a large commercial fishery industry in New Zealand. It is the most popular food item on the islands, but comes at a very high price in Ukraine. The Murray cod, also known as greenfish or goodoo is sold whole or in pre-cut fillets (Hr 149 for 2 kilograms). Dover sole from the English Channel is currently very popular in Kyiv restaurants, one of which even bears the fish’s name. Chefs praise Dover sole for its mild, buttery-sweet flavor and for its filleting ease. The Pacific sole has thinner, less firm fillets and sells for a lower price. Dover sole is on sale all year long, however, it is particularly tasty from September until April. Shoppers can choose from fresh, salty, smoked or frozen white fish, a popular food fish in the eastern North Atlantic and Black Seas. The market has Asian and American halibut from the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans (Hr 600 per 5 kg). The very popular haddock is offered fresh, smoked, frozen, dried, or canned. Haddock, along with cod and plaice, are favorites for preparing British-style fish and chips. Norwegian “wild” salmon is caught quite rarely and is therefore very expensive (Hr 49-279 per fish). The canned salmon on sale at the market is typically a wild Pacific catch.
John Dory, also known as St Pierre, is a rare fish and also very expensive. Its white, flavorful meat resembles flounder. Spanish mackerel is considered to be the most delicious kind of mackerel. Whole mackerels are available on sale fresh, frozen and smoked (Hr 53.30 per kg). Atlantic cod is a favorite in Portugal and the Basque Country, where it is considered a treasure of the national cuisine. Cod liver, extraordinarily rich in vitamins, gentle, dense and fat-free, is provided in fillets, cutlets and portion slices. (Hr 119 per kg). With its dark red and dense meat, red tuna tastes a bit like veal. Seawolf fish is caught off the shores of Iceland. It is sold in the form of fillets, frozen and portion slices. All of the fish at Seafood Exhibition-Fair is always fresh and of the highest quality available. The shop assistants will help select the freshest cuts of your favorite fish and provide tips and advice on buying and preparing the fruits of the sea.
Global Fish Market also offers a varied assortment of shrimp, oysters and mussels of all different sizes and kinds (gambas – Hr 16.69 per shrimp, mussels – Hr 69 per kg). The selection of oysters includes belon, fin-de-claire and others (Hr 25 each). The market has a wide offering of sushi-grade fish, shellfish, and roe. Fresh supplies arrive every week with Mondays seeing the biggest sales. Saturdays are children’s days with every little customer receiving a souvenir shell as a gift.
Vystavka-Yarmarok Moreproduktiv Global Fish (1 Bohatyrska, 467-8337). Daily 9 a.m. till 9 p.m.
