Local fish… nothing fresher!
My second excursion took me out on the water in search of fresh fish – a huge contrast from my first trip north to find ibis rice.
Since returning from the north, I’ve been spending time in Sihanoukville looking for the best produce local fishermen can offer. This is easier said than done though, as there are lots of boats chasing the same delicious haul.
After a couple of trips to various markets, my guide, Sitha, introduced me to a few old contacts – everything in Cambodia is about networking. It’s by far the best way to get to know people and you meet some really exciting characters along the way, all ready to share their knowledge and help wherever they can.
We followed one of Sitha’s contacts around Sihanoukville’s fishing port, where we met a range of potential suppliers. The first seller we met specialised in supplying large quantities of fish to the markets around Phnom Penh and Siem Reap – unfortunately dealing in quantities of that size was not what we were looking for. This scale of trade is great for the economy but not so great for what we are trying to achieve in and around our island.
The waters of the Gulf of Thailand are being stripped of marine life through overfishing. This was one of the inspirations for our decision to follow a more sustainable path. Sustainable seafood has also been a big personal interest of mine, and one of the reasons I’ve been so thrilled to be part of the Song Saa team.
The success of our plan to source fish sustainably wherever we can depends on building a close relationship with the guys who are out there on the water everyday. They have a hard job to earn a living out on these boats and we need to support them as they try to operate in ways that reduce the impact on Cambodia’s amazing marine environment.
After several visits to individual fishermen, we found our preferred supplier and sat down to discuss our plan. It was great to have Seth there who is fluent in Khmer and was able to translate everything we needed. He was also able to discuss with the fishermen the types and varieties of fish that are found in the surrounding waters as well as those that are most plentiful.
The storage facilities these suppliers have are great. The tanks in which they store the fish are filled with aerated filtered water, keeping the fish fresh and healthy and ready to send to markets and restaurants live – you can’t get fresher than that.
One of the best local fish from around here is the ‘tray khmau’, which is a black grouper and has a beautiful light texture. When getting to know a new type of fish, it’s always a good idea to simply pan fry them and check the textures and flavours. There are various types of grouper and they are all deliciously light and textured. The abundance of ‘tray khmau’ in our area makes it a good first choice for us to use.
Look out for a dish on our menu called Song Saa Amok, which we’ll make from ‘tray khmau’. 
There is also an abundance of ‘slipper lobsters’ in the waters around Sihanoukville, which is known locally as ‘bonkong phak’. I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do with these.
The tanks are a great way to keep fish fresh and the more I look into them the more sense it makes for us to use them on our island, so we can always offer great fresh produce to our guests.