February 4, 2018
While Ljubljana’s Central Marketplace is a place difficult to miss, the same cannot be said about the fish market, which hides below Plečnik's arcades on one side of the Ljubljanica.
Plečnik designed the market place to have floors, with Ribarnica, as the fish market is called in Slovenian, occupying the lower one, just by the river, meaning you have to use this rather elegant staircase to get there.
Round Staircase leading to Ribarnica (Fish market) on the right, Photo: visitljubljana.com
The Fish market staircase from inside
Fish market entrance
Fish market entrance from a distance
Once you’re down on the lower floor, or rather the cellar of the market place, you can choose where to go: there is a fish restaurant (Okrepčevalnica Ribica) on your right, and the fish market on your left. This is how it looks from inside:
At several stalls you will find fish that are mostly from the Adriatic Sea, with orada (gilthead) and brancin (sea bass) the two most common white meat specimens that can be found in any restaurant serving fish. Both fish appear in the market either in larger (and more expensive) size, which means they were actually caught in the sea, while their smaller and cheaper versions come from fish farms.
Orange fish in the centre of the picture: zobatec (dentex), below are some smaller versions of the same fish; right bottom corner - orada (gilthead); left from dentex are pokrovače (scallops), underneath scallops can be seen some morska žaba (angler), to the left from angler brancin (sea bass). Upper part of the picture, from left to right: lignji (squid); shelled kozice (prawns); prawn tails; hobotnice (octopi); škampi (scampi – basically, prawns with pincers).
From left to right: orada (gilthead), zobatec (dentex), postrv (trout), mol (merling), oslič (hake), and fish fillets: orada (gilthead), ostriž (whiting) and losos (salmon)
The fish market is open from 7:00 till 16:00 on weekdays, and till 14:00 on Saturdays.
In case you urgently need to buy fish on Sunday, there is another fish market nearby, as part of the restaurant Valentin, where they also serve prepared food in case you don't want to bother cooking it yourself. Valentin is open from 11:00 till 22:00 from Tuesday till Saturday and till 17:00 on Sundays. It is closed on Mondays.
For something faster during lunch time we also recommend the most popular fast food kiosk seeling fish, Ribice, located in the market place nearby Dragon Bridge, where you can get lunch till 14:00 in winter and 16:00 in the summer.
Photo: visitljubljana.com
Dober tek!
