Split Fish Market (Ribarnica)

The Split fish market, the Ribarnica, sits just off Marmontova in a Secession-era hall. Its one famous quirk is that it has no flies. The sulphur springs next door, the same warm water said to have drawn Diocletian to build his palace here, keep them off the fish. It is small, and these days it reads as much as a tourist stop as a working market, with plenty of stalls selling cured anchovies and other preserved fish.

You won't find fresh fish here every day. The selection swings with the season and with the previous night's weather and catch. A few old-timers still go out and sell what they land, but not many anymore. When the boats do come in, the morning is the time to be there, before the best of it is gone.

The best value I've found is usually whatever is going cheap, often mantis shrimp at around two euros a kilo. Fair warning: they're a lot of work to cook and eat, closer to picking apart crabs than peeling shrimp. Cheap, but you earn it.