There’s no such thing as getting to a fish market too early – you get the pick of the produce, and of course the exciting buzz of the catch coming in.
I arrived at Hondarribia at 5 am once, and there waiting for me was something extremely special – one of the big fishing boats had brought in 15 tonnes of bonito.
Bonito is similar to tuna but smaller, and the meat is much paler. It’s so tasty though, and really sustainable too, so if you have the chance, do buy it.
If you have a local fishmonger, ask for bonito belly. If you can’t get it, then mackerel is a great alternative, just ask the fishmonger to butterfly it for you.