Walk Through this South-Goa Market With Chef Pallavi
Pallavi Mithika Menon, chef and partner at NĀVU, takes a walk through the markets of south Goa, finding an abundance of fresh seafood, produce, and inspiration.
I am in south Goa near Canacona, on a work trip, helping some friends set up the restaurant menu at a resort called Casa Jaali. And happily, ‘work’ also means walking around fishing villages, markets and little shops.
The fish market at Karvar, North Karnataka is a 30 min drive from Canacona. I find stingrays, clams, mussels, mackerel, tuna, prawns, you name it. I step outside the market and a different diaspora holds fort. All the same fish, but this time, dried. The ladies are stunning in their saris and colourful bindis. They beckon to us, holding up baskets brimming with pungent dry shrimp. Big heavy jackfruit litter the streets. Chlorophyll-green Malabar spinach and amaranth line every vegetable shop. I can’t help but marvel at the natural pairing. I spend some time chatting with the ladies in the markets: it is safe to say south Goa’s best food can be found on the streets adjacent to these market. I’d venture one step further — the best recipes are found by talking to these ladies as they prep their fish, for the customers streaming into the market.
Fresh oysters at Galgibag
Clams a la meunière
Fresh bay leaves outside our kitchen. They taste of fresh clove, cinnamon and what every pulao I’ve ever eaten should have tasted.
The fish market at Karvar, North Karnataka. A 30-minute drive from Canacona to the small navy town.
Butchery and knives aren’t the dominion of men. Stingray meat, 8 AM, Karvar
The dry fish market is run by women. They beckon to us, holding out baskets brimming with pungent dry shrimp. These are veritable flavour bombs, lifting the flavours of any dish they are added to.
Dry fish are a staple in the diet of the locals, during the monsoon months when fishing activities are restricted.
Pallavi Mithika Menon is chef and partner at NĀVU. She has a masters in Human Ecology and Sustainability from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy, and has worked with the Taj Hotels and Slow Food International, among others. She and her business partner Kanishka Sharma founded NĀVU in 2019, and together run a bistro and chefs table in Bangalore. You can follow her work here.
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