The Morning Catch: A Day with Siem Reap's Fishmongers

The Market Before Sunrise

The day in Siem Reap starts before the sun, and nowhere is that more alive than at Phsar Leu Thmey, the old market on the east side of the river. By 5:30 am, the concrete floor is already slick with water and the air is thick with the smell of fish, ice, and wet metal. Our guests who make the short tuk-tuk ride from the villa are rewarded with a scene that has repeated itself for decades: fishermen from the Tonle Sap’s flooded forests unloading baskets of silver fish, crabs, and prawns onto the scales, while buyers — restaurant owners, home cooks, and middlemen — shout prices over the din.

We walk slowly, letting our eyes adjust. The fish are sorted by species: the long, slender trey riel (a type of small carp) glistens in heaps, while the darker, meatier trey chhdaor (snakehead) lies in rows, still gasping. The sellers, mostly women with sun-darkened skin and quick hands, gut and scale with practiced speed, their knives flashing. The sound is rhythmic — the thud of the blade, the scrape of scales, the splash of water. We encourage our guests to crouch down and look closely; the gills should be bright red, the eyes clear, the flesh firm. That is how you know it is fresh.

From River to Table

After the market, we often take our purchases to a small cooking school just across the river in the village of Sala Kamreuk. There, a local chef teaches us to make amok trey, the classic coconut fish curry, using the fish we chose ourselves. The preparation is simple but precise: the fish is sliced thin, mixed with a rich paste of lemongrass, kaffir lime, turmeric, and galangal, then steamed in banana leaves until the coconut cream sets. The result is a silky, fragrant dish that tastes of the river itself.

But the market is not just about fish. Along the edges, vendors sell fresh herbs, morning glory, and the tiny green eggplants that are essential to Khmer cooking. We pick up a bunch of sawtooth coriander and a few limes, and the chef shows us how to balance the sour, salty, and sweet elements in the curry. By the time we sit down to eat, the sun is high and the market is winding down, but the memory of that first bite — the soft fish, the creamy sauce, the heat of the chili — stays with us all day.

The Floating Village of Chong Kneas

If you want to see where the fish come from, we take a boat trip to Chong Kneas, the floating village at the edge of the Tonle Sap lake. The journey from the market takes about 20 minutes by car, then another 30 minutes by boat. As we glide through the flooded forest, the water is the color of strong tea, and the air smells of mud and vegetation. The village itself is a cluster of stilted houses, a school, a pagoda, and a basketball court, all floating on pontoons. We pass fish farms — large cages submerged in the water, where catfish and tilapia are raised for the market.

The fishermen here are a community apart. They cast their nets at dusk and return at dawn, their small wooden boats loaded with the night’s catch. We watch as they sort the fish, tossing the undersized ones back into the water. It is a hard life, but there is a rhythm to it that is both ancient and practical. Our boat driver, a man named Sok, has been fishing these waters since he was a boy. He points out the different species with the ease of a man who knows every ripple and shadow.

Getting there from the villa

From the villa, Phsar Leu Thmey is a 10-minute tuk-tuk ride east across the Siem Reap River. Ask the driver to take you to the old market, not the new one — they will know. If you want to visit Chong Kneas, it is another 20 minutes by car to the boat dock. We are happy to arrange a driver and a boat for you; just let us know the day before. The best time to see the market is between 5:30 and 7:00 am, when the catch is at its peak. For the floating village, aim to arrive by 8:00 am to see the boats returning.

Good to know

• Wear shoes that can get wet — the market floor is always damp, and the boat decks are slippery.
• Bring small bills in riel or dollars; the vendors rarely have change for large notes.
• If you buy fish, ask the seller to clean it for you; they will do it for free, and it saves you the trouble.
• The market is busiest on weekends, so a weekday visit is more relaxed.

Staying in Siem Reap? Our 6-bedroom villa with a private pool sleeps 12 and sits 15 minutes from Angkor Wat — see our rates and availability.