Jiuzhou Port Seafood Market (九洲港海鲜市场)

Jiuzhou Port Seafood Market (九洲港海鲜市场, Jiǔzhōu Gǎng Hǎixiān Shìchǎng) is the buy-and-cook seafood market beside Zhuhai's main ferry terminal in the Jida district. Boats from the Wanshan Archipelago (万山群岛) dock at the harbor and their catch moves straight onto the ice: live mud crab, mantis shrimp, grouper, oysters and razor clams. Unlike a normal wet market, this is a two-step dinner — you pick from the stalls, then hand your haul to one of the cook-to-order restaurants lining the approach road (Shi Hua East Road, 石化东路).

How it works. Walk the whole row before buying — stalls carry similar stock, so competition keeps prices honest. Expect ¥40-80 ($6-11) per jin (500 g) for common shrimp, clams and small fish; crab and lobster cost more. Then decide how you want it cooked: steamed with ginger and scallion (清蒸, qīngzhēng) for fish, salt-and-pepper (椒盐, jiāoyán) for mantis shrimp, garlic and vermicelli (蒜蓉粉丝, suànróng fěnsī) for scallops. Cooking fees run ¥15-20 ($2-3) per dish for boiling or steaming and ¥25-35 ($3.50-5) for salt-and-pepper or stir-fry. Two people eat well for ¥200-300 ($28-42); six can feast for under ¥1000 ($140).

When to go. Before 10 AM or at ~4 PM for the freshest, widest selection. The cooking restaurants hit their stride from 5 PM, when the area fills with garlic smoke and families from across the border.

Getting there. Buses 3, 4, 12, 23 or 25 to Zhouzai stop (洲仔), on the southern stretch of Lovers' Road — a ~15-minute taxi from Gongbei border or 5 km from downtown. Bring Alipay or WeChat Pay; stalls also take cash.