A gastro journey through northern Brazil

Under the waning light of dusk, I was walking down the sidewalks of Barra, Salvador in Brazil and breathing in the soft, salty air.

I came upon two gentlemen with large buckets of live catch. I looked in the buckets and saw live shrimp. Still quivering.

I leaned in closer to take a whiff, gauging freshness.

"Ocean...," I breathed. "how much?"

The tired vendor shook his head sadly, "It's the end of the day, and I haven't sold much. How about I sell you a kilo for $10 USD?"

Moving in for the kill, I replied, "How about two kilos for $12 USD?"

It fed me for a week.

The next day, I encountered a gentleman carrying swim fins, a mask+snorkel, and a speargun.

I asked him, "what do you catch?"

He replied, "What do you want?"

"Octopus and lobster!!" I blurted, without thinking twice.

45 minutes later, there was a knock at our door.

5 Kilos of octopus. And two lobster. Alive.

Driving through Ribeira is a visual odyssey. Ribeira is a section of Salvador that looks as if it has been literally frozen in time. No new construction. All old colonial houses - mostly derelict. It's one of my favorite areas, as there's always cheap beer, delicious, fresh seafood, and one of the best ice cream shops in the city. And the view is spectacular.

I drove by the mud flats and was waved to the curb by a group of men sitting under a thatch shade. Curious, I walked over to see what they were peddling.

Clams. And lots of them. All sizes. Even Pinna clams.

"Are they fresh?" I asked nervously, looking at the half-open clams.

Wordlessly, the man poured cold water inside one of the open clams, and it snapped shut.

"I'll take them. All."

7lbs for $4.50 USD

Read Part 2 of this story here.

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A gastro journey through northern Brazil - Part 1