Food Heroes of Enschede #2
This Food Heroes of Enschede series seeks to highlight all those excellent food retailers and producers who have worked tirelessly (and are still working today!) through Covid, to bring us fantastic quality food at competitive prices, and also to say a big THANK YOU. Your hard work and devotion are really appreciated.
My Food Heroes of Enschede for today are Vishandel Klijnstra, a fabulous fish market stall found in H.J. van Heekplein, Enschede on a Tuesday and Saturday, and at Markt Enschede Zuid on a Thursday.
Vishandel Klijnstra, a family business has passed from grandfather, to father, to son: the current owners are Rudger and his wife Prisca. From humble beginnings, stocking just 10 different varieties of fish, to today where the choice is endless, this market stall has been on quite a journey.
Vishandel Kiljnstra fish is sourced from around the world: dorado and sea bass from Greece, anchovies and sardines from Italy, and shrimps (huge tiger prawns to the English!) from Ecuador.
However, the North Sea remains the breadbasket of the nation.
Where is the fish sourced from?
Dutch fish arrives from the main fishing ports of Urk (specialists in red mullet, eel, gurnard and cod), Scheveningen (specialists in herring, mackerel, cod, whiting, dab and sole) and Spakenburg (specialists in trout and eel). Salmon is sourced from Norway as the much-loved Scottish salmon would arrive frozen. Fresh is best and Norwegian salmon really is incredibly light and succulent.
So why do I return week after week to purchase fish from Vishandel Klijnstra?
Well, the answer is simple: their produce is of the highest quality, and for an unashamed foodie, who spends much of her life sourcing the best food this region has to offer, fish from this stall never disappoints.
As one of the largest markets in the east of Netherlands, Enschede really is the place to find some of the best produce available in Twente and beyond.
Before moving to the UK, I bought fish from the fish counter in Waitrose or from Aldi, but during lockdown, I turned to online deliveries from Bishop’s Stortford-based Marrfish, who had previously supplied restaurants all over the UK. Overnight, this market dried up and they had to diversify. So, like so many British housewives, I tried to support this local business in any way I could.
I have always been nervous when cooking fish. Will the skin be crispy? Will I get the seasoning right? Will the fish be overcooked? Having access to the freshest fish possible really does make the cooking process so much easier.
Fish from Vishandel Klijnstra is incredibly fresh as you can see from the photos
Fish is at its freshest when the eyes are sparkling, and the fish does not smell fishy. Edwin, Rudger, Harun, Prisca, Milou are on Enschede market every week, and on busy Saturdays, Dad, Albert can be spotted. They remember and look after those loyal customers who return week after week, even speaking good English and German to their many international customers, both from the University of Twente and the wider community in a city so close to the German border.
The icing on the cake for me however is their filleting skills
No matter how many videos I may have watched of Gordon Ramsey filleting fish and telling me how easy it is, filleting (and gutting) fish is a skill I may never totally master. The guys on this stall are the best in Twente and will scale and fillet the fish of your choice. It is so important to acknowledge this display of skill, and as Rudger is doing, teach it to the next generation.
And speaking of the next generation, there are three little Klijnstras who all eat fish. I was curious to learn which fish they ate on Christmas Day: salmon – the king of the sea!
So, I would encourage you to make the trip to Enschede in Twente and sample all this market has to offer, and if not, head over to Vishandel Kilijnstra’s website and perhaps place an order of frozen fish delivered right to your doorstep, supporting this rather special fishmonger.
All photos © Clare Varney
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Clare, you are absolutely right! Klijnstra is the best fishmarket! I Like you, living around the corner, in Mooienhof, I buy fish from the Klijnstra’s twice most weeks. The only thing we miss are the live lobsters from our supermarket in Toronto, Canada!
Fabulous! I will let them know. Thank you so much for your comment. C