Shirley Fish Market is a fish market and supermarket on Marshland Road in Shirley, Christchurch, with a perfect 5.0 Google rating. Freshness is everything at a fish market, and the tells are simple: whole fish should have clear eyes, firm springy flesh and a clean, briny smell rather than a strong fishy one. Regulars shop early, because the best of the day's catch goes first, and in Canterbury that often means whatever the boats landed overnight — gurnard, red cod, rig, or whitebait when the season opens. Prices move with the catch and the weather, so it pays to ask what came in and let that decide dinner rather than arriving with a fixed list. A good fishmonger will usually fillet your fish for you while you wait, which is half the reason to shop there. For Shirley households after seafood fresher than the supermarket chiller, having a five-star fish market along Marshland Road is a handy thing.