The Sydney Fish Market's 36-hour seafood marathon is off to a "surprisingly calm" start but it's expected to lure more than 100,000 visitors before trading ends on Christmas Eve.
Marketing manager Stephanie Williams predicts retailers at the market will sell 700 tonnes of seafood as shoppers flock to the market to prepare their Christmas feasts.
"It's our favourite time of the year because everyone's in sort of that festive mood and it's a time when it's seafood's time to shine, basically," Ms Williams told AAP.
Prawns remain the most popular purchase with the market expected to sell about 120 tonnes of the crustacean.
However, Ms Williams noted that shoppers are beginning to branch out and embrace new Christmas traditions.
"More and more people are going for a whole fish for their sort of centrepiece as a Christmas meal," she said.
"People are often trying to eat healthier these days and becoming a little bit more confident with cooking seafood so it makes a beautiful centrepiece to do a side of salmon or even a whole snapper or barramundi."
The market will remain open until 5pm on Christmas Eve.
