Several restaurants near Hawah Beach will cook whatever you buy at the morning fish auction or from the boats that return at dawn. The arrangement is informal and common: you select live crabs or freshly landed fish, negotiate a price with the fisherman or the beach traders, and hand it to a nearby restaurant kitchen who will cook it for a small fee. The experience is not organised — it requires some confidence and basic bargaining — but the result is the freshest possible meal at well below restaurant prices.
The fish auction on the beach happens in the early morning, around 6–7am, as the night boats return. This is not set up for tourists — it is a working commercial transaction between fishermen and traders — but onlookers are generally tolerated. Kingfish, tuna, pomfret, red snapper, and various crabs are common in season.
Alternatively, some of the restaurants along the Hawah Beach strip have deals with specific boats and can guarantee you the morning's catch at dinner. Asking directly which restaurant is currently working with which boats is worthwhile if this matters to you.