A couple of Sydney’s top chefs have lambasted the Sydney Fish Markets for selling old, damaged seafood that is an "embarrassment".

Greg Doyle, of Pier Restaurant, said reviewers were "just being polite" when they said the markets were among the best in the world, adding,

"This is bullshit. I find the Sydney Fish Market an embarrassment. … You go down to the fish market and there is so much product that’s days and days old. They are spraying them with tap water and it can ruin the fish because it absorbs all this water. It’s old fish. That’s why the place has this stink."

Steve Hodges, of Fish Face is quoted in tomorrow’s edition of Time Out magazine as saying the markets are "f—ing terrible."

Grahame Turk, the managing director of Sydney Fish Markets, said he was appalled by the comments, adding,

"It’s ridiculous really, because all three of them have been down here buying fish. … look at the inside – I would be quite happy to eat my dinner off the auction room floor."

New South Wales Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said there were  no problems with food safety.

"The New South Wales Government constantly monitors places like the Sydney fish market. The authority undertakes inspections and audits of the wholesale processes at the market. There’ve been shown to be no systemic problems with food safety."