Sea Food

Four seas (the Black Sea, Marmara Sea, the Aegean, and the Mediterranean) surround the Turkish landscape, and residents of the coastal cities are experts in preparing their fish. However, the best of the day’s catch is also immediately transported to Ankara, where some of the finest fish restaurants are located. Winter is the premium season for eating fish. That is the time when many species of fish migrate from the Black Sea to the warmer waters and when most fish reach their mature sizes. So, the lack of summer vegetables is compensated by the abundance of fish at this time. Every month has its own preferred fish, along with certain vegetables which complement the taste. For example, the best bonito is eaten with arugula and red onions, blue fish with lettuce, turbot with cos lettuce. Large bonito may be poached with celery root. Mackerel is stuffed with chopped onion before grilling, and summer fish, which are younger and drier, will be poached with tomatoes and green peppers, or fried. Bay leaves always accompany both poached and grilled fish. Grilling fish over charcoal, where the fish juices hit the embers and envelope the fish with the smoke, is perhaps the most delicious way of eating mature fish, since this method brings out the delicate flavor. This is also why the grilled fish and bread sold by vendors right on their boats are so tasty. “Hamsi” is the prince of all fish known to Turks: the Black Sea people know forty-one ways of making hamsi including hamsi börek, hamsi pilaf and hamsi dessert!
Cut fish in blue tubs

Fish in a sea market

Another common seafood is the mussel eaten deep fried, poached, or as a mussel dolma and mussel pilaf. Along the Aegean, octopus and calamary are added to the meze spread.
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Fish

Turkey is surrounded by seas which contain a large variety of fish. Fish are grilled, fried or cooked slowly by the buğulama method. Buğulama is fish with lemon and parsley, covered while cooking so that it will be cooked with steam. The term pilâki is also used for fish cooked with various vegetables, including onion in the oven. In the Black Sea region, fish are usually fried with thick corn flour. Fish are also eaten cold; as smoked (isleme) or dried (çiroz), canned, salted or pickled (lâkerda). Fish is also cooked in salt or in dough in Turkey.Pazıda Levrek is a seafood speciality which consists of sea bass cooked in chard leaves. In fish restaurants, it is possible to find fancy fish varieties like balık dolma (stuffed fish) or balık iskender (inspired by Iskender kebab). Fish soup prepared with vegetables, onion and flour is common in coastal towns and cities. In Istanbul’s Eminönü and other coastal districts, grilled fish served in bread with tomatoes, herbs and onion is a popular fast food. In the inner parts of Turkey, trout alabalık is common as it is the main type of freshwater fish.

Popular sea fishes in Turkey include: anchovy hamsi, sardine sardalya, bonito palamut, gilt-head bream çupra or çipura, red mullet barbun(ya), sea bass levrek, whiting mezgit (allied to the cod fish) or bakalyaro, swordfish kılıç, turbot kalkan, red pandora mercan, tırança, and white grouper lagos.[

Fried Fish
(Recipe Prepared By: Shaida)

Ingredients

- 60 g (2 oz) plain flour
- 4 fillets of fish (plaice, haddock or cod)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried fenugreek leaf (optional)

Recipe

Mix the flour, salt, pepper and crushed fenugreek together. Add the fillets covering them completely. Fry in hot oil immediately. Serve with sabzi polow.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound linguine pasta
1/2 cup butter
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup pesto
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
DIRECTIONS:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in cream, and season with pepper. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir Parmesan cheese into cream sauce, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Blend in the pesto, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until thickened.

Stir in the shrimp, and cook until they turn pink, about 5 minutes. Serve over the hot linguine.

Ingredients:

450 g shrimp (peeled)
1 large onion finely chopped
1 tomato finely chopped
1 teaspoon fenugreek
2 tablespoon oil/butter
salt to taste
coriander leaves finely chopped

* To be ground *
1-2 red chilli
1 tsp pepper corn
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander seeds
3 gloves garlic
1.5 inch ginger
Directions: 1. Fry the chopped onions and fenugreek seeds, in oil till they become golden brown.
2. Add chopped tomato and the ground paste and fry for 4 minutes
3. Add salt to taste, sufficient water. Cover and cook on medium heat till the shrimp is fully cooked.
4. Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.
Serve hot with: White rice or Indian bread varities (Roti, chapathi, nan and puris)