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May is the month when the migration period to the Black Sea, called 'Katavasya,' gets underway. Expending incredible energy, schools of silverfish, mullet and gar swim upstream against fierce currents. They are followed shortly by schools of striped mullet and bonito. Mature whitings swim up the deep channel to the Black Sea, while their small fry struggle along the shore. Then there's schools of sea bream which appear along the shore in mid-June, whereas it's interesting to see the sea instantly turn charcoal black from hundreds of thousands of horse mackerel pressing along the shore. In order to witness and experience all of this, your best vantage point is Kandilli Burnu.
The "Anavasya" migration from the Black Sea to the Marmara, starts in September. Schools of fish fatten up on a myriad of plankton, then migrate down from the Bosphorus. First come the tunny followed by bluefish towards the end of September. Large bluefish and bonito appear in mid-October, whereas tunny join the procession in December.
Cooking fish
Generally, seafood is eaten as an appetizer in Turkey. Unfortunately, as Turks generally tend to associate themselves with the land rather than the water surrounding them on three sides, the number of ways fish is prepared in the country are limited. In sharing a few recipes with you, let's take a look at the inside story of some cooking techniques such as steaming, pan-frying and grilling.
Steamed:
The principal fish that are steamed are sea bream, plain bonito, flounder, small tunny and sea bass. Let's assume that we are going to steam sea bass. After cleaning and removing the scales, it is put into a tray covered with sliced tomatoes. Depending on its size, the fish should be slit length-wise 2-3 times on each side, whereas butter is inserted into the slits. Two fingers of butter and six black peppercorns are inserted into the hollowed-out torso. Butter is also sprinkled in various spots of the tray. Then, cover the fish in slices of peeled tomatoes. Also, sprinkle the tray with thinly-sliced green pepper and six cloves of garlic. After adding a pinch of salt and pepper, cover the tray with fresh sprigs of parsley. Sprinkle a pinch of oregano and add 2-3 bay leaves. If you notice, we don't use any lemon, water or onion, but you may add as you wish. However, onion and lemon tends to ruin the flavor of the fish. After preparing the tray and covering it with a lid, let it cook under a medium flame for 15-20 min. Then lower the flame to simmer and turn the fish over every 5 minutes, which ensures even cooking on both sides. After doing this for 20 min., take the tray to the dining table.
Fried
Almost all types of fish can be fried. However, there are two important points that you should be aware of; While frying, the oil in the pan must be very hot. Prior to frying, sprinkle some rakı over the salted fish. Also, after coating the fish in flour, stick a small crust of bread into the pan so that the oil doesn't leap out of the pan. Turn the fish over with tongs as it starts to brown lightly and repeat this process twice.
Grilled
Meaty, full-flavored fish such as bluefish, tunny and bream are delicious grilled. A mixture of vegetable oil, garlic, salt and lemon is poured slowly over the fish. Turn the grilled fish over using tongs once the fish eye starts to lightly brown. This is done once or twice as per the thickness of the fish. Where to dine on seafood
Hasan: Famous for its pickled tunny and steamed fish. Rıhtım Sk. 8, Yesilkoy. Tel: 0212 573 8300.Deniz Park (Aleko'nun Yeri): Their steamed bass is a must. Koybası Cad. Daire Sk.9, Yenikoy Tel: 0212 262 0415.Facyo: Fish meatballs are splendid! Kireçburnu Cad.13. Tarabya Tel: 0212 262 0024 Ekaya: Gotta try Circassian fish, fish crêpes, Goksu Iskele Cad. 19, Kandilli Tel: 0216 308 0260. Ali Baba: Famous for its grill bluefish. Kirecburnu Cad. 20, Kirecburnu. Tel:0212 262 0889. Evren: Steamed fish and shrimp stew. Capari Sk.4 Kumkapi.
