These Mackeral Burgers are churned out, at a huge rate, maybe 200 an hour, grilled on floating boat galleys which become more and more decorative as the seasons pass.ДЇish sandwiches are served in grilled half loaves of bread along with some tomato and lettuce. In Istanbul, along the Bosphorus where all the ferries pick up their passengers and hundreds of fisherman hang over the Galata Bridge, there is quite a different sight below.ДЄ bustling quay filled with hundreds of Istanbullians as well as Turkish visitors and international tourists are vying to eat a 'Balik Ekmek' which is a fish sandwich. It's said that this tasty species was once abundant in the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, but due to overfishing and pollution, populations are dwindling.ДЇishing for Uskumru is limited to areas near Gallipoli and Saros, South of Istanbul. Some of the best Turkish sardines are harvested near Gallipoli, where the Aegean and Marmara Seas meet. Sardines are very popular in the Turkish local cuisine, especially during the early autumn when theyвЂ™re in high season. Turbot is served either grilled or fried in flour. It comes from the Black Sea area so it's more readily available in Istanbul than the southern coastal towns.

Turbot is far more easily found in the colder months in Turkey. It's most commonly found around the Istanbul area as it is fished in the Bosphorus whichД¬onnects the Black Sea with the Marmara Sea. The season for Bluefish starts in August and is over by the end of the year. This fish is quite a fatty fish so it's best grilled or barbecued with a light brush of oil and some salt and pepper. It is a new experience for sure and definitely worth trying once in your life. Then pull the meat off the bones with your teeth, leaving the bones behind. You can hold this fried fish in two hands as you would a cob of corn. Many Turks do not like to touch their food but one exception can be with Red Mullets. They are a lovely reddish color similar to red snapper, and have an earthy, ever-so-slightly bitter taste. Red mullet is highly prized in Turkish cuisine.ДЄs it thrives in colder, deeper waters, the best red mullet are caught in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. When ready to serve, all the oil will have been soaked up and the pan is tipped over holding the lid tightly to the pan and then the lid is placed directly on the table ready to eat from. This is a totally flat lid that overhangs the pan but is not curved in any way. Very pleasing-to-the-eye in factВ and when cooked on one side, a special Hamsi lid is used. They will be placed around the frying pan in a symmetrical formation. Finally laying them out, butterflied in the pan to cook in shallow corn or sunflower oil. Then dusting them in cornmeal (not cornflour). The preferred way to cook them is by deboning them with your fingers. It literally look like low clouds, jumping over and over themselves, swimming for their lives, avoiding larger fish, seagulls and if they are lucky, the nets. If you are able to go online and pull up a video showing the fishing of these, you would be amazed to see how these boats are filmed in the middle of swarms of these little fish. They bring in over 300,00 tons of anchovies in a season.

Instead, even larger monster fishing boats with huge storage facilities, and walk-in fridges and freezers take off and go collect the massively enormous hauls from the non-stop working fishing vessels out at sea. These boats have large crews and do not come back in for weeks and weeks in a row. The tough fishing vessels are in position and ready to start throwing the nets out at the stroke of midnight as it turns September 15th. On the night of September 15th, hundreds of boats lining the shores of the Black Sea depart for their big hauls. September 15tht to April 15th.ДЄll the huge fishing vessels line the harbours, all sparkling, freshly painted and ready to take off for when the season begins. It is forbidden to fish the Hamsi outside of the season, which is autumn through to spring. In fact, you can even find a dessert using them! The Black Sea region on Turkey's Northern coast is famous for its anchovies.ДЄnchovies are a staple in this region and they are used in many different kinds of dishes, in dozens of ways.

Poached bluefish