Oven-baked Sea Bass

Here in Istanbul we are surrounded by water: the Sea of Marmara, the beautiful Bosphorus and Golden Horn, and then the Black Sea. You would think that fish would be cheap - but it isn't, and dinner in one of the many fish restaurants especially by the sea can be surprisingly pricey.

a wet day  for the fishermen in Karaköy

 All fish meals always start with any number of meze followed by the fish traditionally grilled, baked or fried and served with a salad. For me the meze are almost enough in themselves but I am always persuaded to have a fish afterwards. The most popular drink with fish especially in summer is rakı but a bottle of nice dry white wine is equally acceptable.

I love the traditional fish places like Karaköy and Kadıköy for their displays and atmosphere but in my experience the fish counters in the supermarkets do a better job of cleaning the fish especially if you want fillets.

We were having friends round so I thought I would get some fillets of sea bass/deniz levreği, generally considered to be the queen of the fish, so I headed for my local Migros which has a great fish counter. I bought 3 beauties which were meticulously prepared and sliced into 6 fillets. This recipe adapted from Alev Kaman's Modern Türk Mutfağı calls for a delicious sauce which I thought would make a change!

Ingredients for Oven-baked Sea Bass  

Serves 6

6 sea bass fillets

20 mushrooms

3 green peppers/sivribiber (the long thin green ones, not the stuffing variety)

2 tomatoes

3 spring onions

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup cream

1tbsp flour

1 cup water

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 180C/360F.
• Wash and slice the mushrooms. Wash and de-seed the peppers, then slice. Trim the spring onions and slice thinly. Peel the tomatoes and chop. Wash and pat dry the fish fillets.

• Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the mushrooms and gently saute for 5-6 minutes. Add the peppers, spring onions, tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook for a further 5 minutes on a low heat.
• Put the flour in a mug and gradually add the cup of water, stirring all the time. Using a whisk, add the cream. Add this mixture to the vegetables in the pan stirring all the time, and bring to the boil. 
• Place the fillets on an oven tray or suitable ovenproof dish and pour the sauce over. Bake for 30 minutes.



the sauce is underway



ready to go in the oven

Some potatoes and a green salad are all you need to go with this delicious fish dish.

Afiyet olsun!



Palamut - Fish of the Month

Sunday by the Bosphorus in Kadıköy on the Asian side

It was a truly gorgeous Istanbul Sunday : blue sky, warm sun, the fishermen all out.  After dropping my airport-bound husband off at the seabus port in Kadıköy,  I dawdled along the sea  front enjoying  the people and the beautiful Bosphorus or Boğaz as it's called in Turkish, before going up into the colourful  çarşi or market area. It was almost too early for those little streets even though it was already 11.30. Weekdays or better still, Saturdays, when they are thronging with people and you are in the midst of the hustle and bustle, are fun.

The joy of this area is all the little speciality shops bursting with stuff both inside and out.

all sorts of goodies here

everything for a salad

dried tomatoes, aubergines, and peppers

Turkey is not a place where you will starve!  Here is a great place to buy fish and right now, it’s everywhere. This is very much the season for palamut or bonito,  a beautiful, shiny, firm-fleshed fish which comes in 3 sizes: small, medium, and large! I bought one small one for 13 TL which wasn't particularly cheap. Fish generally isn't cheap here. The fishmongers will prepare the fish for you in whatever way you want. I  asked for my fish to be cut into two fillets.

a sea of palamut

          

Method

§  Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F.

§  Lay the fish fillets on an ovenproof dish and drizzle a little olive oil and lemon juice over them. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add sliced lemons, tomatoes and onions as in the picture. Scatter a bit of dried thyme/kekik .

§  Cook for about 25 minutes depending on thickness.

§  Serve one half per person.  Having said that, my husband can eat a whole small palamut quite happily. Probably a medium too!

With a mixed green salad and maybe a few boiled potatoes, this is a great meal.

 

cooked and ready to eat!


Tips

1.       Cooking fish is really very easy especially as Turks don’t like their fish to be diluted by sauces. You can do what I did above with any fish. I like using the oven.

2.       This fish can also be cut into rounds and then fried. This is delicious. This shape isn't good for cooking in the oven as the bones are everywhere.

3.       Eating fresh fish is a big deal here: if Turkish friends say to you, you must come round, we’re having fish tonight, it is like bayram, there is something festive about the idea.  It also means that out comes the rakı, which is the natural accompaniment to fish, and of course mezes, so it becomes a feast.

There are tons of marvellous fish restaurants in the city, ranging from the pretty pricey to the cheap and cheerful. It’s really fun to go out for a fish meal here! Try it!