This week we’re visiting the bustling Mediterranean Turkish port of FETHIYE again, the town that offers fish lovers a wide selection of culinary delights.
In this, the second part of our series, we will help you identify the names of some of the most popular regional varieties, so you can make some different choices, prepare them to perfection and eat it the way the locals do.
Any day’s a fish day…
A fish feast for lunch or dinner is, for many people, an integral part of any visit to Fethiye but not everyone is aware of the wonderful local varieties on offer, most of which are caught by small-scale fishermen along the Muğla coast.
Bon apetit or, as we say here, Afiyet olsun!
If you’ve ever wondered about the fish on display but with Turkish names you don’t recognise, here are some of the delicious local varieties you can enjoy at this time of year from Fethiye’s fish market.
Fresh and full of the flavour of the sea, these fish are simple to cook and totally delicious.
Sea bass or sea bream are the two varieties of fish the usually spring to mind when thinking about what to buy from Fethiye’s fish market but there are also some delicious local varieties of fish with Turkish names of which foreign visitors to the market will probably not have heard.
Season – January to April
In this article, we would like to introduce you to the ones on sale at this time of year, if you haven’t tried them before, and if you have, to remind you of how tasty and simple to cook, they are.
Don’t forget that the fishmongers will prepare them for you at no extra cost and of course, if you don’t want to cook them at home you a can always ask one of the restaurants that surround the fish stalls, to cook them for you!
How to eat – We use our fingers and have a water bowl and large napkin… but it’s really up to you.
Mırmır
Mırmır (bottom of the picture)
Known in English as stripped seabream, this can be prepared and cooked in the same way as its non-stripped cousin.
Skorpid
Rascasse (on the right) an excellent fish for soup
In France this fish is called rascasse and the famous ingredient that gives bouillabaisse its wonderful flavour.
In Fethiye it is often used as part of a tasty fisherman’s soup. Highly recommended.
Dülger
Dülger: John Dory, perfect for a fishy feast
This picture is of a really magnificent specimen of dülger, known in English as John Dory.
A versatile and truly wonderful fish to eat with its firm white flesh – it can be pan-fried, grilled, baked whole, steamed, poached or roasted.
Lagos
Lago: grouper is a delectable fish (that’s the big one in the middle)
A member of the grouper family, lagos makes a particularly wonderful feast when baked.
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