Turkey has the appearance of a large water country surrounded by seas on three sides, large rivers originating from its land, dozens of streams reaching the sea, and large lakes. Fresh and saltwater fish and a variety of seafood are found in these waters. For this reason, fish and seafood have a very important place in Turkish culture and cuisine. At the same time, Turkey is among the largest seafood suppliers in Europe.
Richness of Flavor
There is a special flavor in the fish of countries with inland seas, such as Turkey. Because in this type of inland seas, very active middle water fish live rather than bottom fish. Their meat is more delicious than the fish of the open seas, such as the ocean. In addition to this taste in fish, Turkey is a rich country in terms of diversity. Each sea has its own naturally grown fish and seafood. They contain special flavors according to the season. Therefore, you can buy your fish from Turkey. Anchovy of the Black Sea, horse mackerel of the Marmara, sardines of the Dardanelles, and sea bream of the Aegean are the fish varieties identified with these waters. Fish such as mackerel, toric, turbot, bonito, bluefish, and bluefish found in all seas take the unique flavor of each sea and come to the table with different tastes.
Fishing and Hunting
Fishing is done by the master and professional fishers, as well as in the form of angling. Although this situation is valid for sea fishing, the problem is not different in rivers and lakes. The most common fish species in inland waters are Trout and Carp. It is possible to find the most delicious species of Turkish Trout, which is considered among the tastiest freshwater fish in the world, in the Eastern Anatolian rivers.
Turkish fishing was a local and small sector until yesterday. But there have been significant breakthroughs in the last 25-30 years. In addition to developing new techniques for catching fish that grow in the seas, freshwater fishing has also made great strides. Fish that are about to disappear today live in special ponds. It still continues to cheer up the tables with its aquaculture.
Cooking Fish
There are three basic fish cooking techniques in Turkey: grilling, pan and steam cooking. Depending on the type of fish and the season of the product, all three forms of fish cooked in homes and restaurants. Fish dishes more commonly found in the coastal parts of the country than in the interior.
Seafood Richness
In addition to fish, Turkey is also a very rich country in terms of seafood. Mussel varieties, octopus varieties, shrimp varieties. Some of the fish and other crops in Turkey’s seas can found all year round. At the same time, the desired fish can found every month with aquaculture.
Seafood Growing Times
Thanks to aquaculture, many species are grown all year round. However, some of them increase their taste even more than months. For this reason, we can list the flavors of fish that change according to the months as follows.
January: Mackerel, bluefish, bonito reach the most delicious consistency in these months. Mullet and anchovy are in full-fat condition. Bluefish and yellowfin are delicious. The season of mussels has begun. Tabby and swallow are also plentiful.
February: Turbot season begins, continues until the end of May. Tabby is abundant. Mackerel, bluefish, and bonito start to lose their oil from this month. Silverfish, mullet, and mussels are delicious.
March: It is the most delicious time for mullet, sea bass, and turbot. Mackerel starts to become skinny.
April: Turbot still comes first in terms of taste and is the most abundant time. It is a great time of coral, perch, sword, swallow. Fish is more abundant in this month compared to other months.
May: Lobster, sea bass, red mullet, sole, tabby, swordfish, swallow, hermit crab, shrimp are the most delicious seasons. The shield cub and the weasel begin to emerge.
June: Fish is scarce this month. They mostly found scattered and not in their water. For this reason, June is an unproductive month for fish.
July: Sardine season. The mullet, the red mullet, continues its delight again. Lobster, hermit crab, shrimp come out in abundance.
August: It is the period when the gypsy acorn is just beginning to emerge. Sardines, swordfish, coral, scallops, lobster and hermit are in flavor this month.
September: Bonito gets bigger. Bluefish, scallops, butts, swallows come out in abundance.
October is when temporary fish start to feed in the Black Sea and return to the Marmara during the summer. This is a month when all kinds of fish are plentiful.
November: The abundance and flavor of the fish in October continue. It is the month when Pisi is the most delicious. Toric abounds.
December: Mackerel, bluefish, bonito, toric are all kinds of food because they are oily and plentiful. Tabby is abundant; anchovy is also the perfect time to taste.
