Eat a Fish

This post is a part of my “Things to Do in Adana” series.  You can purchase my book 27 Things to do in Adana and see a list of all the posts in this series at http://www.adanaadventures.com/book/.

If you’re from the Midwest  United States, as I am, the idea of having fish involves eating a fillet of fish that has been removed from the fish’s body with all of the skin removed. It may be fresh caught, it may be store bought. It may be battered and fried, it may be baked or grilled, but it looks like a chunk of meat.  With my upbringing, the idea of a whole fish being de-scaled and deep fried or grilled whole seemed totally foreign when I first came to Turkey (this may not be the case if you are from the coasts… I don’t know.)

*Attempting* to catch fish near my home town of Mora Minnesota

When I had first moved to Adana and a friend had offered to take us out for fish, the last thing I imagined was a plate with a whole fish on it.   Frankly it was quite intimidating, and may I say disgusting.  After digging in with an open mind though, I really enjoyed the fish and have come to love eating fish in Adana.

Even after “going out for fish” with friends a few times though, I was still a bit intimidated about ordering fish for myself because it seemed there were endless choices of fish on ice and I’d always feared ordering something that would be too expensive or that I wouldn’t know how to eat.  This week’s edition of 52 Things to do in Adana aims to dissolve some of the mystery and make it easy to go out and order fish for yourself.

Outside a typical fish restaurant. A bit intimidating.

How to Order: If you are going out for fish, you’re going to want to stick with one of the standard species of fish.  In Adana those are Çupra (Gılt-Head Bream) and Levrek (Sea Bass).  Ordering these are surprisingly straightforward as I’ve learned.  Here are your options   You’ll want to ask for small (kuçuk) medium (orta boy) or large (buyuk).  You have two options for preparation; deep fried (kizartmiş) or grilled (izgara). (see summary below)

So ordering will be as simple as saying “Orta Boy Çupra.  Kizartmiş” which is what I recommend and which is pictured here.

Side Dishes: Some of the common side dishes are tossed salad (salata), arugula salad (roka salatsı) and fries (cips).  They all go great with fresh fish.

Where to Go: If you’re eating fish in Adana, I recommend Balıkcı İbrahim – Istanbul Balıkçısı which I’ll be reviewing here tomorrow.

How To Eat It: Now comes eating it.  The big question what parts of the fish to eat and how?  This is the tricky part, but it’s not too tricky after all.  If the fish is prepared properly, the meat should pull away from the bones quite easily.  Just run your knife across the top of the top of the fish and remove the top bones, and then peel that top fillet away from the fish and dig in.  You should be able to do that without getting many bones, although you should always be careful.  You should try eating the skin.  It’s really tasty, although not for everyone. Just give it a try.  After you’ve eaten that side, flip over the fish and repeat.  At this point you’ll have a pile of bones and a fish head and a satisfied tummy.  Some people will encourage you at this point to tear the head apart and get at the little pieces of meat in the cheeks.  That’s fine, but not necessary for beginners.  It’s a bit intimidating at first but after you’ve done this a few times, you’ll be totally comfortable ordering fish in Adana, and if you’re like me, you’ll love it.

Pictured above (Levrek left, Çupra right)

52 Things to do in Adana is a weekly collection of experiences you can have to experience Adana to its fullest.