BALIK EKMEK / ISTANBUL STREET FLAVOR, FISH SANDWICH

Merhaba From Türkiye 👋

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My post today is about one of the street food in Istanbul - Balık ekmek, literally means fish bread.

This fish sandwich is one of the traditional street flavors of Turkish cuisine, is identified with Eminönü in particular. When you walk along the Galata bridge and Eminönü port area, you will find many fisherman boats decorated in such colorful and beautiful ornaments with Turkish red flags selling this popular Istanbul street food.

People queue up in a long line at a certain boat that is believed "the best" among others. Last summer, I was among that crowded. But since I was with my girl, I was just looking for a less queuing seller not to make my kid suffer for boring 😊 

This fish sandwich prepared with typical Turkish sandwich bread, pan-grilled fish, mostly mackerel (turk; uskumru) or bonito (turk; palamut),with various vegetables and pickles. I saw some served with onion/ red onion sliced some didn't. No fancy plate, fork, and knife nor whatsoever, it's just wrapped with a piece of paper and you are good to go. We can sit down to enjoy our fish sandwich at some stools and bench prepared by the seller near their boat. Don't forget to order şalgam suyu or a turnip juice drink to enjoy with this dish.

This street food is prepared and sold on (fisherman) boats, sold on the coastal shores which are also of great interest to tourists. 

So When you have a plan to visit Turkey, you should go to Istanbul of course to see the rich history of that city and do not skip to enjoy this balık ekmek. 

But while you prepare your luggage and make a trip plan, why don't you try this flavor of Istanbul in your kitchen first?

Making this dish is so easy than you think. If you have the ingredients on the list ready, we can move on to the homemade fish sandwich recipe.

Balık Ekmek/ Turkish stye fish sandwich

By : Çitra's Home Diary

Make 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

For pan-grilled fish:

🐟 2 big bonito or mackerel fish

🐟 salt

🐟 black pepper powder

🐟 smoked pepper powder

🐟 Olive oil

For salad:

🐟 romaine lettuce (or any lettuce you have)

🐟 red big onion, finely sliced

🐟 some parsley, roughly chopped

🐟 cucumber pickles, finely sliced

For serving:

🐟 4 sandwich bread, slice lengthwise without cut it

🐟 lemon

🐟 Pickles (cucumber and chili pepper)

🐟 Red chili flake (optional)

How to make:

1) Clean the fish and cut into half lengthwise, clean fish's innard, and remove the big bone in the middle.

Note: You can use boneless fish ready from the supermarket or fish seller you can skip this cleaning process.

Season the fish with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika powder. Let it sit for a few minutes or 1 hour at the refrigerator.

2) Heat grilling pan over medium-high heat, add a few teaspoons of olive oil. Grill the fish for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. If you have thicker fish you may add about 1 or 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. On the same pan grill also your bread with open-slit (white part) against the pan, grill until slightly dry.

3) Meanwhile, prepare the salad. Roughly chop the lettuce and parsley. Slice the pickles and red onion.

How to serve:

Arrange salad inside the bread with one part of grilled fish. Serve immediately with lemon, pickles, and red chili flakes if you like.

Afiyet Olsun. Enjoy your fish sandwich.

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BAHASA INDONESIA

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم

السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

Merhaba dari Türki semuanya 👋

Terima kasih udah mampir kemari ya. Boleh kok tinggalkan kesan dan pesan di kolom komen dibawah... Saya akan sangat-sangat berterima kasih dan makin semangat update-update 💟

Posting saya hari ini adalah salah satu makanan jalanan (street food) di Istanbul - Balık ekmek, secara harfiah berarti "roti ikan".

Sandwich dengan ikan bakar ini adalah salah satu citarasa street food tradisional Turki, yang identikkan dengan daerah Eminönü. Kenapa?

Jika kamu berkunjung ke Istanbul dan berjalan di sepanjang jembatan Galata dan area pelabuhan Eminönü, kamu akan menemukan banyak perahu nelayan yang didekorasi dengan ornamen warna-warni dan indah dengan bendera merah Turki yang menjual makanan jalanan Istanbul yang populer ini.

Antrean panjang kadang terlihat di perahu tertentu yang diyakini menjual sandwich ikan paling enak di antara yang lain. Musim panas lalu, saya berkesempatan mencicipi street food khas daerah pelabuhan ini. Tapi karena saya bersama si kecil, saya hanya mencari penjual yang tidak terlalu panjang antriannya agar tidak membuat anak saya menderita karena bosan  👯