Çinekop

I'm back in Istanbul (arrived Feb. 17, 2011)! Our driver took the long way home across the Fatih Koprusu (the second bridge over the Bosphorus) due to the density of traffic from the airport that starts about 5:00 p.m., but it still took over an hour. The apartment got cleaned yesterday while Sumer and I walked to our 'upper' market for general household needs and our local bakery for a lovely, crispy-crusted, round loaf of what seemed like whole wheat bread (I need to ask her next time we're in there) and then down our 186 steps to our wonderful outdoor market for fresh fish, veggies and fruit. What a treat! I'm always amazed by the variety and freshness.

A cousin joined us for dinner last night which gave me the excuse to buy freshly caught çinekop (bluefish from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea). In Turkey, fish of the same variety have different names depending on their size. For example, bluefish less than 4" is called defheyaprağı; 5-7"çinekop; 8-10" sarıkanat; larger is lüfer and there are even bigger ones, but in Turkey, these are the most common.

The three of us gobbled up 1 kilo (2.2 lbs)! I have a terrific oval-shaped clay pot with a short lip (about 1") that is perfect for cooking and going straight to the table. All I needed to do was add about 1 tablespoon of good olive oil to the pan, roll the fish in the oil, stuff them with a little chopped onion, garlic, salt, pepper (toss extra on top), add a bay leaf, a few lemon slices on top, a drizzle of white wine, and bake in a very hot oven (450ºF) for about 20-30 minutes (it depends on the pan and how many fish are stacked close together) . Fish is done when you press on the flesh and it feels firm or if the flesh is flaky if you test with a fork. Don't overcook!

Serve with a nice salad and good bread for dipping in the sauce in the pan.....although I made other side dishes, we were all so enthusiastic about the fish that we really didn't care if there was anything else on the table!

Affiyet olsun! (Bon Apetit!)