Horse Mackerel
Affordable, tasty and best fried.
- 2026-11-11
- On the board
- Season months
- OctoberNovemberDecemberJanuaryFebruaryMarch
- Chef's cooking tip
- Two minutes a side in the pan; once cooked the bones lift away easily.
- Source
- Black Sea
1,300 ₺
Anchovy
The Black Sea's winter emblem; fried, poached and baked in rice.
N 41°09′ · E 29°03′Kireçburnu · Sarıyer
Between November and February anchovy arrives daily from the Black Sea coast. Winter anchovy, fattened in cold water, is plumper and tastier than autumn fish. The legal minimum size for anchovy is 9 cm; if you see smaller anchovy on a fishmonger's slab, we suggest you do not buy it.
How do we judge freshness?
Fresh anchovy has bright, bulging eyes and a firm, silver body that does not flop in your hand. The gills are red and it smells of the sea. We buy anchovy in the morning from lorries that leave the Black Sea overnight and clean it the same day.
Anchovy on the menu
- Fried: in cornmeal, two minutes in hot oil.
- Poached: in a tray with tomato, pepper and lemon.
- Anchovy pilaf: Saturdays and Sundays, to order in advance.
The anchovy season can close briefly depending on weather and catches in the Black Sea; on those days it comes off the board.
Tasting notes
- Intense, briny flavour
- Soft flesh
- Fat in winter
