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Istanbul’s mackerel sandwiches (balik ekmek)
- Yasmin Khan
Published: April 21, 2021 at 10:04 AM
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Serves 2
Easy
Total time: 20 mins
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A street-food favourite in Istanbul, these ciabatta sarnies are stuffed with fried mackerel, salad and a pomegranate molasses dressing for an easy lunch that's ready in just 20 minutes
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Try these sensational stuffed mackerel sandwiches, then check out our Turkish manti, Turkish pide, Turkish gozleme, Turkish lahmacun, Turkish stuffed peppers and more Turkish-style recipes. Now learn how to cook like a local from Turkey.
Walking along the Bosporus in Istanbul, one of the most iconic sights is that of people standing at the side of the water behind small barbecues, grilling fresh mackerel for these tasty takeaway sandwiches that are best eaten staring out at the bobbing waters.
Recipe extracted from Ripe Figs: Recipes and Stories from the Eastern Mediterranean by Yasmin Khan (£26, Bloomsbury). Recipes are supplied by the publisher and not retested by us.
Learn about Turkish coffee culture with our expert barista Celeste Wong's guide, including traditional rituals, how to order it and the perfect recipe for at-home brewing.
Ingredients
Nutrition
-
¼ small red onion
sliced
-
2 ciabatta rolls
halved
-
2 mackerel fillets
-
olive oil
-
a small handful of leaves mint
roughly chopped
-
½ carrot
grated
-
a large handful rocket
-
1 ripe tomato
finely sliced
DRESSING
-
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
plus more to serve
-
2 tbsp lemon juice
-
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
-
¼ tsp sumac
-
¼ tsp pul biber chilli flakes or other mild chilli flakes
-
½ clove garlic
bashed
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal726
- fat42g
- saturates7g
- carbs56.2g
- sugars12.6g
- fibre5.5g
- protein28.1g
- salt2.1g
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Method
-
step 1
Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar with ¼ tsp each of salt and black pepper. Seal, then shake vigorously and set aside for 5 minutes.
-
step 2
Put the onion in a shallow bowl, pour over the dressing (removing the garlic) and leave to marinate – this removes some of the onion’s astringency. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat the rolls in the oven for 5 minutes until lightly toasted.
-
step 3
Spoon a couple of teaspoons of the dressing over the fleshy side of the mackerel fillets, then season generously with salt. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the fillets, skin-side down, for 3-4 minutes. Once the skin has begun to crisp up, flip the fillets and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side until just cooked through. While the fish is cooking, put the mint, carrot and rocket in the bowl with the onion and toss well.
-
step 4
When the mackerel is ready, transfer the fish to a plate lined with kitchen paper and begin assembling the sandwiches. Drizzle the cut sides of the toasted rolls with extra-virgin olive oil, then layer on the mackerel, followed by the tomatoes with a pinch of salt, the carrots, then a couple of teaspoons of the dressing. Put on the tops of the rolls and serve.
Discover more mackerel recipes
Authors
Yasmin Khan
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