
Little stalls grill fish on the Golden Horn’s banks in Istanbul. You can enjoy the fish in small bread rolls with some lettuce and thin slices of onion, along with a squeeze of lemon juice. My version.
SERVES 2
½ red onion, thinly sliced
juice of ½ lemon, plus wedges to serve
One cauliflower, approximately 600g. Cut into smaller florets and save any leaves. Chop the stalk.
2 tbsp olive oil
Four butterflied Sardinines of approximately 200g each
1 tsp Baharat (seven-spice mix)
½ tsp dried mint
handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
GARLIC YOGURT
Plain yogurt 125g
One small clove of crushed garlic
One unwaxed lemon – zest
- Pre-heat the oven to 190C/fan170C/gas 5. Put the onion into a small bowl and mix the lemon juice.
- In a large baking dish, combine the oil with 1 tablespoon water and the cauliflower florets. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.
- Make the garlic yogurt while the cauliflower roasts. Combine the yogurt, lemon zest, and garlic in a small bowl. Season and place aside.
- Turn off the oven, and heat the grill on high. Place the sardines and the Baharat in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Place the sardines, skin side down on top of the cauliflower. For 3 minutes, grill the flesh until it is translucent and blistered. For squeezing, sprinkle the parsley and marinated onions over the top.
Also works well with Whole sardines: cut a few slashes into each side before grilling. Whole mackerel (you’ll only need 2): cut slashes into the skin before grilling; these will need about 5–6 minutes per side. Grilling Mackerel fillets should take approximately 5 minutes.