Bay leaves always accompany both poached and grilled fish.
Grilling fish over charcoal, where the fish juices hit the embers and envelope the fish with the smoke, is perhaps the most delicious way of eating mature fish since this method brings out the delicate flavour.
"Hamsi" is the prince of all fish known to Turks: the Black Sea people know forty-one ways of making hamsi including hamsi börek, hamsi pilaf and hamsi dessert!
Another common seafood is the mussel, eaten deep-fried, poached, or as mussel dolma and mussel pilaf.
The Bosphorus is famous for its fish restaurants, large and small, from Rumeli Kavağı to Kumkapı.
After being seated, it is customary to visit the kitchen or the display to pick your fish and discuss the way you want it to be prepared.
