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Balik Pilaki

This Turkish specialty, popular throughout most of the Middle East, makes a good first course or cold buffet dish. Sliced swordfish is generally used, but most fish available in America are also suitable.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 6-8

Ingredients

2 pounds fish: whole red mullet or mackerel, or a piece of a larger fish, sliced
Olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
2 green peppers, seeded and sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound tomatoes, skinned and sliced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and pepper
About a dozen green or black olives, pitted or not (optional)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pan-fry the fish in a few tablespoons olive oil until lightly colored but not quite cooked inside, then lift out and reserve.

    Step 2

    Clean the pan. Fry the onions in 3 tablespoons oil until soft and golden. Add the sliced green peppers and fry until soft and sweet. Add the chopped garlic and fry for a moment more. Finally, add the tomatoes, chopped parsley, and tomato paste diluted in about 1/2 cup water. Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir well, bring to the boil, and simmer for 15 minutes.

    Step 3

    Lay the fish in the sauce carefully, so that the pieces are well covered, and cook for a further 5–10 minutes or until done, adding a little water if necessary. A few olives, blanched in boiling water to remove excess salt, can be added towards the end. Arrange the fish in a serving dish with sauce over it. Serve cold.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
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