Eminönü Fish Market, Istanbul > Reviews (1)

Lost in Translation

Sometimes when you request something on Ciao it somehow gets a bit 'lost in translation'. It's probably my fault - I can't recall exactly how I described the 'Fish Bread' stands in Eminönü on the south west bank of the famous Galata bridge but I can confirm that this particular listing is what it turned into after passing through the suggestions process. Ironically there is a fish market next to the Galata Bridge – but not in Eminönü; it's on the north east bank on the Galata side. So, to cut a long story short, there is no fish market in the sense of a place to buy wet fish at Eminonu but there is one of Istanbul's most intriguing and inexpensive culinary delights – the Fish Bread or Balik Ekmek boats.

Like fish? LIke bread?

During our trip to Istanbul we had a lot of good meals but you don't always want the bother of finding a restaurant, sitting down and having a proper meal. Sometimes you just want something to 'grab and go' and my top recommendation for cheap, quick, food is to head to Eminönü on the tram (or walk, or take the Metro – it's up to you) and jostle with the locals to buy 'Fish Bread' from the decorated boats next to the bridge.

The lower level of the Galata bridge is lined with bars and restaurants and attracts throngs of locals, attracted to the bustle and the better prices than in the more touristic areas. You can buy Fish Bread and a beer in most of these restaurants too but for the real authentic experience you need to find the kitchen boats. We were there at about six o'clock in the evening after taking a cruise on the Bosphorus and the place was very lively. On the river bank we found a set of food stalls and the 'fish boats'. Each boat is moored on the water with a rather unstable set of steaming hot grills, and each has a land based seating area. Food is served straight to the customer from the floating kitchen. The kitchen boats are decked out in an oriental 'Chinesey' style that seems to be at odds with both their setting and their fare.

The principle is simple. Fishermen have been landing their catch at the bridge for many years. There's a fish market to the north-east side of the bridge and on the south west side, some entrepreneurial fishermen decided to convert their boats, cook the fish and sell it directly to the public. You can't get fresher and you can't get a simpler choice – and there's not much choice at all – just take it or leave it. 'Fish Bread' or 'Balik Ekmek' – they're exactly the same thing. And a fish bread will set you back 5 Turkish Lira (currently 2.8 TL to the Pound).

Simply Tasty

It's a very simple 'dish' – well it's not a 'dish' at all, it's a sandwich wrapped in paper. The men on the kitchen boats – and they are all men – must have cast iron stomachs to stand the constant bobbing and rocking of the boats and the overwhelming smell of grilling fish. The fish is out of the water, onto the catch boat and onto the grills in the kitchen boats without any hanging around, storage, or any chance to lose any of its freshness.

The fish boats really messed up our eating plans. We'd had lunch at about 3 o'clock and were planning for dinner around 7 in the evening. The worst possible preparation for that was going to be a massive fish bread at 6 o'clock but the food smelt so good and was so cheap that we had to experiment. My sister shot off through the crowds and returned with her fish bread which comprised of a massive chunk of soft bread stick (I would say baguette style but it's only baguette-like in shape and not in structure because it's soft and has no crispy crust) with a couple of mackerel-like fillets stuffed inside with a bit of lettuce. It really was that simple. We all picked at Aileen's roll and then my husband went and got one for the two of us.

It's the kind of fish you'd not normally imagine putting in a sandwich – strong, oily fish that's almost guaranteed to repeat on you for hours afterwards. The perfect accompaniment would have been a large, cold beer but these boats don't serve alcohol. You'll need to go to one of the bars on the bridge to get that. Apparently you're supposed to drink 'pickle juice' with your fish bread and that explains why there were carts selling pickles in juice beside the fish bread seating areas. My sister bought a portion not knowing what it was and thinking it might be fruit salad. It was really unpleasant. You can of course get fish bread AND beer if you eat in one of the bars but somehow that's just not right. You really SHOULD eat off the fish boats and not from a bar.

The men working in this area dress in odd pantomime-like clothes – bright colours, lots of gold braid and crazy style. It's a place of noise, colour, strong fishy smells, smoke and high energy. Even if you don't want to eat fish bread, it's still worth a visit to see what's happening, the take photos of the Suleymaniye Mosque on the hillside, to watch the sun go down (if you get the timing right) and to have a beer with the locals. Take a walk across the bridge and watch the locals fishing off the upper side of the bridge. On the other bank you can have a look at the fish market and then if you're full of beer and bread and can't face the walk back to your hotel, there's a tram stop on the line that runs up the coast towards Dolmabahce Palace or up the hill back to Sultanahmet.