Hamsi Kofte Recipe
Hamsi means anchovy fish in Turkish. It's a common type of fish consumed in mainly Black Sea region but also all around Turkey. So, Black Sea region has lots of anchovy recipes. Hamsi Kuşu is one of the most popular ones. But there is an uncertainty about the recipe. In different parts of the region it's made with different methods. Hamsi Kuşu is one of the recipes I've been thinking a lot about recently.
Years ago, if they asked me what a hamsi kuşu was, I would have said that two boneless anchovies should be fried after being glued together and covered with cornmeal. Like many of the people. In fact, I did a poll on Instagram last month and saw that many people thought it was the one as I used to think. To make this survey even more interesting, the next question I asked was whether the respondents were from the Black Sea region. Again, as I guessed, most of the respondents were not from the Black Sea region. In short, many people living outside the Black Sea region, including myself, have wrong information about hamsi kuşu. So how did I know this?
Years ago, during a conversation with a friend of mine from Trabzon (a city in Black Sea Region), for Trabzon people, hamsi kuşu is made by mixing anchovy fishes with cornmeal and frying it as in this hamsi kofte recipe. But I'm not the only one confused about the hamsi kuşu. There is no consensus on this issue in the Black Sea region as well. Just like in kaygana and mıhlama recipes. If I say that this is the hamsi kuşu now, there will be many people who will say, "No, it is not, we do it like this.". I guess I just don't feel that ready to face it. But I can say that something took shape in my mind about what hamsi kuşu should be.
What I described above as hamsi kuşu for the people of Trabzon is also called hamsi kofte for the people of Trabzon or in some places outside of Trabzon. The idea of their being kofte came closer to me in terms of shape. That's why I wanted to share this recipe as hamsi kofte. If you call it hamsi kuşu in your region, you can pretend that I wrote hamsi kuşu in the title. I had to make a decision and that's how I did it. In the near future, I will try to share the hamsi kuşu recipe as well. Then I hope that by looking back at this recipe, you will understand better why I made such a decision.
Enjoy the recipe...
Hamsi Kofte Recipe with Video
Ingredients
- 1 kg of anchovies,
- 1 onion,
- 1 egg,
- 1 cup of cornmeal,
- 1 handful of chopped parsley,
- Salt,
- Oil for frying.
Preparation
- Remove the heads, insides and bones of the anchovies and wash them well,
- After draining the water thoroughly, chop finely,
- Take the grated and drained onion, chopped anchovies, eggs, corn flour, parsley and salt in a bowl and knead,
- Make flat patties,
- Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet, place the koftes in the oil and fry both sides.
Bon Appetit...