Lemon & Herb Baked Fish

Hello, boys and girls!

Welcome to cooking with Varun! On my first trip to Istanbul for work, on the weekends, I did what most tourists do. Early (well, earlyish) in the morning, I put on my comfy shoes, threw on my sunglasses, slung my camera around my neck (not a fancy DSLR, don't worry, you won't be invited to like a 'Varun Arora Photography' page on Facebook anytime soon), grabbed my metro card, and phone and left my hotel for a day of exploring. I'd toured a fair amount in the past but always with friends and/or family so the prospect of exploring alone was slightly daunting. But seeing as my only other option was to while away my time in my hotel room, I took the plunge and set off. Being the organized bloke that I am, I had printed off a list of the places that I wanted to see and grouped by their locations so that I wouldn't have to spend all day travelling from one corner of the city to the other.

My first stop was the old city walls. I took the metro to the stop who's name I'd got off the internet, stepped out of the station and fired up Google maps. I popped in my destination and it threw up a 2 kilometer walk that would take about 20 minutes. The walk didn't really bother me, I'm used to covering several kilometers a day when I'm touring, but the route it gave me navigated me along the highway on a little strip of grass and concrete for over a kilometer! Not knowing an alternative route, I traversed the treacherous path being constantly startled by the cars whizzing by within an arms reach from me, buffeting me in their slipstream like a log in a freshet! I arrived at my destination, dusty and hot (but with dry pants, yay!), and set my eyes upon the ruined city wall. I set about climbing the (surprisingly unmanned and unmaintained) crumbling structure via. the narrow, steep stairs hewn into its side and before long, I had made my way to the top.  As I climbed, I remembered what I'd read about the beautiful views the wall offered, and how you could see the city stretching out for miles until it met the water, but what I'd forgotten, was my crippling fear of heights. I didn't forget for very long though because no sooner did I straighten up atop the wall, I had to sit back down to stop the world from spinning. I took a deep breath to regain my composure, slowly opened my eyes, and looked around. To my right the wall curved into a very large ridged ring like it was the top of a tower (it might have been for all I know) and there appeared to be a drop through the hole in the center, to my left, the wall went on for a few feet until a point where it had caved. I knelt unsteadily with my hands on the floor and after I had had my fill of looking in awe, I managed to screw up the courage to move my hands to take a few pictures. Having accomplished my mission I made my way back, and the descent off the wall and the dastardly walk back to the station didn't seem quite that bad. I did however have a raging fit when upon reaching the station, I discovered that there was a straight 400 meter stretch of road next to the station that led to where I'd just been.

Thankfully, as I set off towards my next destination through the busy streets of Istanbul with its little shops and fishmongers and restaurants, my ire soon disappeared, my camera got busy, and all was well again.

Today's recipe is a lovely baked fish, and whether you buy your fish from a fishmonger in Istanbul or the macchiwaali who brings her tokri (basket) to your door, you'll be glad you tried it. And like the other fish dishes we have, it's dead simple.

For my Lemon & Herb Baked Fish, you will need the the following:

Fresh white fish fillets	6-8 (Cod, cobbler, basa, whatever you like)
Butter	2 big dollops
Garlic	4 cloves
Lemon	1
Oregano (dry)	1 tsp
Basil (dry)	1 tsp
Rosemary (dry)	1 tsp
Thyme (dry)	1 tsp
Salt	to taste (sea salt if you can wangle it)
Pepper	to taste (freshly cracked > powdered)
Olive oil

Prep:

1. Crush and chop the garlic.
2. Mix all the herbs. (You can vary the quantities based on which flavours you'd like to pop.)
3. Soften the butter.
4. Pop the chopped garlic into the butter.
5. Mix.

Method:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 C.
2. Grab an oven try.
3. Cover it with foil or grease paper.
4. Drizzle some olive oil on.
5. Lay your fillets down on the tray side by side.
6. Drizzle some olive oil on the fish.
7. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper.
8. Gently massage in the salt and pepper.
9. Using a butter knife or a small spoon, coat each fillet (generously) with your freshlymade garlic butter.
10. Sprinkle on the mixed herbs.
11. Generously squeeze lemon juice over the fish.
12. Stick the tray into the oven.
13. Wait 12-15 minutes or until you can smell the fish.
14. Turn off the oven.
15. Take the tray out.
16. Serve with a side of fresh salad, potatoes, and garlic bread.
17. Stuff face.
18. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish.

Tip: These herbs are best used with white fish. For a fish like salmon, the only herb you need is dill. Salmon and dill, a match made in heaven!

And remember, overeating is a myth. A full tummy is a happy tummy.