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This is journeys end. Once called Byzantium, then Constantinople and now Istanbul. And it's the start of the blue fish season when this delicious fish begins its journey down the Bosphorus. What better backdrop could there be than this? The perfect symmetry of the Blue Mosque and next door, I think the most famous piece of architecture in the world, the Aya Sophia. The central headquarters of the Byzantine Empire and one of the reasons I made this journey. Well, that's the third blue fish we caught this morning. Yeah, can't wait for my next bite. I've had two bites, two fish.
It's just I feel so privileged to be out here and right in the middle of the Bosphorus between Europe and Asia. And with all these linking great boats passing, I feel a bit vulnerable, but it's the most sensational feeling. Beautiful morning, light coming up over Topkapi Palace over there. It's just great to be alive. Well, I'm a very happy boy. Look at those lovely blue fish. We don't get them in Padstow, but I wish we did. But Mesut, the captain, who steered me through all that really quite nerve-racking the waves from the wash of those tankers and the tankers going past like this, he's going to cook a fish stew. Really looking forward to it.
I've noticed over the years that fishermen, probably because they usually cook when the boat is bobbing about, put all their ingredients in the pan first before putting it on the heat. It makes a lot of sense when you're at sea. So, what Massoud does is to put onions in the bottom of the pan. Then he seasons the lovely bluefish just with salt. And he's put a slash in the side to help season it right through. Now, fresh chilies. It must be the right time of the year because they're everywhere. Then he puts in a whole bulb of garlic.
We're surrounded by cats. They're all watching waiting for a taste. I was just thinking watching it, "No, no, we don't like garlic. Not too much garlic." He seasons with black pepper, torn parsley, and some lovely ripe tomatoes. Just watching Massoud make this is just the most relaxing thing. I mean, this is a proper fisherman making a proper fisherman's stew. The number of times I've done recipes for um taking the skins off tomatoes, you know, putting them in boiling water and all this stuff. He's just peeling them. It's easy.
The cats now say, "Not tomatoes. No, we don't like tomatoes. Just stick to the fish." Finally, lemon slices and olive oil. That's Massoud's fisherman's stew. That's how they do it here, and this is how it's done. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes nice and gently. You mustn't overcook the fish. This is smelling so good. Um I think I've only had a fish stew cooked by a fisherman once before in Spain. so it's a bit of a rare occasion, really. And I'm very much looking forward to trying it. What I really like about this is all that large quantity of green chilies in there. It's going to make it very hot on a slightly brisk morning.
Oh. Wow. What a lovely fish. And this bluefish is just perfect. It's got this delicious creaminess about it because it's so fresh. And like a lot of oily fish, if it's dead fresh like this, it is just the best tasting fish in the world. When it's not so fresh, it doesn't taste quite so good. But gosh, this is good. If you could recreate this in a restaurant, you'd be worth squillions. But the trouble is, it never quite tastes quite as good as sitting here in this little fishing harbor having had it freshly cooked by Mesut. That's my thought. This place is all about trade. In its heyday, it was silk because it was the end of the route from China. And obviously, spices from the western shores of India because they were so
important, not just for flavoring food, but medicine, too. Constantinople, as it was known then, was the jewel in the crown, much envied by the world at large. A bit like Venice where I started this journey months ago. You get a feel for those heady days, especially in the spice market, when the air was full of sweet-smelling dust from the sacks of spice being offloaded from the ships that came from the east and afar.
