Balkaners of AskBalkans, do you enjoy fish as a meal?

[-]

BamBumKiofte23@reddit

I do not. Fish, and seafood in general, is the absolute worst for me.

[-]

lilac2481@reddit

I'm not a seafood person either, but I do like branzino, file of sol and fried calamari from time to time.

[-]

Lower_Squash7895@reddit

Lake fish is objectively worse then sea fish.

[-]

Starscreamuk@reddit

Ofc! Young carp and catfish (up to 1 and 3kg respectively) are really tasty and nutritious. My favourite is the balkan trout but it has so many bones it's a real struggle to eat it

[-]

whattheheck83@reddit

I agree with you. I live on an island but i don't like fish. I eat it because i have to, it is good for you but i don't enjoy it. I like fried squid and shrimps but fish..no.

[-]

basedfinger@reddit

i doubt if you can even find fresh seafood in your country

[-]

I’ve had fresh seafood straight out of the sea in Greece and Italy on a couple of occasions. Turns out I really hate seafood it smells and I find it disgusting to chew. Not my cup of tea, I know others might enjoy it more than me.

[-]

jastorgally@reddit

I would eat my dad too if he were to come out of sea

[-]

nindza22@reddit

Indeed. I prefer the river fish.

[-]

Substratas@reddit

Yes. Salmon is my absolute favorite and I eat at least once a week (and tuna even more often). However, I’m not a fan of the way fish dishes like “tave peshku” are prepared in Albania (baked with those lemon slices, dill, etc).

[-]

Glittering-Poet-2657@reddit

I don’t like all fish, but some are really nice!!

[-]

WolandWasHere@reddit

Hated. Haven't eaten any fish for the last 30 years, glah

[-]

Laluci@reddit

Yes I am Albanian American and like fish, but nowhere near as much as a nice steak.

Levrek is similar to Branzino.

In Albania they have started making marinated raw fish a lot too like in Italy...and it is amazing. I eat it every summer that I go. They do a really good job with it in Albania.

[-]

lagash-nergal@reddit

We have levrek marinated raw too as a cold appetizer. It's the best.

[-]

Kitsooos@reddit

Too much vinegar for me. I just cook it.

[-]

Laluci@reddit

There's usually no vinegar. They use a combo of virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

[-]

Kitsooos@reddit

It's a fuckton of vinegar in Greece.

Also I am kind of a boomer when it comes to raw meat/fish/eggs. Don't rly eat them.

[-]

Laluci@reddit

This looks different than the one I saw in Albania. They usually slice it thin the long way...but this looks delicious also

[-]

Outrageous_Trade_303@reddit

Yes! I like fish and sea food in general.

levreke apparently is what we call lavraki (λαβρακι) in Greece or European seabass (or branzino) in English. I like it grilled Greek style (with olive oil, lemon and oregano)

[-]

Mediocre-Fix367@reddit

I had levrek for dinner today with lemon slices in its belly in the oven. It was very good

[-]

Outrageous_Trade_303@reddit

do you also use oregano in your grilled meat/fish? Or is it a greek thing and you use only lemon?

[-]

justmyaccount624@reddit

Oregano is unironically the best herb in the world

[-]

Mediocre-Fix367@reddit

We put bay leaf with the lemon and sometimes onion in Turkey mostly. But I put some fresh sage and rosemary today along with lemon. I like Balik Ekmek with fried anchovies too but grilled Levrek or Cipura is the best.

[-]

AogamiBunka@reddit

This is the best answer.

[-]

Adricssor@reddit

Only from the sea. River/pond fish doesn't taste good to me

[-]

SecretRaspberry9955@reddit

River/pond fish doesn't taste good to me.

You gotta try eels then. But generally yeah

[-]

SecretRaspberry9955@reddit

Levrek (Seabass) and Koce (Seabream) which are the most popular fish in Balkans are very overrated, too bland in my opinion.

The only fish I enjoy is Cod

[-]

basedfinger@reddit

Yes! I love octopus too

[-]

Outrageous_Trade_303@reddit

Yeah! grilled octopus is the best meze for raki

[-]

basedfinger@reddit

I never viewed it as a meze. I just eat it as the main dish.

[-]

Outrageous_Trade_303@reddit

oh well!

For main dish we usually cook it with pasta, like this

https://www.olivetomato.com/traditional-greek-stewed-octopus-in-tomato-sauce/

grilled octous would be either a meze for raki or side dish.

[-]

basedfinger@reddit

DAMN THIS LOOKS GOOD

[-]

Outrageous_Trade_303@reddit

Yeah! It tastes good as well :)

[-]

Rewhen77@reddit

I haven't tried too many fish but most i either liked or thought they were ok. I like fried fish a lot, altough im not sure that's what you were asking for. Having no sea doesn't help

[-]

Kitsooos@reddit

I LOVE fish. Especially the big ones, The small ones kinda annoy me, because of all the small bones.

I don't eat any other see food. Octapus and kalamari, I don't like the taste of.
Clams etc., I have never even tried. They look disgusting.

Btw lavraki is considered a good fish in Greece as well.

[-]

puzzledpanther@reddit

We eat fish 1-2 times a week. We love it.

[-]

CTPABA_KPABA@reddit

I do. River and sea one too

[-]

Merhat4@reddit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5GX7NQfNcI

[-]

Poglavnik_Majmuna01@reddit

I love fish but other seafood is superior.

I assume the only people here who will say they like fish are Croats and Greeks.

[-]

lagash-nergal@reddit

Yes. Fish>meat, also non-fish ocean creatures too, shrimps, octopus, mussels.

[-]

WorldlinessRadiant77@reddit

I’m a sucker for seafood, especially rock lavrak, grilled octopus and calamari.

A Bulgarian favourite is skorpid. The little motherfucker is awesome deep fried with garlic sauce.

[-]

Renandstimpyslog@reddit

Yes, I love sea food. And sea bass is great. I prefer octopus and calamari to fish, though.

[-]

justanotherrelative@reddit

Love fish. probably my favourite type of meat if prepared correctly

[-]

Sad-Trouble3636@reddit

Yes i love sea fish. Fresh water not so much but the belushk and koran from pogradec are good. Levrek is sea bass and is a favourite here in albania. Try kerr, expensive but the king

[-]

Unable-Stay-6478@reddit

Yes, fish is the best. As someone already said, only ocean fish though, river fish are kind of fatty and do not taste that good.

[-]

Parking_Statement613@reddit

Try fish from Lake of Ohrid/Pogradec. Ull be blown away..

[-]

AogamiBunka@reddit

I'm curious to know what river fish are fatty. When I visited Croatia and Serbia, the trout was very good but I wouldn't touch the catfish or carp because they were very oversized.

Also, the smodj(?) that is basically identical to north American walleye always seemed to have large bellies. But in Canada and northern USA states the walleye will grow large but still remain lean with very tender, sweet meat.

[-]

Tall-Mongoose-2794@reddit

Yes we love westoid bitches

[-]

Still-Company7238@reddit

Yep love it

[-]

geniuslogitech@reddit

some I do, some I don't I rly like raw tuna, "raw" smoked salmon, cold smoked trout then grilled on electric grill, I also like mackerel

[-]

AmadisHali@reddit

Definitely, levrek is my #1 favourite meal to order every time I visit Albania

[-]

Le-Dupe@reddit

Za Pohovani filet uvek me mozes probuditi. Ali dobro nasa kuhinja je raznolika kada se potrudimo umjesto samo pite i ostale tjestanine jesti

[-]

PuzzleheadedWeight18@reddit

Of course! I enjoy any meat including fish. I would have died of depression long ago if I was born to only consume plants.

[-]

johndelopoulos@reddit

lol do I even have to respond on that? :D

[-]

backhand_english@reddit

I think my flair states my attitude towards fish clearly.

I fucking love them.

[-]

Suitable-Decision-26@reddit

One of my favorite things. And any sea food really.

[-]

AllMightAb@reddit

Yes very much

[-]

heretic_342@reddit

I'm not a big fan, especially if it's grilled or baked. I know it's less healthy, but I prefer it fried - especially fried European sprats, which are very popular in Bulgaria, or some other small fish. Since they're small, you can eat them whole without worrying about bones.

[-]

heretic_342@reddit

I'm not a big fan, especially if it's grilled or baked. I know it's less healthy, but I prefer it fried - especially fried European sprats, which are very popular in Bulgaria, or some other small fish. Since they're small, you can eat them whole without worrying about bones."

[-]