The Man Who Made Us Love Fish: Erşan Yılmaz

Erşan Yılmaz, who has created a success story from mobile fishing to owning a fish restaurant in Trabzon, has become a phenomenon by sharing various dishes he makes with fish on social media. Known as the ‘man who made people love fish’, the owner of Bordo-mavi Balık Restaurant, Erşan Yılmaz, has created a trend of his own with the fish cooking videos he has shot and has made suggestions on how to cook bonito, which is abundantly available on the shelves this season.

Yılmaz pointed out that bonito generally becomes oily around mid-October and that grilling it would be more delicious during this period, and stated that the most suitable cooking method these days is frying and steaming, commonly known as “Ekşili” (sour).

“A type of food suitable for our sour region”

Noting that sour bonito is the most suitable dish for the region, Yilmaz said, “This year bonito is more abundant than previous years. Hopefully, our citizens will consume it abundantly and it is also economical in terms of price. In general, the old people say, ‘When bonito first comes out, it is not oily’. We generally recommend frying it and then steaming it with vegetables. When bonito continues to be oiled towards the middle of October, it becomes very nice on the grill. After it reaches a certain size, it can be salted in the old days by our grandmothers and grandmothers. Ekşili is a dish suitable for our region. It is both economical and a filling dish. It is a dish that can feed four people with one fish. A nice dish is created by using vegetables, mixing a very small amount of spices and butter. We also leave it a little bit juicy to dip the bread in. It is a very popular dish in our region. There are those who prefer fried bonito and also with vegetables. However, sour is a bit more prominent.”

“We fed fish to many people who did not eat fish”

Sharing fish cooking and cleaning methods on social media, Yilmaz said, “I usually share natural videos on social media that include cooking and cleaning methods of fish according to the seasons. Therefore, it causes me to have a lot of followers. We share videos like ‘Which fish, how to cook it and how to present it?’ in seasons when it comes to our minds. We have made many people who have not eaten fish eat fish as a team and made them love it. We have made fish loved because we usually present it fresh as it comes out of the sea and have our own cooking method. Foreigners come, locals come, and there are many people coming from out of town. Since bonito is dry at the beginning of the season, we generally recommend frying it. You can fry it plain or with corn flour if you wish. We do not recommend frying it this time because it will get oily after a certain time. Because it is very oily, it can cut you. We recommend cooking it with vegetables or on an open fire or grilling it.” – TRABZON