Lakerda Recipe

The word Lakerda came to our language from Spanish and means “La kerrida”, meaning “what happens when desired”. This beautiful appetizer, which was discovered by a Spanish fisherman father who caught a lot of his child's favorite fish and wanted to keep them for months, is one of the most popular appetizers on our tables.

There are many different recipes for its preparation, but the ones that stand out the most are the Istanbul style and the method made by the fishermen from Saros. You can also prepare this appetizer, which we enjoy eating at the fishmongers, at home. You can also listen to the famous song that has become a part of our language while doing it;

"Lakerda, lakerda, lakerda, Don't eat and lie next to her, Lakerda, lakerda, lakerda, Married and single both taste it."

How to Make Lakerda Recipe?

• After removing the body part, divide the fish into 3 equal parts and clean the marrow part of its spine thoroughly with a branch or a broom. Then, remove the dark brown part on the inside of the fish by cutting it into a triangle shape with a pointed knife.
• Soak the prepared fish in salty and ice water for 4 hours, changing the water every hour. In this way, the fish will completely expel the blood inside it.
• Take the fish out of the water and spread it on a paper towel to dry, leave it for 4-5 hours and let it dry completely.
• Sprinkle half an inch of rock salt on the bottom of a glass or plastic jar.
• Place the fish side by side and tightly so that the white parts touch the salt. Sprinkle bay leaves and black peppercorns on them and cover them with salt again.
• Place all the fish in the jars in this way. Then, place a weight (a stone or a piece of marble) on top of the fish in the jar, place a piece of wood on top of the weight, and cover the mouth of the jar with a clean cloth.
• Leave the jars like this in a cool place away from sunlight for about 20 days.
• At the end of the waiting period, gently remove the fish from the salt, gently remove the skin and slice it.
• Place the sliced pieces in a bowl filled with cold water and leave them in the refrigerator overnight, changing the water every 2-3 hours. Thus, the fish will excrete the excess salt.
• The next day, remove the fish from the water, place it in a bowl filled with olive oil, cover it and store it in the refrigerator.
• The fish you have prepared in this way can be kept in olive oil in the refrigerator for about 1 week, but if you want to keep them for a longer time, prepare a brine by adding 750 grams of rock salt to 5 liters of water and keep the fish in this water. Before serving, soak it in water to remove excess salt and serve it that way.