Fish in Armenian Cuisine
Freshwater fish, especially Ishkhan and Sig, are popular dishes
Much of the traditional Armenian homeland is inland and mountainous, which has meant that there really aren’t many fish dishes in Armenian cuisine and those that are are mainly for fresh water fresh – most especially Ishkhan, a lake trout native to Lake Sevan in Anatolia, whose name translates as "Prince," giving some idea of how highly esteemed this species was to a cuisine so largely based upon lamb, chicken and vegetables. Sig, another variety of lake trout, is also a favorite and has advocates who insist it tastes even better than Ishkhan. Fresh water sturgeon and its caviar are popular traditional fish to eat, as well. In those areas with access to mussels, midia are also favorites.
Today, Ishkhan is an endangered species, due to years of over fishing, but a farm-raised variety has found a commercial market and much of the Sig found in the markets comes from Russia.
Along with various species of lake trout, any variety of white fish also works pretty well with these basic recipes:
Traditional Method:
The most basic – and probably most ancient – method for cooking fish Armenian Style is to place whole bay leaves on both sides of the cleaned fish, wrap it in wet cheesecloth (or, today, oiled aluminum foil!) and grill it over hot coals, taking care to keep the cheesecloth quite damp. The fish half steams/half grills and the finished product is both moist and quite flavorful from the fire.
Fish Plaki:
Ingredients:
- 1 white or trout, cut into 4 individual servings
- ½ cup diced carrots
- ½ cup diced celery
- ½ cup chopped, skinned tomatoes
- ¾ cup diced potatoes
- ½ cup finely chopped herbs (especially parsely, tarragon, basil, oregano and thyme – equal parts, or to taste)
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¾ cups of extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon slices
Method:
- Blanch the chopped vegetable mixture in water.
- Remove from boiling water when they are still quite al dente and drain.
- Place the oil in a clean baking dish and swirl to coat the entire bottom.
- Place the cleaned fish in the dish.
- Cover the fish portions with the blanched vegetables.
- Cover this with the chopped tomatoes.
- Liberally sprinkle the chopped herb mixture over the top.
- Cover and bake at 350 degreee F for 30 – 40 minutes (until fish is tender and flakes easily).
- Serve with lemon slices
Alternative Method:
Make individually sealed packets of the fish portions and vegetables with well-oiled aluminum foil.
Grill over hot coals – or bake in oven, as above. Freshly caught fish on a family camping trip tastes wonderful with this method!
