Turkish Sausage Sandwich (Sucuk Sandviç)

Turkish sausage sandwich can be prepared in numerous ways. To create this sandwich, I used whatever I had on hand. It is easy to be creative in making a sandwich with Turkish sausage, so use your creativity. The best part of the sandwich is the sausage, so anything will go with it. Enjoy.

Note: Turkish sausage can be found in Turkish markets or Mediterranean stores.

1 Turkish sausage ring (1 lb package) or any other hard sausage
8 slices of kaşar cheese (pale yellowish sheep’s cheese) or any other hard cheese
4 hamburger buns or hoagies or 1 quartered baggett
2 green bell peppers (sliced thick)
2 tomatoes (sliced)
Mayonnaise
Pickled small peppers for garnishing
3-4 green onions for garnishing
½ tomato for garnishing
½ green bell pepper for garnishing


Cut the sausage ring in half right in the middle. Each half will make two sandwiches. Cut each half in 3-4 slices lengthwise in thickness of 1/3 of an inch. Some of the pieces may be smaller than others due to the shape of the sausage. You also may adjust the length of the sausages according to the bread you are using.

Heat a non-stick pan. Place the sausage slices in the hot pan for two minutes on each side. Do not add any oil or butter, as the sausage will be cooked in its own fat. Spread as much mayo as you want on the bread. Put the sausage slices on the bottom of the sandwich. Place the cheese on top of the sausage. Add the tomatoes and green peppers to the sandwich and enjoy with yogurt or cacık.

Serve with hot pickled small peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and green onions.

Lobster Tails Turkish Style (Türk Stili Istakoz)

Similar to other seafood, lobsters also need extra attention as to how much they are cooked. When they are cooked too long, the lobster meat has a tendency to be rubbery and tasteless.

The seasoning for these lobsters is Turkish/Mediterranean style, but you may alter it anyway you desire.

4 lobster tails (any size)
1 tbsp olive oil
½ lemon
¼ tsp paprika
½ tsp salt

Wash the lobster tails. Using a sharp knife cut the lobster tails lengthwise from the middle. Cut out the top portion of the shell with kitchen shears or with a knife so that the flesh of the lobster meat is exposed. Be careful not to leave tiny pieces of the shell on the meat.

Sprinkle the lobster meat with salt and paprika. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Broil for about 7-8 minutes. Serve with potatoes or rice and vegetables.

Broiled Oysters (Izgara Istiridye)

My preference for eating oysters is raw; however my husband is not fond of raw oysters and actually not crazy about oysters or any other shelled seafood. Therefore, I usually broil them slightly so both of us would enjoy them.

For those of you, who have never shucked oysters, when shucking oysters, make sure you have a special oyster shucking knife along with a thick towel. The first time I purchased fresh oysters, I had the seafood guy in my market show me how to do it. Even with that, I found it very difficult to shuck oysters. It can be very dangerous if you hand with the knife slips while shucking the oyster. So, be careful.

You may add any other spices prior to broiling as it all depends on a person’s taste. Serve with lemon wedges and enjoy.


10 oysters
Pinch of salt
½ tsp paprika
½ lemon

Shuck the oysters. Sprinkle with salt and paprika. Squeeze lemon on top and broil for 3-4 minutes on the top shelf of the oven broiler. Enjoy as appetizers.

Baked Salmon (Fırında Somon Balığı)

This recipe was inspired by a cookbook that included recipes from Russia, Germany and Eastern Europe. If I recall correctly, the inspiration for this recipe came from the Russian part of the cookbook. The fennel and caraway seeds added an aroma that is out of the ordinary. The fresh dill used for garnishing purposes came out of my herbs in my small balcony.

This simple, yet healthy and delicious meal will keep you very satisfied.

1 lb salmon fillet
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
2 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon

4-5 sprigs of dill for decoration

Heat your oven to 350º.

Place the salmon fillet on a Pyrex dish. Rub the fish fillet with the ingredients equally on each side. Cover with aluminum foil.

When the oven is ready, bake fish covered for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15-20 minutes uncovered. Place on serving plates and decorate with dill. Enjoy with rice pilaf or potatoes.

Seafood Stew (Deniz Ürünleri Yahnisi)

For almost a year, I have been sitting on some seafood recipes that are not necessarily traditionally Turkish, but may be with Turkish/Mediterranean seasoning. Finally, I got a chance to publish them which will be in a consecutive order. A few more seafood recipes exist in my repertoire that need to be polished. At the same time, here are the ones that are ready to be published.

In addition, I will be busy these days, so I may not respond to your comments or questions immediately. However, I will still be posting new recipes and checking my e-mails and comments as much as I can, since I really enjoy reading them.

Now about the recipe…If you like to indulge in seafood, this is the perfect meal that comprises of different types of seafood in one pot. If you desire, you may add a few other seafood such as scallops or calamari to the recipe. You may also adjust the spices to your liking as it may be too spicy for some. Enjoy with a nice piece of bread or pasta.

1 lb mussels
1 lb clams
1 lb shrimp (cleaned and devined)
¼ cup olive oil
4-5 bay leaves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 cup white wine
1 cup water
Dill for garnishing (optional)

Wash the mussels and clams with cold water thoroughly and discard the opened shells. Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large pan. Place the mussels and clams with the salt and all the spices. Let them cook for two minutes. Then, add the shrimp, wine and water. Let it simmer for 4-5 minutes. Garnish with dill. Enjoy with just bread or pasta.