Fish Poached in Paper

I don’t buy fish at supermarkets; it can be as much as two weeks old. But their competition means that if you do have the luxury of a local fishmonger, he will probably be very good. In Istanbul markets the fish are displayed with their gills turned out, frilly and red like a houri’s petticoats, so that the question of freshness can be decided at a glance. There may or may not be crushed ice: these fish won’t hang about.

In the meantime there’s a lot to be said for cooking with pape