Adventures in hook and hunt …

There is a noble tradition of fish cookery in Ukraine and even though the supply is ample, grabbing a rod and hook and going fishing is considered a most rewarding pastime. Fabulously rich in natural reservoirs, Ukraine’s rivers and lakes teem with dozens of varieties of fish, such as carp, pike, perch, tench, bream, shad, eel, barbell, carp-bream, trout (introduced), catfish, Carpathian lamprey, small spiny crawfish referred to as “lobsters,” and many others with no English equivalent. The Crimean coastline offers an abundance of plump herring and the smaller version known as sprats, as well as skate, salmon, anchovies, tuna, mackerel, grey mullet, and several whitefish varieties. When one thinks of Ukrainian fish cookery, shellfish does not often come to mind, but various types, especially shrimp and mussels, abound in the coastline waters of southern Ukraine, and in beach resort towns like Yalta vendors sell cooked shellfish on the streets.