When is anchovy in season in Türkiye?

Anchovy's flavour follows its fat content, which rises as the water cools. In the Black Sea the season opens in autumn, peaks in November and December and begins to fade at the end of January. After February the fish feels leaner and bonier.

Türkiye applies a general closed season for large-scale fishing through spring and summer, along with minimum landing sizes by species. Anchovy on a counter during the ban has usually been frozen or imported.

The shortcut: between November and January look for bright, firm fish that smells sweet and of the sea. Outside that window, asking whether the anchovy is fresh or frozen is an ordinary question.