Fish and Seafood in Gallipoli
Which fish are in season in Gallipoli each month?
In Gallipoli, winter is the season for anchovy and sea bass, spring for red mullet and sardine, summer for two-banded sea bream and swordfish, and autumn for bluefish and bonito. The town is best known for its sardines, celebrated every August at the Golden Sardine Culture and Arts Festival.
| Months | Fish in season |
|---|---|
| January – March | Hamsi (anchovy), istavrit (horse mackerel), levrek (sea bass) |
| April – June | Menekşe, izmarit (picarel), tekir (striped red mullet), barbunya (red mullet), sardalya (sardine) |
| July – September | Karagöz (two-banded sea bream), işkona, melenur, çinekop (young bluefish), kılıç (swordfish), iskafroz |
| October – December | Lüfer (bluefish), palamut (Atlantic bonito), torik (large bonito), kefal (grey mullet), orkinoz (bluefin tuna) |
Source: Gelibolu.net, local knowledge · Last checked: October 2026
With coastlines on both the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean, Gallipoli (Gelibolu) is a paradise for fish and seafood. At its many fish restaurants you can enjoy fresh fish and seafood at any time of day. You can also buy the day's catch from the fishermen at Gallipoli Harbour and enjoy it however you like.
Gallipoli is a paradise where you can find every kind of fish, yet it is above all synonymous with the sardine.
The "Golden Sardine Culture and Arts Festival" (Altın Sardalya Kültür ve Sanat Festivali), held every August, is Gallipoli's most important festival.
The most prized way to eat sardines here is the so-called "Boklu Sardalya" (literally "ungutted sardine"): sardines cooked just as they come out of the sea, without being cleaned.
We especially recommend wrapping sardines in vine leaves and grilling them over charcoal.
Cleaned or uncleaned, grilled or fried in oil – whichever way you prefer, don't leave Gallipoli without eating sardines.
Gallipoli has a well-developed tradition of preserving fish. Fresh sardines are preserved by curing them in salt; this is called tuzlu balık (salted fish). Salted fish is the pride of local tables, and for visitors it is a distinctive flavour and a popular gift to take home. Lakerda (cured bonito) made in the bonito and torik season, and the rows of çiroz (dried mackerel) hung along the harbour in the mackerel and chub mackerel season, are symbols of Gallipoli.
Lakerda made in the bonito and torik season, and the rows of çiroz hung along the harbour in the mackerel and chub mackerel season, are symbols of Gallipoli.
