Crispy Fried Mussels with Tarator Sauce – A Taste of Istanbul at Home

There’s a special kind of magic in recreating street food classics at home—especially when it’s something as iconic as midye tava, or fried mussels, from Istanbul. These crispy golden morsels, usually served with a tangy walnut and garlic sauce called tarator, are a familiar sight at street stalls and seafood counters along the Bosphorus, often enjoyed with a cold beer.

I first tried to make fried mussels at home a few years ago, inspired by a much-loved The Turkish cookbook. At the time, I followed the recipe to the letter—coating raw mussels in flour and frying them straight away, without a batter. The results, I’ll admit, were underwhelming. It never occurred to me to question the method, even though I knew deep down that the version I’d eaten in Istanbul was always encased in a light, airy batter.

Recently, with a bag of frozen mussels in my freezer and a craving for street food nostalgia, I decided to give fried mussels another try—this time doing it the way I remember from the stalls.

Ingredients

For the fried mussels:

• 500g cooked mussels, thawed if frozen

• Plain flour (for dusting)

• Sunflower oil, for shallow frying

• Skewers

  
  

For the beer batter:

• 175g self-raising flour

• 1 egg

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 300ml cold beer

For the tarator sauce:

• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs

• ½ cup walnuts

• ½ cup thick/strained yogurt

• 2 teaspoons mayonnaise

• Juice of ½ lemon

• Salt, to taste

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare the Tarator Sauce

• In a food processor, blitz the panko breadcrumbs and walnuts into fine crumbs.

• Add the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.

• Blitz until smooth and creamy. Adjust salt or lemon juice to taste.

• Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

2. Make the Beer Batter

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the self-raising flour, egg, salt, and beer until smooth and lump-free.

• Let the batter rest while you prepare the mussels.

3. Prepare the Mussels

• If using cooked, frozen mussels, thaw and pat them dry with paper towels.

• Lightly dust each mussel in plain flour.

• Skewer the mussels (6-7 per skewer) for easier frying and serving.

• Dip each floured skewer into the beer batter, coating well.

4. Fry the Mussels

• Heat about 2 cm of sunflower oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.

• When the oil is hot (a small drop of batter should sizzle), gently lower the battered mussels into the oil.

• Fry in batches for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side depending on the temperature of oil, or until golden and crisp.

• Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

5. Serve

• Serve the fried mussels hot with tarator sauce on the side.

• Optional: add a couple of soft rolls or brioche buns to make mussel sandwiches.

• Best enjoyed immediately with a cold beer.

  
  

Final Thoughts

This time, the results were everything I had hoped for—crunchy, flavorful, and wonderfully nostalgic. Fried mussels may be street food in Istanbul, but they deserve a place at your dinner table too. If you’ve ever been disappointed trying to replicate this dish at home, give this version a try. Sometimes all it takes is a little batter and a lot of memories.