Arnavut Cigeri (or Albanian Liver) is a Turkish Liver dish consisting of pan-fried lamb or veal liver cubes seasoned with flaked chili and served with sumac, onion, and parsley salad.
This simple recipe is extremely easy to prepare and tastes great.
Same as Baba Ganoush Without Tahini, Cerkez Tavugu, Melitzanosalata (Roasted Greek Eggplant Dip), and Kisir - Turkish Bulgur Salad, it is generally served as a part of a mezze spread or starter.
However, you can also eat larger portions of Arnavut Ciğeri as the main course.
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If you've never tried liver before, this fried liver and onions recipe will make you fall in love with this nutritious food!
It is tender and tastes great when prepared properly with a young, very fresh calf or lamb liver.
Is Liver Good For You?
Yes, the liver, in general, is very nutritious and packed with lots of vitamins and minerals.
It is low in calories and is definitely one of the most nutritionally dense foods out there.
A single portion of the liver is very low in saturated fat and provides more than the recommended daily adult intake of vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, folate, and iron.
In addition, the liver contains potassium, copper, magnesium, phosphorous, and selenium.
Why This Recipe Works?
- Arnavut Ciğeri tastes great and is a cheap and nutritious delicacy packed with vitamins and minerals.
- It is extremely easy to prepare and is perfect if you are looking for a different way of serving this nutritious internal organ.
- This Turkish Liver complements perfectly Turkish raki and is a perfect addition to your mezze spread along with Saksuka (Turkish Vegetable Meze), Mercimek Kofte (Lentil Balls), Russian Salad (Salad Olivier), Muhammara - Acuka (Red Pepper Dip), and Turkish Rolls (Sigara Boregi).
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Liver - Lamb liver or calve liver works perfectly with this recipe. You can buy liver in most supermarkets, at local Farmer’s Markets, or at butchers.
- Potatoes - I use floury potatoes such as King Edward, Maris Piper, Russet, or Rooster as I like them flaky inside with crispy edges. If you want to achieve good solid crispy potatoes, use a waxy potato such as Charlotte, Anya, fingerling potatoes, or any type of red potato.
- Peppers - I prefer using Turkish green peppers for this dish. They are one of the most popular peppers used in Turkish cuisine. They are usually mild but some of them can be quite hot. You can replace them with bell pepper or Spanish Padron peppers.
- Flour - I use plain/all-purpose flour to thicken the sauce. Substitute it with cornflour for a gluten-free option.
- Vinegar - The acidity of vinegar breaks down the liver and makes it more palatable. You can use any type of white vinegar.
- Oil - I generally use vegetable oil, canola oil, rapeseed oil, or sunflower oil for frying for their neutral taste.
- Bicarbonate of soda - It tenderizes the liver.
- Red onion - I prefer using thinly sliced red onions for their color and strong flavor.
- Parsley - It is one of my favorite herbs that add flavor and brightness to salads. It is very popular to use this aromatic herb in many Turkish salad recipes such as Piyaz (Turkish Bean Salad) and Turkish Shepherd Salad (Coban Salatasi).
- Sumac - It is a popular spice in Middle Eastern and Turkish cooking. It is a versatile seasoning that adds bright red color and tartness to a dish.
How to Make Arnavut Cigeri?
Although this is a very easy recipe to make, you need to follow a few simple tips to achieve the best results:
Prepare the Onion Salad
Slice the red onion and rub them with 1 teaspoon salt to soften and make them more palatable.
Place them in a bowl, add the chopped parsley, ground sumac, and flaked chili (pul biber), and combine well.
Set the salad aside and proceed with preparing the vegetables.
Prepare the Vegetables
Peel and cut the potatoes into 1 - 1½ cm cubes. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the potatoes.
Fry them until golden and crispy and remove them to a plate with a slotted spoon.
Do it in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
Add the peppers to the same pan and fry them for a few minutes, until slightly softened.
Remove the peppers to the same plate as the potatoes with a slotted spoon and start preparing the liver.
Prepare the Liver
Clean the liver, removing the membrane and any gristly bits.
Cut them into cubes, spread them on a paper towel, and then sprinkle on the vinegar.
Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and salt and spread it on a plate.
Toss the cubed liver pieces into the flour mixture, making sure they all have a light coating of the flour mixture.
Heat the oil in a pan on high heat, and add floured liver cubes.
Gently arrange with a wooden spoon, so all are in contact with the oil evenly.
Do it in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
Cook for a couple of minutes on each side, until they are crispy and browned outside but soft and moist inside.
Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain them on a kitchen paper towel.
Serve immediately on a bed of fried potato cubes and peppers and garnish with red onion & sumac salad.
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
Top Tips From the Chef
- Don't be tempted to wash your livers before cooking. Use a paper towel to get rid of the blood if there is any.
- Make sure you peel the outer skin of the liver and get rid of the gristly/veiny bits before cooking it.
- For soft and deliciously cooked Arnavut Cigeri, you need to stir fry them on high heat quickly for a few minutes on each side. This step is necessary to ensure that the liver pieces brown slightly and get crispy outside but stay moist and soft inside.
- Make sure you have your red onion, parsley, and sumac salad ready along with the fried cubed potatoes and peppers before cooking the liver.
How to Serve Arnavut Cigeri?
This fried liver and onions dish "Arnavut Cigeri" is traditionally served as a part of a meze spread along with cubed potatoes and onion salad on the side.
If you want to serve it as a main meal, you can serve it with a bowl of Bulgur Pilavi (Turkish Bulgur Pilaf), Crispy Sauté Potatoes with Garlic, or Turkish Rice (Serhriyeli Pilav).
Recipe FAQs
When appropriately prepared and cooked just right with the good basic ingredients, calves liver has an almost sweet, naturally earthy flavor and a soft&smooth texture. It is very delicious and has a unique taste of its own.
You can buy liver from butchers, large supermarket meat sections, or farmers' markets.
To store leftover Arnavut Cigeri, let it cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
When reheating, it's best to gently heat it in a pan over low-medium heat, taking care not to overcook the liver, as it can become tough and rubbery.
It's not recommended to reheat it in the microwave, as it may cause the liver to become dry and lose its texture.
Related Recipes
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Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this fried liver dish as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
Arnavut Cigeri
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Onion Salad
- 1 small red onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 tablespoon parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- ½ teaspoon flaked chilli (pul biber)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Liver
- 500 g calves or lamb liver
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup plain white flour / all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- vegetable or sunflower oil for frying
Vegetables To Serve With
- 500 g potatoes (diced)
- 4 Turkish green peppers (or 1 green bell pepper) (roughly sliced)
- vegetable or sunflower oil for frying
Instructions
Preparing the Onion Salad
- Slice the red onion and rub them with 1 teaspoon salt to soften and make them more palatable. Place it in a bowl.
- Add the chopped parsley, ground sumac and flaked chilli (pul biber), and combine well.
- Set the salad aside and proceed with preparing the vegetables.
Preparing the vegetables
- Peel and cut the potatoes into 1 - 1½ cm cubes.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the potatoes.
- Fry them until golden and crispy and remove them to a plate with a slotted spoon. Do it in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Add the peppers to the same pan and fry them for a few minutes, until slightly softened.
- Remove the peppers to the same plate as the potatoes with a slotted spoon and start preparing the liver.
Preparing the Liver
- Clean the liver, removing the membrane and any gristly bits.
- Cut them into cubes, spread them on a paper towel, and then sprinkle on the vinegar
- Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt and spread it on a plate.
- Toss the cubed liver pieces into the flour mixture, making sure they all have a light coating of the flour mixture.
- Heat the oil in a pan on high heat, and add floured liver cubes.
- Gently arrange with a wooden spoon, so all are in contact with the oil evenly. Do it in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Cook for a couple of minutes on each side, until they are crispy and browned outside but soft and moist inside.
- Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain them on a kitchen paper towel.
- Serve immediately on a bed of fried potato cubes and peppers and garnish with red onion & sumac salad.
Notes
- This recipe makes 4 portions when served as a starter/meze and 2 portions as a main meal.
- Don't be tempted to wash your livers before cooking. Use a paper towel to get rid of the blood if there is any.
- Peel the outer skin of the liver and get rid of the gristly/veiny bits before cooking it.
- Stir fry the liver pieces on high heat quickly for a few minutes on each side. This step is necessary to ensure that they brown slightly and get crispy outside but stays moist and soft inside.
- Make sure you have your red onion, parsley, and sumac salad ready along with the fried cubed potatoes and peppers before cooking the liver.
- Fry the potatoes in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Nicely coat the cubed liver pieces with the flour mixture and get rid of excess flour before frying them.
Nutrition
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Ben
This really is the best recipe for liver. When I tried it last night it came out fantastic. It was crispy outside, soft inside and delicious. Yes, I believe this recipe will convert liver haters into liver lovers.
Laura
Great recipe! I've always loved liver when it was made correctly by other people, but I never liked my own. Thanks to this recipe, that has changed.
Reha
This is such a great recipe, I am not the biggest fan of liver but I went back for seconds!
Sabeen
Wow ! So simple but so incredibly delicious. Thank you!