“She grilled the fish on my lips.”
(Meaning: She tormented me or gave me a hard time.)
Fish cookery often seems more complicated than it really is, and yet it’s probably the one thing most people associate very closely with the Greek table. Greek seafood restaurants the world over compete with one another for the most comprehensive and freshest display of fish, showcased on snowy ice in a corner of the dining room. But home cooks have less access to a broad variety of fish than restaurants do, and most people rely either on the frozen fish in supermarket freezers or on whatever fresh fish the market might carry.
Salmon, tilapia, cod, and pollock are probably among the most common. But none of these is native to the Aegean. In this chapter, the recipes call for Mediterranean varieties of fish and seafood that are available and accessible in the United States. Mediterranean sea bass is one of them, and what is available stateside (and what you find in most restaurants) is mainly the product of aquaculture, which I have come to appreciate more and more, knowing the care and quality with which fish are farmed in Greece, but also knowing how tenuous are the wild fish stocks in these days of overfishing and pollution. Greece, with its thousands of miles of coastline, is one of the world’s premiere producers of farmed fish. A few innovative companies are even producing organic farmed fish. Sea bass, grouper, and some snapper are the main varieties, and they are flown fresh almost daily to reach American markets.
Oily fish such as sardines and mackerel are another favorite. Sardine is considered a poor man’s fish in Greece, but nutritionally it’s one of the richest, a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. Mackerel, tunny, and all related fish are equally popular.
The sea is everywhere evident in Greece, and for the most part fish cookery is simple. A fresh whole fish on the grill is still considered one of the best things in the world to savor, but it’s something most people go out to a restaurant for.
Shellfish and cephalopods make up another vast category of fruits of the sea that define the flavors and ingredients of the Greek table. Many people have savored a piece of grilled octopus in Greek restaurants overseas or in Greece proper. I like to braise octopus, too, and have a deep appreciation for the many octopus stews that are part of the regional Greek table. One recipe here, cooked with olives, is a classic from the island of Lesvos, in the eastern Aegean.
In the recipes that follow, I’ve tried to incorporate flavors from all over Greece, reworking traditional recipes for modern home cooks, and to give a nod to the regional traditions that define fish cooking in this ancient maritime culture.