Contents
Spotlight
Featuring Fish
Which fish is this?
As you may or may not recall, in January the Bugle team went on an excursion to Cretaquarium where the editor started to become fixated by the fish. Whilst it is an exaggeration to say that since then fish have been constantly in our thoughts and dreams, fish have featured more frequently in our day to day lives and on our menus than they otherwise might have done. This may of course have something to do with the Bugle kittens Django and Dizzy and their decision that sardines are really rather a good thing, but we digress.
Eating at a really good local fish taverna by the water’s edge is perhaps one of our favourite ways to enjoy a long lunch; however, choosing which fish to eat and where is not always as straightforward here as it might be. Local names for fish frequently don’t find their way into the dictionaries, and some fish that you find in these waters are unknown further North. So we thought that it might be a time to provide our readers with the Bugle’s very own (and highly subjective!) mini guide to a few of our favourite fins.
Catches of the Day
In the up-market restaurants in the bigger resorts it is easy enough to find glamourous seafood and fish such as lobster and sole garnished with all the trimmings. In our view, though, in terms of quality and value for money, when eating fish here, you’re often far better off if you keep it plain and simple.
At the smaller end of the scale there are ‘marides’ (μαρίδα), anchovies (γαύρος), ‘gopes’ (γόπα) and sardines (σαρδέλα). Marides is a generic term applied to very small fish, (sometimes described as whitebait on menus) frequently fried (after having been dusted in seasoned flour) and eaten whole. Anchovies, gopes and sardines are served fried or grilled, and, as a cold starter, marinated anchovies are becoming increasingly popular. ‘Gopes’ translate as bogue, by the way, which left us none the wiser (though I’m sure at least someone out there will know what this means). Sardines probably don’t need much explanation, but they can sometimes be surprisingly large!
Casting the net wider one comes to red mullet (μπαρμπούνι) and its smaller cousin koutsomoura (κουτσομούρα). Red mullet is generally somewhat more expensive than koutsomoura, but in our view, koutsomoura is often just as tasty if not more so. You’ll find grey mullet (κέφαλος) on menus too, but apparently it is not from the same family as red mullet (well, we thought that was interesting!).
The big fish you are most likely to come across in a restaurants (aside from local dignitaries of course) include gilthead bream (τσιπούρα - try not to confuse this with τσίπουρο which is another word for raki, otherwise your lunch may not go exactly as planned!), other types of bream (for example φαγκρί and λυθρίνι), grouper (ροφός), sea bass (λαυράκι) and of course the mighty swordfish (ξιφίας).
Aside from being grilled or fried, larger fish are also delicious when poached in wine or baked in the oven with tomatoes and onions. Some of the less aesthetically pleasing fish (we hesitate to use the word ‘ugly’) that tend not to be showcased on restaurant menus make for great casseroles and soups, too!
Cod Pieces
For some people, ‘cod and chips’ is more likely to conjure up images of wet weekends in British seaside towns than sunny Cretan fishing villages. However, it might surprise you to learn that ‘cod and chips’ is just as much a part of Greek cuisine as moussaka. Traditionally, cod - μπακαλιάρος - made its way here in the form of salt cod, which was soaked in milk before being cooked. Nowadays of course, frozen cod is readily available in the supermarkets along with other northern types such as hake and haddock. In fact, the word ‘μπακαλιάρος’ is frequently applied to describe any ‘big white fish that’s not from round here, mate’. Still, cod in light batter served with home cut potatoes fried in olive oil and accompanied by σκορδαλιά (garlic sauce) with a village salad on the side is hard to beat in the culinary stakes. Καλή όρεξη!
P.S. Quick language note: Where we have provided Greek terms in this feature, they have been given in the singular form.
