TRADITIONAL GREEK SEAFOOD DISHES

 

 

                                             OCTOPUS WITH OUZO

1/3 cup olive oil

1 medium-sized onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 whole octopus,  beak and ink sack discarded and thoroughly washed

1 cup, peeled, deseeded and chopped tomatoes

1/3 cup ouzo

2 bay leaves

½ cup pitted  and chopped Kalamata olives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

250 ml (1 cup) water

 

Sauté the onion in olive oil for 5 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the octopus with the tomato, bay leaves, salt, pepper and water.  Cover the saucepan and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the octopus is tender.  Serve with a green salad.

 

 

 

                                                     TARAMA PATTIES

40 g (8 oz) tarama soaked to remove extra salt and patted dry

3 medium-sized potatoes, boiled peeled and strained

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, peeled

2 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tbsp chopped dill

1 egg, whipped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp plain flour

Mild tasting olive oil for frying

 

Place the potatoes in a bowl and mash them with a fork.  Sauté the onion in olive oil until salt, cool a little and add to the bowl along with the tarama, parsley, dill egg salt and pepper. Mix very well together and shape into balls and sprinkle with flour.

 

Fry the tarama patties  in olive oil on both sides until golden brown and place of kitchen paper to drain.

 

 

                                                MARINATED SARDINES

500 g (1 lb) sardines

2 tbsp salt

 

Vinaigrette sauce:

½ cup olive oil

2 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

 

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 tbsp peppercorns

1 tbsp parsley

 

Scale and wash the fish.  Place it in a saucepan in a single layer and sprinkle with salt.  Repeat the same procedure until you are out of fish.

 

Pour the vinaigrette over the fish, cover and refrigerate for 6 hours.  Remove from the refrigerator and pat dry.  Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

 

 

                                                  SPICY CALAMARI

2 tbsp olive oil

1 k (2 lb) calamari, cleaned and cut into rings

1 onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 ½ cup chopped parsley

1 tsp thyme

3 bay leaves

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 ½ cups dry white wine

1 tsp tomato paste mixed with

2 tbsp water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Sauté the calamari and onion in olive oil for 2 minutes, over medium heat.  Add the garlic parsley, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, red pepper flakes and cook for 3 minutes more.  Add the wine, tomato paste, salt and pepper and stir together with a wooden spoon.  Cover the saucepan a simmer for about 1 hour.  Discard the bay leaves and serve with crispy brown bread.      

     

 

                                       SHRIMP AND MUSHROOM PASTA

My mother used to prepare a delightful mushroom pasta dish so many years ago.  Our Elpida added shrimps and the dish reached perfection.  Also, it is very easy to prepare.

500 g (1 lb) pasta of your choice, boiled in salted water, strained and drizzled with olive oil 

Sauce:

4 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp tomato paste

500 g (1 lb) concentrated tomato juice 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

1 tsp sugar of more

1 kg (2 lb) mushrooms, trimmed, sauteed and sprinkled with salt

1 kg (2 lb) shrimps, shelled, deveined, lightly cooked with a piece of rosemary and sprinkled with salt

Saute the garlic in 2 tbsp of olive oil, for about one minute, over low heat.  Add the tomato paste and cook stirring all the time.

Pour in the tomato juice, sprinkle with sugar, a little salt, freshly ground black pepper and Cayenne pepper/  Bring to the boil, cover the saucepan and simmer 15 minutes to 1 hour, until the sauce thickens.  Stir in the mushrooms with their juices and cook for 4-5 minutes.  Finally, add the shrimps a simmer gently for about 2 minutes more. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.

Serve the pasta with the mushroom and shrimp sauce, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and enjoy.  

                                            LOBSTER WITH SPAGHETTI

Most Greek islands and sea resorts have their own version of astskomakaronada.  This is one of the best!  It was given to our Yianna by a food expert who lives in the medieval fortress town of Monemvasia where Yianna has a house.

2 lobsters 1 kg (2 lb) each, washed, halved lengthwise, intestine discarded, claws and legs removed and reserved

4 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, peeled and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1 liqueur glasses METAXA brandy, heated

About 2 cups of dry white wine

1 kg (2 lb) ripe tomatoes, halved, deseeded, grated, skins discarded

1 tsp or more sugar

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

500 g (2 lb) spaghetti, boiled in salted water until "al dente", strained and drizzled with olive oil

In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Season the lobster halves and place them in the saucepan, the flesh touching the bottom of the pan. Add the claws and legs and cook briskly for about 5 minutes until the shells change colour.  Then pour in the hot brandy and ignite.  When the flames die down. Pour in the wine and simmer until the alcohol evaporates. Then add the tomato, sauteed onion and garlic, a pinch of salt, the sugar and the Cayenne pepper.  Stir well without disturbing the lobsters, cover the saucepan and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes, shaking the saucepan occasionally. 

Arrange the lobster halves on a heated dish.  Remove the meat from the shells cut into bite-sized pieces and place them back into the shells.  Also, crack the claws and legs, extract the flesh and add them to the lobster shells and keep hot.

Sprinkle each lobster half with a little sauce.  Add the spaghetti to the remaining sauce and simmer a few minutes more.  

Place the spaghetti on a heated dish and cover with the lobster halves, sprinkle with the remaining olive oil and freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.