Discover the Delicious Flavors of Greek Seafood Dishes

 The Greeks are known for their meat dishes, but for me its the Greek seafood scene that really highlights the Greek cusine. Whether is a seafood meze, a beautiful dip or a large baked fish, the Greek seafood dishes will not disappoint.

We are going to focus on the classic Greek seafood dishes, so there wont be any mention of a certain crustacean and pasta dish (to us, this is not a Greek dish!). Instead we will be highlighting the traditional dishes of the country.

Garides Saganaki - Shrimp Saganaki 

Lets start off with one of the popular Greek seafood dishes! Garides Saganaki or better known as saganaki prawns is the dish you have to order when its on the menu. Cooked in a red sauce, chilli, prawns / shrimps, ouzo and feta cheese, this dish goes down a treat, especially with some nice crunchy Greek bread. 

Kalamarakia Tiganita - Fried Calamari

Another favourite  in Greece, especially on the islands is fried calamari. Lightly floured and shallowed fried, this dish is best served with just a squeeze of lemon.

A variation of this dish is baby octopus in place of the calamari.

Taramasalata - Fish Roe dip

One of the most famous dips in Greece, taramasalata also known as tarama is a dip that is made from fish roe. Its a great dip which can be spread over fish, meat and bread.

The higher quality of tarama is white in colour. The pink version can sometimes be a fake version of the dip. Always try and eat the white version of the dip. Trust me, you will notice the difference in taste!

Greek Style Fish With Skordalia

Popular types of fish in Greece are Grouper, Sea bass and Sea bream. There are two popular methods the fish are cooked. 

The first is in over cooked with potatoes and carrots. The fish is lightly seasoned with salt, pepper and oregano, and is served with lemon and skordalia - the delicious garlic sauce dip.

The second way is on the bbq. The whole fish is placed on the bbq and finished with salt, pepper and lemon juice. It is best served with a Greek salad and Horta. This method is the most popular in Greece.

Gavros

Gavros or anchovies comes in a few variations, but my favourite way is for the anchovies to be thinly sliced and marinated in lemon, olive oil and garlic. Coupled with some crunchy Greek bread and skordalia, makes for a simple yet delicious greek meze.

Xtapodi

 

Another variation of Gavros is Xtapodi, or marinated octopus. Its a popular seafood dish which you will fine in every taverna around the country. The dish is usually served cold and is a great meze dish to eat in Greece.

Htapothaki me Kofto Makaronaki / Octopus with Short Pasta

 

Octopus is a popular seafood dish in Greece. What an understatement! This dish is one of the only time Greek dishes can contain a form of pasta. The pasta is tiny tubes and cooked with the marinated octopus. It is cooked in light red sauce and is best served as a meze. Its a simple greek dish but packs a lot of flavour!

Greek Mussels

Greeks love their mussels, especially on the islands. It can be ordered as a main course or as a meze and comes in a variation of sauces. The most common is just in a normal lemon and parsley broth. But depending on where you are in Greece you will get variations such as  mussels with mustard sauce, or in red sauce or cooked in ouzo.

Whichever version you choose you will not be disappointed with the freshness of the the mussel in Greece.

Kritharaki Shrimps - Orza pasta with shrimps

Ok, so here is another seafood dish with pasta. But is orzo really a pasta?

This beautiful dish is cooked in a red sauce with, onion and garlic along with Greek shrimps. Best served hot with a generous squeeze of lemon or you can also add some Greek yoghurt.

BBQ Octopus

During your travels through Greece you will most probably see octopus left out to dry in the summer sun. BBQ's octopus is on almost every menu on the Greek islands, and is a must try! I can guarantee the octopus will be cooked to perfection and will taste even better with a light squeeze of... You guessed it. LEMON!

Marides tiganites - Deep fried whitebait

A popular dish through all of Greece. The whitebait is dusted with flour and thrown in to a shallow fry, creating the perfect crisp to this tiny fish.

Its best served with tzatziki or just lemon.