Seafood in Greece

Seafood is an important part of Greek cuisine. Despite the fact that Greece is famous for olive oil, wine, halva or feta cheese, everyone who visits this country should try one of these sea delicacies.

In Poland, shrimps and mussels are one of the most consumed products from this category of food.

Polish people prefer to eat dishes that are well known to us, they don’t necessarily want to experiment in the kitchen.

Many people are terrified of even thinking about eating a shrimp or octopus, while they are a delicacy in Greek cuisine.

As a country with unlimited access to the sea, Greece very often uses its gifts, which quantity and variety can shock you. There was a market near the hotel where we stayed. There, every Tuesday, locals and tourists gather to enjoy fresh, local products. Among the many spices, fruits and sweets, you can also find fish and seafood. Every Monday, fishermen go out to catch what they catch is fresh the next day.

The most popular seafood are:

• prawns, usually served dipped in flour and fried in hot olive oil,
• mussels, usually served with wine and tomato sauce,
• octopus, most often grilled,
• squid, grilled or fried,
• lobsters, boiled or grilled, usually served with two sauces: olive oil and lemon, and the other mayonnaise with additives,
• oysters, also served with various types of sauces, must always be fresh,
• cuttlefish, can be served with white wine, and also with spinach,
• sea urchins, served in a brine of olive oil and lemon.

They can be prepared in many different ways. We can bake, grill, boil or stew them. Seafood is usually served with noodles and rice, as well as with various sauces and their taste is emphasized by adding lemon juice to them.

Examples of dishes:

• gemista: peppers stuffed with calamari, this dish is prepared in a vegetarian version and with meat
• garides saganaki: fried prawns in a sauce with feta cheese,
• squid fried in deep oil: prepared in the simplest way so that you can feel their proper, delicious taste,
• midia saganaki: mussels in a sauce with feta cheese, watered with white wine,
• calamari tiganita: deep-fried squid in breadcrumbs,
• chtapodi psito: or grilled octopus, can be served with ouzo alcohol.

Seafood is very popular in Greece, so every time we visit this beautiful and picturesque country, we should try the sea specialties that are available to us almost everywhere and are really worth tasting.