The Greek Fish Taverna

Enjoying the bounty of the seas that wash against Greek shores can be a fishy business. The waters have been overfished for decades and much "Greek" fish served today is often frozen from other waters. Take heart, though. You can still feast on delicious fish in Greece—it's just a question of what you order, and where.

Patrons of fish restaurants are usually greeted with iced displays of the catch of the day. Proprietors will often spout some mumbo-jumbo about the fish being caught only an hour earlier—allow the shills some poetic license and go for the operative word here: fresco, fresh, as opposed to katepsigmeno, frozen.

The fish you choose will be sold by the portion, merida, and priced by the kilo. Expect to pay at least €55 a kilo for such popular fish as xifia, swordfish; lavraki, sea bass; tsipoura, sea bream; and barbounia, red mullet.

Yes, fish is expensive in Greece, but remember: that price is per kilo, and the portion you order may well weigh, and cost, less.

What to Order

Garides, shrimp, are often served deliciously as saganaki: baked with fresh tomatoes and feta cheese and brought to the table sizzling.

Sardelles, sardines, are grilled, fried, or eaten salt-baked and marinated. Papalina are small sardines, and atherina are very small sardines, usually fried crisp.

Gavros, anchovies, are almost always marinated in lemon and vinegar or deep-fried.

Kalamari, squid, are often fried, but they are sometimes grilled on the fire. A tasty relative is the soupia, cuttlefish, usually cooked in its own ink and wine.

Htapodi, octopus, is grilled, marinated in vinegar and oil, or stewed with tomatoes and onions.

Mydia, mussels, are usually steamed, and are often taken out of their shells and served in risotto, seafood pasta, or salads.

Old-Time Favorites

In addition to fresh fish, keep an eye out for these old standards. Taramosalata, fish roe salad, is a tasty spread, a poor man's caviar made from carp eggs, blended with olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic.

Kakavia and psarosoupa are velvety variations of fish soup, usually made from pieces of whatever fish is available, simmered in broth with vegetables.

Bakaliaros, cod, is often served as bakaliaros skordalia, dipped in batter, deep-fried, and drizzled with garlic sauce.