I found recent articles in The Atlantic and investigative reports from the Boston Globe covering the topic of “bait & switch” when it comes to restaurants and fish mongers advertising one fish when in fact through genetic tests conducted (in Guelph, Ontario) to be unsettling in the least. Beth Daley and Jenn Abelson of the Boston Globe found that many fish at were mislabeled at many local restaurants, including some high-end ones!

Fish mongers faired  slightly better with distributors labeling less desirable species and passing it off as something else (presumingly a fish of higher demand). Some distributors mislabel unknowingly and others to intentionally deceive and they continue to get away with it as the industry is not as regulated as the meat industry.

So here we are, trying to eat better – less meat and more vegetable dishes in our diet and incorporate more fish and seafood instead of red meat. This new problem compounds the average consumer’s trepidation when it comes to buying fish: finding a reputable fish monger, knowing how to pick a fresh fish and buying a fish that’s not endangered and eating a sustainable fish. So, now one has to find out if the fish you’re buying is actually the one advertised/labeled? Sadly, yes.

One of the most commonly mislabeled fish has to be the red snapper…practically any fish with red skin seems to be labeled a red snapper. One friend complained of a tough, dense red snapper when in fact she was sold a parrot fish (in the grouper family). Here in Toronto I see sardines on restuarant menus when in fact the species of fish are larger than the sardines I know from the Mediterranean and they are related more to the herring than sardine.

Sea bass is another fish that falls into the grey area of labeling. There are so many types of sea bass…European (lavraki or branzino), the Porgy or sea bream has been labled as sea bass and the striped bass is another! Oh, there’s the poor endangered Chillean Sea Bass which I still see sold in many fish shops.

red mullet

Another issue is many fish stores will sell very little by way of whole fish and for me as a consumer – that’s a big problem. One – I can’t tell for sure what fish I am actually buying nor will I be able to inspect the fish’s eyes, gills or smell the fish, looking for that fresh smell of the sea. Many people still are squeamish about seeing the fish’s head still on their plate but I ask you: don’t you want the freshest fish and don’t you want to know you’re not being ripped-off and being sold an inferior fish or one that is endangered? i don’t.

Last week I cooked some red mullet – a small red to orange fish that’s a delight to eat with it’s firm, moist white flesh  – wonderful fried. I posted pics of the dinner and a reader of the blog opined that they thought red mullet had too many bones and I replied that they likely were sold/ate a goat fish (looks like red mullet but with many more thin bones inside).  Yet another reader gave me the ‘OH YUM’ comment and proclaimed my “mullets” looked delicious. Mullets are an entirely different fish that’s blue-black, longer and much more readily available in fish shops.

There’s no easy way to quickly get up to speed on fish and seafood but I can recommend two books that will help you make educated choices when buying fish and seafood: the Field Guide to Seafood. It’s compact but thick with lots of info and most of the more popular fish having photos. The other book is titled Mediterranean Seafood with drawings for each species. Both of these books also provides the names of this fish in many languages, different sub-species from different waters, when the fish is in season, how to choose a fresh one and even some suggested cooking ideas!

grey mullet

I’ve been to Greece over twenty times and this invaluable experience has helped me to choose fresh fish at a good price and avoid a bad fish or one in season or endangered. I’ll continue to write about fish and share whatever wisdom I’ve picked-up along the way. I urge you to eat more fish and seafood – you’ll improve your diet, learn more about fish and seafood and gain confidence in choosing with each meal.

Today’ fish is the mullet, found at fish mongers here in Toronto and they are in season in North America November-December. This fish was likely caught in the southern Us (Florida) and when fresh, it’s hard to beat. That being said, there’s a lot of mullet out there that doesn’t look that tempting so be patient. When you see one with clear eyes, pink gills, firm body and it smells of the sea – grab some and get your grill ready.

Mullet roes being packed in Porto Lagos, Xanthi

I first saw mullet in a big way when I visited the area of Messolonghi on the western side of Greece. Messolonghi is situated on a vast lagoon known for producing sea salt and fishing – mainly eel, sea bream, mullet and the highly valued mullet roe which goes towards making “avgotaraho”…or better known as bottarga (Italian). The roe of the mullet are removed then heavily salted then dried in the sun and finally preserved in bee’s wax before being sold in the markets.

This past summer I visited the city of Xanthi in the northeastern province of Thrace where I  visited another vast lagoon called Porto Lagos. There, I saw fishermen pulling out blue crab, lots of mullet and preparing the roe for transport. The local fishermen told me the two major producers of Agvotaraho buy up the mullet roe of Porto Lagos.

Porto Lagos, Xanthi

My friend chef Stella Spanou and her husband treated us to some fresh-caught mullet that probably had no more than 6 hours between being caught and being grilled outdoors at her summer home. As per usual, fish should be prepared with the simply with just salt and pepper as seasoning, grilled and dressed with a oil/lemon dressing that us Greeks call “ladolemono” or oil/lemon.

I do love crispy skin on fish but many will find the skin of the mullet to be a little tough. Simply peel off the skin and cut the head off, remove the upper fillet then remove the spine and any remaining pinbones in each fillet. Pour the lush sauce made of the very best Greek olive oil and fresh lemon juice. I always like to add an herb – dried Greek oregano is wonderful here.

Grilled Grey Mullet

(serves 4)

4 whole mullet fish, scaled and gutted

coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

salt to taste

2 tsp. dried Greek oregano

1. Pre-heat your gas or charcoal grill to high heat and brush the surface to remove any grill residue (the cleaner your grill, the less chance of your fish sticking). Drizzle your fish with olive oil and season both sides and the cavity with salt and pepper.
2. As soon as your grill is ready, take some paper towel and dunk it in some vegetable oil and wipe your grill surface (to lubricate it). Now place your mullet on the grill and cook for about 6-7 minutes/side. You know your fish has been cooked when you’re able to pull-out the dorsal fin from the fish.
3. While your fish is grilling, Add the olive oil, lemon juice and some salt to taste and place in a jar, close and shake well. Adjust flavourings, add the dried Greek oregano and shake again.
4. When the fish is cooked, carefully remove from the grill and place on each plate/platter. With mullet, you may remove the skin then pull away the spiny bones that run along the top and bottom part of the fish, Make an incision just behind the head and lop off then make an incision with a knife along the top part of the fish then along the bottom part of the fish. Now now should be able to freely lift and flip-over the top fillet of the fish. Now you can pull out the spine of the fish and discard and hence have two fish fillets. Inspect the fillets for any remaining pin bones (near the front and around the belly) and pulls those out with your fingers.
5. Shake the Latholemono in the jar and pour over your fillets. Serve with rice pilaf or potato salad, some boiled Vlita and serve with a chilled Gerovassliou White.

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Me: I’m coming in to the city, what’s new, what’s hot – where shall we eat?

Yianni: There’s a great place for steak – aged and they cook it the way you like it.

Me: I don’t come to Greece for steak, anything else?

Yianni: you feel like seafood or meat?

Me: Tonight I’m in the mood for some meat – I ate fish and seafood all week, let’s have something Greek.

Yianni: let’s go back to Kordelio where we ate at that great seafood place back in May   – the area is full of good, affordable restaurants. You in?

Off to Eleftherio-Kordelio we go. Yianni discovered these restaurants in this western suburb of Thessaloniki as his girlfriend lives there and truth be told – lots of dining options in this family-oriented neighborhood with lots of children in the playground and folks out for a stroll (volta) in the evening.

We arrived in Kordelio and sat down at a taverna called “Oneiro Ellas” (Dream Greece) and we ordered grilled and baked cheeses, an array of meat dishes (some seafood dishes are also on the menu) and the popular dish that I was recommended to order was this “souvlaki gemisto”… a stuffed souvlaki? Without even asking how this could be so..I was intrigued, curious to see what would appear on my my plate.

Patience rewarded, a plate of souvlaki was placed in front of me: thin slices of pork were wrapped around pieces of Feta cheese and secured with skewers and red peppers and onions in between each roll-up of meat. The dish looked awesome, there was in fact cheese in the pork (I was afraid most of it would have melted away) and the creativity impressed me.

My take here uses the cut of pork called “pork butt” and I thought that a firm white cheese would pair better with the pork – and it does! Pork butt comes from the shoulder area of the pig, it’s got fat running through the meat and when sliced thinly, it cooks quickly and the result is always tender and juicy.

You also want to use a firm, aged white cheese that doesn’t have too much moisture and therefore will hold up to heat. You may lose some cheese but most of it will stay in-tact – stuffed in your pork. A Graviera, Kefalograviera, a Hallouni or a Batso cheese would work in this dish. You also want pieces of pork that will just overlap and wrap your cheese so that the pork cooks through entirely – no one wants to bite into raw pork in the center.

Since this pork is thin and cooks quickly, a quick marinade is all that’s needed and classic Greek flavours are underlined here: onion, pepper, salt, pepper, lemon and Greek oregano. Everyone likes surprises (I do ) and this dish is a creative, fun take on souvlaki and perfect for parties. This recipe makes lots of little bites – you decide if you want one or two cheese-stuffed rolls of pork on a stick (more for appetizers) or secure three or more for entrée size. Either way, you’re in for a party in your mouth!

Cheese-Stuffed Souvlaki (Σουβλακι Γεμιστο)

(serves 4)

1 lb. of boneless pork butt

1/4 olive oil

1 small onion, passed through a box grater

1 tsp. sweet paprika

1 tsp. lemon zest

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. dried Greek oregano

sea salt

wooden skewers (soaked in water for at least 2 hours)

1-2 small red onions, peeled and quartered

1 red pepper, cut into approx. 1 1/2  inch rectangles

approx. 12-14 small pieces of Kefalograviera, Graviera or Halloumi cheese, cut into small batons

lemon juice and dried Greek Oregano

1. Place the pork butt in the freezer for about an hour to firm up, so you can easily cut thin slices. Once firm, cut into thin slices then place between plastic and gently pound with a meat mallet to thin cutlets that can be easily rolled. Now cut the pieces of pork into 2″ X 3″ pieces. ( you want just enough meat to able to wrap around the cheese and be able to cook thoroughly and quickly).
2. In a bowl, add the olive oil, grated onion, lemon zest, black pepper, paprika and oregano and mix with a fork then add the pork and toss until well-coated. Store in a fridge for an hour and bring out of the fridge when you’re ready to assemble your cheese-stuffed souvlaki.
3. Remove excess marinade from the pork and place a piece of your work surface and place a baton of cheese at the base of the pork and roll-up and secure with the soaked wooden skewer. Alternate cheese-filled pork with red pepper and red onion (should be able to fit roll on each skewer).
4. Pre-heat your gas, charcoal or indoor grill to a medium-high heat. Brush/clean your grill surface and wipe with oil before grilling. Season both sides of your meat with sea salt and place on the grill and cook for about 3 minutes a side until nicely char-grilled (some cheese will ooze).
5. Remove from the grill and place on a platter and squeeze fresh lemon juice on the souvlaki, a sprinkle of sea salt and dried Greek oregano. Serve with Fries, grilled pita bread and a cold beer.

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Your usual pork chops have all the fat surrounding the meat but the pork butt contains fat within the meat as well. Dare I say some marbling? Much like beef steaks, pork butt chops render fat when cooking, creating a kind of self-basting and protecting the meat from drying out. This cut of meat is forgiving, hard to screw up but not without some precautions:

• Grill over medium-high heat as you’re dealing with pork – you want well-cooked meat and to allow some time for the fat to render;
• Ensure you are giving pork butt – not shoulder. These two cuts are connected to each other on the pig but they are very different: pork butt contains fat in the meat and pork shoulder’s fat is only located around the meat;
• In Greece this cut is called “laimo” (lemmo) and all the butchers will know what you’re talking about

Pork butt is also very diverse! Other than in being my preferred cut for pork chops it’s also used to make pork Gyro, souvlaki, an ideal cut for grinding for sausage use and I also use pork butt to make a Greek specialty: Kontosouvli!

This past summer I rushed from the center of Thessaloniki to catch a bus back to my family’s summer home in Halkidiki and I just missed my bus by 5 minutes. It was lunch time and I had an hour to kill so I headed towards the food concessions in the terminal and found the Gyro joint also offered thin-cut pork chops wrapped in pita bread with your favourite toppings.

Think deconstructed Gyro as you get a whole pork chop, sliced thin and grilled and slapped in pita bread with fixins’. So simple yet so brilliant! Head to your favourite butcher and ask for pork butt. For thick-cut pork chops ask for bone-in and if you want to make souvlaki, Gyro, kontosouvli or pork butt Gyro, ask for boneless so you can easily cut the pork the way you like it.

I’m hungry all over again and I could go for a pork butt Gyro sandwich right about now.

Pork Butt Gyro (Γυρο με Μπριζολα Λαιμου)

(makes 4-6 sandwiches)

approx. 1 lb. boneless pork butt

1 small onion, passed through a box grater

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp. sweet paprika

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. dried Greek oregano

lemon juice

warm pita bread

your favourite souvlaki condiment/toppings: tomatoes, sliced onions, fries, Tzatziki, ketchup, mustard

1. If your butcher hasn’t already done so for you, place your pork in the freezer for about an hour so that it hardens enough for you to be able to slice it thinly. Once firm enough, take out of freezer and slice the pork but into approx. 1 cm. slices.
2. In a bowl, add the pork butt along with the oil, onion, salt, pepper, paprika and oregano and toss to coat. Cover and place in your fridge for about three hours. Remove from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature before grilling.
3. Pre-heat your gas or charcoal grill with the intent of attaining a medium-high heat. Brush your grill surface free of any residue and wipe the surface with a paper towel dipped in vegetable oil. Lightly season the pork with salt and over medium high heat for 3 minutes a side and once cooked, remove from the heat.
4. Squeeze some lemon juice and sprinkle some Greek oregano. Place the pork chop in the warm pita bread then add your favourite condiments and roll up. Have an ice cold Fix Hellas beer and enjoy!

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Lefkada is not a large island but it’s not small either. One could probably circle the island in two hours. The entry point to Lefkada passes through the main town (Lefkada) then you’re free to explore this lush green isle with fabulous beaches and the many quality eateries. The side of the island that faces mainland Greece (east) is where most of the hotels are located. There are beaches here, they are clean but I don’t think you’ll be too impressed with them. All the beach action is on the Ionian side of the island – facing Italy.

Each day has been filled with traveling to/from a new beach, a stop at a restaurant or taverna then back to the hotel to rest-up for the next day’s adventure. There are many traditional products from Lefkada such as their salami, sesame snaps, nougat and enough local dishes to fill a cookbook but today I’m going to focus on a gem of a fish and seafood taverna located at the southern end of the island, in a well-protected harbour of Sivota Bay.

This small fishing village is frequented by many boaters/sailors, there’s a campground and many hotels and pensions that can be spotted way up around the bay. Those in the know also come to Sivota Bay for the food and I have to say that I’ve had some of the freshest fish and seafood EVER here at Spiridoula’s Taverna.

Spirdoula’s is owned and operated by Spiridoula (since 1970) who runs the day to day operations alongside her husband Panagiotis, who also helps out around the taverna but more importantly, he’s a fisherman who brings in the day’s fresh catch. One of his boats can be seen docked in front of the taverna and if you’re real lucky, one of the waiters will pull up a lobster trap from the water and show the slipper lobsters they caught that day!

a rare catch - the slipper lobster

I ate at Spiridoula’s on two occasions and both times the service was prompt, courteous and the prices are affordable, a menu that offers both seafood and traditional Greek dishes that would satisfy most Greeks missing mom’s cooking. If you’re at a fish/seafood taverna, order off the fish and seafood menu…it just seems silly to be ordering lamb by the seaside. Large fish are kept in a fridge in the kitchen and you’re more than welcome to head back and pick your own fresh “catch of the day”. Even before we ordered, a basket of grilled bread doused in olive oil and dried Greek oregano arrives.

First order was some fries and salad. I like that the menu tastes that they use only olive oil for frying and that Feta is made in Greece.

The first of the fish dishes was the fried atherina…a very small sea smelt where one gently squeezes out the guts and then you dredge them in seasoned flour and fry them They become crisp like chips and they are eaten whole. I love’em!

More seafood. I never tire of ordering octopus when in Greece. Lately lots of the octopus has been imported but this one was smaller, char-grilled and so tender I could cut it with a butter knife.

Another fave of mine is sardines…sardines of the Mediterranean which are smaller than the Pacific fish that’s served as sardines. I don’t find fresh sardines that often in Toronto so this is another sure order. These sardines were the freshest I’ve ever tasted as they are only scaled and they are grilled with the guts still in them. Simply tear the head off and the guts go with it. Eat the meat off the spine and repeat. Sublime.

We also ordered a side of fried zucchini chips with a side of garlicky skordalia. Skordalia can be made of bread or potato and this delish version was made with potato.

The meal ended with a complementary plate of chilled karpouzi. Karpouzi is Greek for watermelon and we eat lots of it!

Tavera Spiridoula is located in Sivota Bay, Lefkada. Tel. is 26450/31182 and 26450/31989

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I first tried this fish back in May when I visited Greece courtesy of an invitation to the Sani Gourmet Festival. I was served pan-seared Magiatiko (amberjack) by chef Theodore Kyriacou then I tasted this fish for a second time at a seafood BBQ catered by the Sani Resort. Pun intended but I was hooked…loved this thick fish steak that was not dry, tasted wonderful and is very forgiving on the grill.

The amberjack is a beautiful fish with lavender and gold tints and an amber that spans from eye to tail. It’s caught by commercial fishermen and yes, it’s a fighter when it comes to catching it and it can be found over reefs or shipwrecks. Like any other fish, one should choose an amberjack that smells of the sea, has a shiny surface with tight scales, bright (not sunken) eyes and deep red or ink gills.

One should also choose amberjack steaks or fillets that have very little bruising or blood visible in the meat. The meat should be pink in colour and ideally one should ask for steaks/fillets that are about 1 inch thick. The amberjack has a similar mild flavour to swordfish but it’s not as dry and frankly more forgiving when grilling it.

This fish should be grilled, pan-fried or broiled and the seasoning should be very simple so that one may taste this fish. Some olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon zest and slap on the grill. All that’s needed to complete this dish is a simple ladolemono (oil/lemon sauce) spiked with the herb of your choice (dried Greek oregano on this occasion) and a wedge of lemon for garnish. The best way to describe the taste of amberjack is that it’s very much like swordfish but more succulent – it doesn’t dry out as easily.  Swordfish would be like pork tenderloin and amberjack is like a juicy pork chop in comparison.

I served the grilled amberkack with a no-mayo potato salad and a refreshing salad made of rock samphire that I picked off the rocks near the beach where I swim just today! Samphire is another ingredient I’ve newly discovered and you’ll have to wait for the that recipe in coming posts.

Grilled Amberjack (Μαγιατικο στη Σχαρα)

(serves 4)

2 amberjack steaks (they are big) or 4 boneless fillets

1/4 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

zest of 1 lemon

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1 ladolemono recipe

lemon wedges for garnish

1. Rinse and pat-dry your fish and set aside. Place the olive oil, minced garlic, lemon zest in a glass dish and mix well. Now add the fish and ensure it’s thoroughly coated with the marinade. Place in the fridge for an hour. Remove from the fridge about 1/2 hour before grilling (or until it returns to room temperature).
2. Pre-heat your gas or charcoal grill with the aim of attaining a medium-high heat. Thoroughly brush the grill surface, with the aim of having a clean grill surface/reducing the chance of fish sticking. When your grill is hot, dab some paper towel in some vegetable oil and wipe/lubricate your grill surface.
3. Season both sides of your fish with sea salt and fresh ground pepper and place on the hot grill. Grill for 7 minutes without touching then flip and grill for another 3 minutes (your fish shouldn’t stick to the grill). In the meantime, whip up a batch of latholemono in a bowl and set aside.
4. Remove your fish and place on a platter with wedges of lemon and spoon over the Latholemono sauce on the fish. Serve with a chilled bottle of Kir Yanni Akakies Rose.

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© 2011, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.