Bianko From Corfu

The first time I visited the Greek islands on the Ionian side of Greece was back in ’88 when I took a bus from Thessaloniki to Igoumenitsa and from there the short ferry boat ride to Corfu. Until about a few years ago this trip took a day with a 7 hour ride through winding roads that hugged the Pindos mountains. The ferry boat to Corfu from Igoumenitsa is not even a couple of hours but the road trip killed ya.

Today, the Nea Egnatia highway exists and spans northern Greece from Igoumenitsa and all the way east to the Greek/Turkish border. Today, one can drive from Thessaloniki to Igoumentisa in three hours…now there’s some good news to come out of Greece! When the ferry boat approaches Corfu town one can’t help but think that maybe the captain made a mistake and steered the boat all the way to Italy but nope – you’ve arrived in Corfu (or as the Greeks call it , Kerkyra). Today, much of Corfu’s tourists arrive by air with many charters and regular direct flights to Corfu from throughout all of Europe’s major hubs.

Corfu belongs to the string of islands along the Ionian coast called the Seven Islands. These islands were under Roman rule, then fell under Byzantine rule but protecting these islands all the way east from Constantinople was a challenge so the then powerful Venice was given trading privileges in return for protection from would-be invaders

Eventually Venice ruled the Seven Islands but the island also endured attacks by the Turks, sieges and marauding but the Ottoman Tide that almost reached Budapest could not permanently rule the island. The French also occupied Corfu until Napolean was defeated and…are you ready? Corfu then became a British protectorate until 1864 when Queen Victoria signed the islands over to Greece.

With so many people passing through history to rule this island, one can no doubt also see and taste the varying influences (mostly western) in the Corfiot (and Ionian) cuisine. Many of the Corfiot dishes (and Seven Islands) have Latin names or names derived from Latin or Italian dishes. There’s Pastitsio, Bourdeto, Sofrito, Polpetes, Pastitsada and today’s dish, Bianko.

Bianko’s name simply recognizes the dish as being white – with no tomatoes as is the usual with many saucy dishes of Italy and Greece. Salted cod, whiting (or hake) would be more traditional choices for fish and fresh grey mullet is another wonderful fish to use in this dish. This is a simple, rustic dish relying on few ingredients to drive home the dish. There are lots of onions, selino ( a European celery), some sliced carrots, the very best Greek olive oil, fish, some water and potatoes.

The potato entered Greek cuisine after the rest of Europe was introduced to it (from the New World) via the French but Greeks ignored it. It took a Greek (of Corfiot descent) to re-introduce the potato to the Greeks: Ioannis Kapodistrias ordered-in some sacks of potatoes and have them protected by armed guards by the Port of Nafplio (Greece’s then capital). Greeks can be suspicious and very curious….sacks of potatoes were stolen overnight (Kapodistrias already instructed the guards to turn a blind eye to the thieves) and off the Greeks went with what they thought were a valuable commodity. Greek dishes that contain spuds are too numerous to count but for today, we’ll cook-up some Bianko and raise a glass to Kapodistrias!

Bianko (Μπιανκο) From Corfu

(serves 4)

1 kg. whole whiting (hake), scaled and gutted or fish fillets (salt cod, sole, grouper, halibut)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil + 1/3 cup for finishing

9-10 cloves of garlic, sliced

4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 /2 inch thick rounds

hot water

1/4 chopped fresh chives or parsley

sea salt and lots of fresh ground pepper

1. Rinse and pat-dry your fish, season with salt and pepper.
2. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, add olive oil, potatoes. salt, pepper and a 2 cups of hot water. Cover and simmer for about 8-9 minutes.
3. Take the lid off your pan, place the the fish on top of the potatoes, add lemon juice and enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the fish. Season again with some salt and pepper and cover. Simmer on medium low for about 10-12 minutes.
4. Uncover and if the sauce is runny, simmer uncovered for a few minutes. If too thick, add 1/2 cup hot water and swirl the pan.
5. Taste sauce, add salt and pepper, more lemon juice if needed. Cover, take off the heat and allow to rest 2 minutes.
6. Carefully lift fish and transfer to a platter and arrange potatoes around the fish and pour pan sauce (and garlic) over fish and potatoes.
7. Drizzle with olive oil, garnish with chopped chives/scallions or parsley and serve with crusty bread.
8. Serve with good crusty bread and try a chilled bottle of Lefkaditiki Gi white, made with a local “vardea” varietal.

Pro tip: To check if a whole fish is cooked, grab a hold of the dorsal fin and gently pull on it. If it comes out, your fish is cooked and if not, continue cooking and check in 5 minute intervals.