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Across the culinary map, variations on fish and chips exist. While the UK’s version reigns supreme in many minds, Greece offers a compelling alternative steeped in tradition called bakaliaros skordalia. This dish combines crisp, golden-fried cod with a flavourful garlic and potato dip, creating a delightful harmony of textures and tastes.
The main part of the dish is Bakaliaros, air-dried or salted cod, often soaked for desalination before being cut into pieces and fried to a golden crisp. This is accompanied by Skordalia, a creamy dip traditionally made by whipping together boiled potatoes, olive oil, and generous amounts of garlic, resulting in a robust garlicky counterpoint to the mild fish. While variations exist, this elegant combination of textures and flavours offers a delightful exploration of the Mediterranean’s culinary offerings.
Fried Bakaliaros
Skordalia
There are two key reasons why Greeks traditionally eat bakaliaros skordalia on March 25th:
a) Religious Significance: March 25th coincides with the feast of the Annunciation (Evangelismos) of the Virgin Mary. This is a great day in the Greek Orthodox faith during the Great Lent period that precedes Easter. For 40 days meat, fish, eggs, milk and oil are not permitted, but due to the festive character of the day fish, oil, and wine are permitted on this day, making bakaliaros skordalia a perfect celebratory meal.
b) Cultural Significance: March 25th also marks the start of the Greek War of Independence in 1821. During these difficult times bakaliaros was a more affordable and readily available option compared to fresh fish, especially for mainland Greeks. To this day, modern Greeks eat bakaliaros on March 25th as a custom.
If you are interested in tasting the Greek Fish & Chips, here is our pick for London!
At Kima, they create menus utilising every part of the fish practising ‘fin-to-gill’ philosophy and they take pride in aging various fish cuts in-house, which are showcased in their dedicated fish butchery section.
Byzantium is an impressive, unique and well-established Greek restaurant that is conveniently located between Bayswater and Queensway, that emphasises family-style food, traditional pastries (tsourekia, baklava etc.) and real Greek coffee.
At Ammos, food is more than just sustenance; it’s a genuine source of joy, a feeling of coziness, and an opportunity to connect with family and loved ones. This is the essence of what they aim to provide at Ammos – an authentic Greek culinary experience in the heart of London.
A few years back three friends decided to start a culinary trip in London cooking and trying traditional Greek food. The memories from their homes from the Ionian Islands to Athens and then to Asia Minor got together and created smells and tastes and a love for good traditional Mediterranean food.
OPSO [gr. ΟΨΟ] is an ancient Greek word for a delectable morsel of food, a delicacy. It is available for lunch every weekday from 12pm to 4pm.Their menu includes some of their bestselling sharing tapas for a relaxed meal as well as complete individual meals in case you are after a quick lunch-break.
They bring the taste of the Mediterranean to your plates, using fresh and flavoursome produce. Their chefs prepare everything in-house, making sure your meal is prepared to the highest quality. Their produce is freshly sourced by hand, daily, from local markets bringing top quality direct to their customers.
At the Greek Meze, they pride themselves on serving delicious home-style and traditional Greek-cooked food with the finest ingredients by their outstanding chef bringing a slice of the Mediterranean to the high street. Vibrant traditional Greek decor and colours, with soothing music, guarantee an exceptional experience and a taste of real Greek culture.
For those who are adventurous and want to be a Greek Master Chef by cooking Bakaliaros Skordalia, here is the classic recipe!:
A) Ingredients:
B) Instructions:
Here is a quick video of the recipe. Kali Tihi! (Good Luck!)
Frying Bakaliaros
You can buy the essential ingredients here:
A friendly, comfortable environment where customers buy, try and get to know quality delicatessen foods from Greece but also well known foods and drinks from all over the world. The only deli shop of its kind with top quality foods, wines and coffee from their origin of production.
They specialise in supplying authentic Greek food products in Crystal Palace (South East London), and, we deliver high quality authentic Greek products to the wider community. Their customers enjoy a delicious choice of takeaway hot and cold refreshments with Greek flavours.
The online delicatessen and one-stop-shop for the finest Greek delicacies, reflects their long-lived vision for sharing our love and knowledge for authentic Greek foods and exquisite flavours of the most authentic recipes. The Ormos Foodhall experience is rooted in convenience and reliability as well as authenticity, and high quality of products and service.
The word Bakalikon [Ba-ká-li-kon] used to be the local grocery store in Greece. It was very popular, as it had the best and most fresh products, carefully picked for the customers. The owner knew each individual, providing exceptional services every single time. Today, they want our customers to have the Bakalikon experience bringing alive this Greek tradition.
Bakaliaros Fillet
As you savour the crispy flakiness of the bakaliaros and the creamy garlicky depth of the skordalia, you’re not just enjoying a delicious meal, you’re experiencing a taste of Greek tradition.
So, the next time you take a bite of bakaliaros skordalia, remember that you’re not just eating a meal, you’re connecting with a rich tapestry of culture, faith, and the joy of sharing a delicious tradition.
Evangelos Kasapakis
Evangelos Kasapakis
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