Greeks consume about 43 pounds of fish per capita every year, roughly comparable to American consumption. The main difference is that Americans eat a lot of fried fish (calamari, clams, popcorn shrimp, fish filet sandwiches) and Greeks who can afford it favor fin fish. Part of making fish affordable is sustainable aquaculture. Greek aquaculture produces almost all of the world’s supply of branzino. The European sea bass, which the French call loup de mer is also a restaurant staple from New York to San Francisco. It’s the fish you’ll probably get in Athens when you order whole fish—unless you get gilthead bream, another farmed fish.
Above, the photo shows grilled seabream from a little street cafe just down Veikou from our rental apartment. It’s simply cooked on the grill with just enough Mediterranean herbs, sea salt, black pepper, and olive oil to make a feast for a king. For about €12, that’s hard to beat.
Branzino gets pricier the farther it flies from home. We decided to grill a whole fish over hardwood charcoal and quickly learned the economics of shipping fresh fish. Branzino was roughly four times the price of locally caught mackerel. But we were determined to have a Greek fish, so branzino it was. Since we paid dearly for it, we had the fish monger scale and gut the fish.
Departing neighbors bequeathed us a handy fish grill basket from Sur la Table (surlatable.com). They never used it. It must not have been a popular item, since it’s now discontinued. We suggest using a fish spatula (very wide tongs) to turn the fish. Our result isn’t as pretty as the one at the Athens street cafe, but it was very tasty—sweet, moist flesh redolent of herbs and citrus.
GRILLED BRANZINO
INGREDIENTS
1 whole branzino (1-3 lb.)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon Greek oregano
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 lemon, halved and cut in half-moon slices
1 sprig each rosemary, thyme, and mint
olive oil
kitchen twine
DIRECTIONS
Wash fish and pat dry inside and out. Rub skin with one clove of garlic. Combine salt, pepper, and oregano and spread on a plate. Lay fish on mixture and turn to coat. Rub remaining mixture into body cavity. Alternate lemon slices and garlic slices inside cavity. Add herb sprigs. Tie fish securely with kitchen twine. Drizzle with olive oil and place in plastic bag to marinate a half hour or more until ready to cook.
Light a charcoal fire. Cover coals with well-scrubbed grill. When coals are coated in ash, lay fish on the grill (or use a grill basket, as we did in the photo). Cook three minutes per side. Check internal temperature with instant read thermometer. You’re aiming for 145°F (63°C). Fish will probably need another two minutes per side on the cooler part of the grill (no direct coals) and the cover on.
Remove and place on plate. Crisp white wine accentuates the pleasure.