January 2, 2019 — Have you ever tried gregada? This humble fish stew was most likely brought to the region by Greek settlers circa 380 BCE, as gregada is said to be the oldest way of preparing fish in Dalmatia, though potatoes were introduced considerably later.
Gregada was long known as a staple among Dalmatian fishermen, and even though it is mostly associated with Hvar and other central Dalmatian islands, this traditional Croatian dish is nowadays prepared all along the Adriatic coast.
This recipe is really a no-brainer; all you need is some fresh white fish, a couple of potatoes and a few other ingredients. Gregada is traditionally flavored with garlic, celery, and parsley, whereas modern recipe variations often include even capers and salted anchovies.
In Croatia, gregada is typically made with rockfish like conger and/or grouper, but also the bottom-dwelling monkfish, and often the common pandora. If those are not available, as an alternative to Mediterranean fish, you can try using any other firm-fleshed white fish like barramundi, dorado, tilapia, etc.
Here is a simple variation of this classic Dalmatian recipe:
Ingredients
1500g fresh white fish, cleaned and scaled
500g potatoes, sliced
300g onions, sliced
300ml olive oil
500ml dry white wine
300ml water
3-4 garlic cloves, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
bay leaf, parsley
Directions
Heat the oil in a large, shallow, heavy-bottom brazier pot and sauté the onions until tender and slightly translucent. Add garlic and potato slices; sauté for a few more minutes. Then, layer fish on top of potatoes, throw in a few bay leaves, and braise in just enough water and white wine to cover everything. Gregada should be done in about 20 minutes. Dobar tek!
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