Perfecting Christmas eve: The art of greek-style fish

I choose fresh and firm fillets of blue grenadier, cod, or halibut. I buy carrots from a reputable grocer and select only my favourite tomato paste. I meticulously follow each step of the recipe, and above all, I fry the fish and vegetables in butter. Only then do I feel confident that the traditional dish will be creamy and full of flavour.

The success of Greek-style fish relies on two equally important ingredients. The first is good, fresh fish. During the communist era, Greek-style fish was often made with carp, and a large amount of well-seasoned vegetables was used to mask its muddy taste.

However, you no longer have to settle for that. With quality fish, you can opt for cod, halibut, or pollock. I usually choose cod fillets or halibut, which has more buttery and delicate meat.

The second crucial ingredient is vegetables in an aromatic sauce. Here, proportions matter. The base is carrots, and they should be twice the amount of parsley root. Some people add celery root, but in my opinion, its taste is too dominant.

The sauce will be excellent if you first sauté leeks and onions in butter. Those who enjoy spicier flavours can add a bit of cayenne pepper or chili pepper.

To prepare Greek-style fish for 6 people, you need:

• 800 grams of cod fillets,
• 4 tablespoons of butter,
• 1 leek,
• 1 onion,
• 4 carrots,
• 2 parsley roots,
• 1 tablespoon of sweet paprika,
• 3 bay leaves,
• 4 allspice berries,
• 1 teaspoon of salt,
• 1 teaspoon of pepper,
• 125 mL of water,
• 85 grams of tomato paste,
• 150 grams of wheat flour.

1. Start by preparing the vegetables unless you are using frozen fish; in that case, thaw the fish as the first step. Wash the leek, peel off its outer leaves, and cut it into small rings. Sauté in a heated pan with 2 tablespoons of butter. Add finely chopped onion. Sauté until translucent over medium heat.
2. Peel and wash the carrots and parsley roots. Grate them on a coarse grater and add them to the pan. Toss in bay leaves, allspice, sweet paprika, salt, and pepper. Add 125 mL of water and cover with a lid. Simmer the vegetables over low heat for 20 minutes.
3. It's time to prepare the fish. Cut the fillets into smaller pieces about 5-8 centimetres in size. Season each portion with salt and pepper. Coat in flour and sauté in butter until golden on both sides. Set aside to cool.
4. Add tomato paste to the vegetables in the pan. If you want the Greek-style fish to be more delicate, you can add pureed tomatoes or tomato passata. Stir and heat without a lid for about 5 minutes.
5. In a large dish, layer the vegetables first, and then the fish. This creates one or two layers of fish, depending on the size of the dish. Cover the whole thing with the vegetable mixture.

This dish benefits from sitting, so you can easily prepare it 3 days in advance. Cover the prepared fish with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. During this time, the flavours will have a chance to blend, and the dish will deepen in taste.

You can serve the fish as a cold appetizer or heat it in the oven and serve it warm. Use herbs for decoration, such as parsley, dill, or fresh coriander leaves. And if you crave a similar dish that truly comes from Greece, you can prepare psari plaki, which is fish baked in tomatoes.