Day 8: Τσιπούρα, Tsipoura, March 25, 2013

Xronia polla!  Besides being Greek Independence Day, it is also the day of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. Yes, it is exactly 9 months before Christmas!

Today is one of the two days that we can have fish during Great Lent.  We decided that today, we would make Tsipoura for the family.  Τσιπούρα (pronounced tsee-poo-ra) is the Greek name for this fish, at first, we were not 100 % certain what it is in English; but when we went to the market, we were told that it is Porgy.  Others have told us that it is Sea Bream, some said it was Gilthead bream, while others thought that it is Sea Bass.  We put our trust in the folks who work with the fish every day.  We bought Porgy.  Not only did we buy the regular Porgies, we bought, also, Greek Porgy.  When asked what the difference was, the man working at the fish counter coyly said, "Greek porgy is more expensive."  That was true, since the Greek Porgy was about two times the cost of the other one ($7.99 per lb for the Greek version vs. $3.99 for the non-Greek fish (origin: China).  However, we were in a store where customers often talk to one another about their purchases.  And, there were two men at the counter who were also buying porgy.  Both told us that the Greek porgy is much more flavourful and less fatty -- that it's a better fish.  We had to try both and find out for ourselves.  We purchased two of the Greek Porgies and four of the other porgies. Each person at dinner tonight will get his or her own whole fish to eat.

On the top is Greek Porgy, on the bottom is regular Porgy.  Both are cleaned.

Along with our conversations about fish, we asked if the other customers knew the difference between the Greek and the other.  Beyond flavour, we learned that Greek Porgy is a farmed fish, whereas the non-Greek Porgy is wild.  The farmed fish is more expensive. And, the term "porgy" refers to a variety of fish, including sea bream, silver snapper, pink porgy, and red porgy.  Since the fish store is Greek owned, and many of the employees are Greek, we were fairly confident that we bought the right fish for tonight.  

Whole fish is a treat at any time.  And, it seems like a very special treat to us for Annunciation of the Theotokos, as well as the day of Greek Independence.  While most people will grill whole fish on the barbecue, others will put it in the oven or pan-fry it.  We were not able to get near our barbecue grill because of the snow, and we don't have a frying pan the right size for a whole fish, so we chose to put it in the oven. We also wanted to highlight the natural flavours of the fish, so we kept it simple with herbs and seasonings.  One thing is for sure, there will be lemon!  When we purchased the fish, we asked that the good folks at the market  to clean and dress the fish for us.  Some of us don't have the stomach or the skills to clean the fish for ourselves.  The workers take off the fins, remove the scales, and they pull out the icky center parts that we don't eat.  However, we still had beautiful, whole fish for tonight's dinner.  Here is what we did to make our Tsipoura:

You will need:
Tsipoura - about 1 fish per person
Oregano (Greek, of course)
Salt
Pepper (freshly ground of already ground)
Oil (olive)
Lemon (we used Meyer lemons as they have a thin skin and an almost sweet flesh and juice)

The amounts of spices listed above will vary, depending on the number of fish and the size of the fish.

Wash each fish to make sure there are no residual scales or guts.  The fish monger will have washed the fish after scaling, but it is very reassuring to wash them again at home.

Lay them in a baking pan that has a little oil at the bottom.  We have several curved baking pans that will keep in the juices.  We have done this with glass baking dishes, but find that it is easier to remove the fish from a more tray-like pan than a glass dish.  Make sure there is enough oil in the pan to coat the entire bottom.  If we were fasting without oil today, we would not put oil, but maybe a few sliced onions and a little water instead.  This is just to create a layer between the baking dish and the fish skin so the skin does not stick to the pan.  Aluminum foil or parchment paper could do it, too.

Add salt all over.  The plentiful amount of salt helps to make the fish tastier.

We sprinkle pepper on both sides.  We chose fresh ground pepper, but you can use pre-ground pepper.

Place oregano in the cavity of the fish, as well as all over the outer skin.

Then, season the fish inside and out with salt, pepper, and oregano.  Make sure to cover both sides and the inside, especially, with the seasonings.  The flavours will all bake with the juices of the fish and create a nice essence in the meat of the fish.

We place lemon wedges inside the cavity of the fish.

We put lemon slices on top of the fish, too. 

Then, we slice a few lemons and line the inside of the fish with lemon slices.  We put a few on top, too, just for presentation purposes. The lemon slices do look great when they are browned and slightly carmelized on top of the fish.  And, some of the juices will penetrate into the fish meat to boost the flavour.

Next, pour some oil over the fish.  Pour enough so that each fish is coated, but not swimming (hahaha) in oil.

The last step is to cut a slice into the side of the fish.  Use scissors to make it easy.  You can poke through the skin and make a deep enough slit.  Some people will slice the side of the fish three or four times before seasoning it.  You could do that, but you want to avoid seasoning the slit.  This slit should be near the tail, but where there is still plenty of meat to help you know when the fish is done cooking, and it will allow any unwanted liquids from building up in the middle and making the fish meat very soggy.

Now, bake the fish in the oven at 400 °F (about 200 °C) until the meat starts to pull away from the skin.  You can see that in different places  in the oven, we ha some hot spots.  Remove the lemons if they are too brown (like ours on the right).  As a special garnish, you could make a ladorigani sauce (λαδορίγανη), which is oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper.  It is a lovely sauce that adds another layer of flavour and a bit of moisture.  This is a versatile sauce that can be used in so many Greek dishes, and makes the cooked fish shine and look so fresh.

Pour the sauce over each fish before serving, or put the sauce at the table and let each person add his or her own sauce.  It's also great for dipping bread or vegetables!  Serve the fish immediately upon finishing the garnish.  It should be served warm/hot out of the oven.  And, fish, unlike meat, does not necessarily need the time to rest once it is out of the oven.  Then, enjoy your meal, and beware of the bones inside.  Today is a day to enjoy fish, and this is one way to do so.

P.S.  We did not really taste too much difference between the two fish.  The Greek porgy was a little more moist, but the flavour was quite similar.

The following video is song by the talented young Albanian-Greek singer Christos Santikai: 

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vTZH6hZe1E