Simple, healthy and delicious — you have to try this traditional Croatian dish!
Photo credits: http://mamajasamgladan.com/gregada/
One of the advantages of having the Adriatic at your doorstep is an abundance of fresh fish. It has served as inspiration for countless recipes, all focused on bringing out the taste of the sea.
One of them is gregada, a fish soup typical for central Dalmatian islands, most famously Hvar.
It’s one of the oldest Croatian fish soup recipes and was created to make use of the smaller-sized fish which could not be properly grilled. As most traditional Mediterranean food, gregada is simple, healthy and delicious. For its base, you can use pretty much any type of white fish, but it’s most commonly made with sea bream, redfish or anglerfish.
Besides the fish, to make gregada, you will need one onion, potatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley, white wine and bay leaves.
Before you start preparing gregada, make sure you have a deep and wide pot to cook it in. After all, it is a soup. First, you clean and gut your fish. If you’re using larger fish like sea bream, cut the fish in half, but if you’re using smaller fish, leave it in one piece. Cut the onion, garlic, parsley and peel the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into 2 cm slices.
A healthy meal in 20 minutes
Saute the onion and garlic on some olive oil and add 2 dcl of white wine. Now layer your ingredients, as if you’re making a cake. Add the potatoes, fish and pour water just to cover the top of the fish. Salt and pepper the soup and add your bay leaves. Turn up the heat until the soup starts simmering, then cook for 20 minutes on low heat.
During the cook time, don’t mix or stir the gregada.
Use your fork to tell if the potatoes are done and in the final minutes sprinkle some parsley.
If you’re feeling hungry for this Mediterranean fish soup, you can try it during your Croatian vacation! Visit our Konoba Pescaria and enjoy the authentic taste of fresh fish in this historic recipe. Don’t forget to book your stay with us first!