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Down at the fish market.
We bought most of these, a nice mix to make Wednesday's fish soup. The ones at top left are small scorpion fish. Their needle-like spines make them dangerous to scale but their taste is worth it. If you've got time to wait the fish will be scaled and gutted for you.
Cleaned skate and 'other' fish. We also bought two pieces of skate for the soup and it was delicious boiled.
Small sardines at 5 euro a kilo, ideal for grilling or stewing with tomatoes and onions
Cousin Tasos mending his nets. The weather is warm and calm and all the caiques are out before dawn.
A caique is a small traditional fishing boat found in the Aegean or Ionian Seas.
His catch of small red mullet
At around 10am the caiques come in to sell their fresh catch from the quayside
Our Sunday lunch grilled on the old trusty/rusty BBQ made from an old hot water cylinder. The grill is cleaned with half a lemon (a lemon cup)
A fish quote -
What's the two things they tell you are healthiest to eat? Chicken and fish. You know what you should do? Combine them, eat a penguin.
- David Atell
Wow, thank you!.
ReplyDeleteHave just spent 2 days reading your blog from start to finish, couldn't put it down😀.
In the 80,s and 90,s I visited Poros at least 3 times a year. Originally with a tour company then on my own.
I just love the beautiful little Island and mainland such a short distance away in a water taxi,
Have so many lovely memories adored Lemonodassos and family that run the taverna, lovely waterfall. Food was what they had cooked, with amazing lemon juice.
Oh Vagonia beach is my go to place in dreams, swimming in and out of the little caves.
Yes overdue a visit to Poros, often visit Athens now easyjet fly there.
Spent lots of time in the little cafes, learn,t Greek, but admit forget most of it now.
What a fantastic blog, takes me straight back to Poros!.
Thank you again
Kirriexx
Wow, I'm so pleased you found the blog. Terrific to think someone who knows it so well is reading it!! Those very early blog posts were really just family letters. Hope they weren't too boring!!!
ReplyDeleteBeen cold here this winter but it won't be long now till we are sitting out in the sun in the cafes again and Vagionia opens so we can go down for an ouzo!!
Kakis priests!
Can't believe how spell checker changed that last line....should be
DeleteKalos orisete
Oh no certainly not boring!. Have relished every post.
DeleteIs keeping my dream alive!.
In 3 years can retire from NHS at 55. I,m a Greekophile, so plan to travel all over Greece, Poros being my first love will be the first port of call.
Oh it's freezing here in Scotland, 3 weeks of snow are forcast.
Oh a little Taverna a Vagonia bay lovely, don,t remember there being one before or sun beds in the bay. Got there on a little moped carrying water bottle of wine, bread and cheese
Kirriexx
You will notice a few changes then for sure. Vagionia has a great canteen, very popular with locals and visitors.
DeleteWe'll all hoping for a little sunshine. Freezing again today, but nothing like Scotland of course. Dream on!! Warmer days will be here soon.....well, here at least
I would definitely have to find the time to wait for them to be cleaned! I come from a 'fishing family' on my father's side, they all worked on trawlers out of Gorleston-on-Sea in Norfolk, so I think they would be ashamed of how squeamish I am. Skate wings were my favourite fish, we considered them to be a real treat.
ReplyDeleteLove skate too. Here we eat it with garlic sauce
DeleteI can clean fish but haven't done so in a long time. Smelly nasty job.
ReplyDeleteWe don't really have fish as I'm the only one who likes it. Yum, sardines, haven't had them for a while. Hadn't heard of the scorpion fish xx
ReplyDeleteActually my favourite food is any fish that has been filleted but I don't have that luxury much here. They like the eyes to be staring at you while you eat them.
DeleteSardines are a bit strongly flavoured but I don't mind them now and again.
K loves fish and do the kids
I don't buy a lot of fish. I think I was spoilt as a child as Dad was a commercial fisherman and fish was always fresh off the boat, not the stuff that sits in the fishmonger's. I like whole sole on the bone best.
ReplyDeleteDiana
Fresh NZ fish mmm. We were all there on 2005 and put out a net in the estuary next to the Bach we were renting. A few sole was all we got but the kids were delighted.
DeleteLast night we ate a Fish Pie made with Salmon, Cod, and large Prawns. Need I say; it was delicious.
ReplyDeleteNow that's my sort of fish! In a pie. No bones, no eyes
DeleteOn the way home from the wedding today we stopped off at the trout farm. Love fish Being summer we get smoked trout or salmon and have it with salad. Bliss
ReplyDeleteBig YES for smoked trout. My brothers are/were trout fishermen and my sis in law is a great smoker. I brought a small smoker back in a suitcase once and we smoke k's fish now and again.
DeleteYou get great salmon as well..Australian?? I remember eating salmon steaks in Perth. Note the 'steaks', fish meat and few bones lol
I was thinking that as I haven't been reading your blog for very long that I would love to know how you come to be living in Greece. Maybe I should do what Kirrie did and read from the beginning, perhaps that would tell me! If not could you tell us in a few words one day perhaps. Also strange to come here today and see Elaine mention that her father's family worked the trawlers out of Gorleston when I mentioned somewhere in my blog last week how we used to go to Great Yarmouth and look at the fishing fleet when I was a child - we would park on the Yarmouth side of the harbour and look across to Gorleston. All the nets would hang along the roadsides drying out. Your picture of the man mending the net here reminded me of the nets and how the girls used to mend the nets here. I had to read your comment twice Elaine!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, we still get lots of fresh locally caught fish and it is possible to drive down to the coast and buy it straight off the fishermen. Also possible to pick up a bag of cocaine off the beach if the wind is right!
I enjoyed this post Linda and the comments.
Hi RAchel, no use going back to the start of the blog, same old same old but before recession so posts were a lot 'richer'. I've been here 41 years. Used to write long letters back then using carbon paper and I've got folders of the damn things.
DeleteWill get together a brief tale. Shirley Valentine and all that.
Remember your post about nets and gulls.
No cocaine on the beaches here but a lot of old shoes and maybe a bag of pot from across the bay. Big growing area there
Rachel,
DeleteI totally reccomend reading this lovely blog from start to finish!.
Go on, have a you day or 2, put your feet up, put the kettle on, crank up the heating and enjoy!. The weather outside is auful, so why not enjoy a bit of Greek sunshine, not just the weather the people, scenery and lifestyle!.xx
We are not really fish eating people apart from the usual battered cod from the chippy or "The Chipper", that's what they call it here in Ireland. Do you ever go back to New Zealand?
ReplyDeleteA decent piece of battered cod would be nice. Kids and I try and make our own now and again but it's not quite the same as from the chippy.
DeleteLast time I was back in nz was 2006. We did go to Australia in 2010 for a family wedding though. Then the economic crisis began and our income was halved overnight. No more overseas holidays. We get family visitors from downunder almost every summer so it's not too bad.