This succulent soup goes well with Greek salad and Rustic Symi bread and makes a meal of its own.

For the fish stock:

Fish for boiling, including the heads and bones (ask your fishmonger what they recommend)
2 pints water
1 onion, cut in half
2 sticks celery
1-2 carrots
2 bay leaves
6 peppercorns
A few stalks of flat-leaved parsley
1 teaspoon sea salt

To make the fish stock, put all of the ingredients for the stock in a large pan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for about an hour until the juice is reduced by half. Strain, throw out the solids, and keep the stock.

For the soup:

1 lb. fish suitable for boiling and eating, filleted and cut into fairly large chunks
2 glasses white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 sticks fennel, chopped small
2 large tomatoes, chopped small
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1-2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced into thick slices
The juice of 2 lemons
1 large pinch of saffron
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
A few sprigs of parsley

Heat the oil in a pan (preferably heavy-based) and add the onion, garlic and fennel. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, then add a splash of the fish stock, put on the lid, and turn the heat right down to let the vegetables sweat for 5 minutes.

Add half the fish and stir it in. Add the wine, turn up the heat, and cook until the wine has reduced by half.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and lemon juice, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Cover with the fish stock and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.

Add the saffron, season to taste, and add more lemon juice if required. Put in the sliced potatoes and the rest of the fish, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are ready. Garnish with parsley and serve. Serves 2-3.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped small
2 fresh tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup black olives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons capers or a few large capers, with stalks
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
2-3 large fresh sardines**

**freshly-caught sardines are often used in Symiot cooking; they also salt and marinate them to use in this salad. If you can’t find fresh ones, use canned sardines or any other fresh fish)

Mix the oil, vinegar and garlic together to make a dressing. Mix together the other ingredients, then lay the sardines over the top. Toss with the dressing and season to taste.

1 can tuna, drained
4 free-range eggs, hard-boiled and cut into quarters
3-1/2 tbsp. capers, chopped very small
3-1/2 ounces (by weight) gherkins (small pickles), chopped very small
3 potatoes, boiled and diced
2 onions, sliced very thin
3 tomatoes, chopped
3-1/2 tbsp. small black olives
5-6 anchovy fillets
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small lettuce

Mix together the ingredients, shredding the lettuce if you wish, and serve with olive oil and apple cider vinegar dressing. Serves 2-3.

5 ounces (by weight) salmon, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon groundnut (peanut) oil**
1/2 clove garlic
1 tablespoon dashi
1-2 teaspoons soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon sake, mirin or sweet white wine
1 cup vegetable stock
4 oz Asian noodles such as buckwheat or udon noodles
3 stalks spring onions (scallions), chopped very fine

**Groundnut (peanut) oil is the safest oil to use when cooking at high temperatures which is also suitable for Asian cuisine. Traditionally, pork lard is the cooking fat of choice. Other oils used in Japan are rice bran oil, soybean oil and sesame oil. Keep cooking times short and avoid using too much oil so as to limit consumption of trans fats.

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan. Add the garlic and fry gently, without letting it brown. If using oil, you can add a spoonful of stock to keep the temperature down.

Add the dashi, soy, sake and stock and bring to the boil. Add the noodles and cook with a lid on until the noodles are almost done. Add the salmon and cook until the fish and noodles are ready. Garnish with the scallions and serve. Serves 1-2.

This is a delicious starter and it also makes a great weekend breakfast or brunch – you can also serve it with scrambled eggs and a fruit salad.2-1/2 ounces (by weight) buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Approx 5 fl. oz. oat milk, soy milk, milk, or water
3-1/2 ounces (by weight) smoked salmon
1/4 onion, grated OR 1 scallion, chopped small
1 tablespoon dill, chopped
3-1/2 tbsp. creme fraiche
Butter or olive oil
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Black pepper

Mix the buckwheat flour with the baking powder in a bowl. Add the milk or water, a little at a time, stirring with a fork, until you have a mixture which is slightly thicker than pancake batter – not too thick and not too thin (you may need more or less than the recipe states, depending on what type of buckwheat flour you have and what type of liquid you are using).

Gently heat the butter or olive oil in a frying pan and put around 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture in the pan for each blini, leaving space so that you can cook two or three at the same time. If you spoon the mixture into the center of your blini and let it spread out by itself it should make a fairly even circle. Cook until it it is a golden color on both sides, then remove the blinis and keep warm.

Serve with the smoked salmon and a little of the onion or scallion with lemon juice squeezed over it, a dollop of creme fraiche, and a sprinkling of dill. Serves 2.

Ceviche – marinated raw fresh fish - is a favorite in Latin America, including Costa Rica, and in Peru there is a national holiday in its honor, so exalted is the dish. The marinade generally consists of lemon or lime juice, garlic, onion, cilantro and chili. A local treat in Nicoya is ceviche made with fish, such as yellowfin tuna, caught not half an hour earlier. Sublime!

In order to make ceviche, you will need to find very fresh, good-quality fish suitable for eating raw. It is best to ask your fish supplier about which fish to use, unless you are in a position to catch your own. Ceviche goes particularly well with avocados, tomatoes, lettuce, and sweet potato. The citrus juice in the marinade helps break down the protein in the fish which makes it easy on the digestion.

7 to 10 ounces (by weight) very fresh fish suitable for ceviche, e.g., firm white fish or tuna
1 small onion, chopped very small
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tablespoons cilantro (coriander), chopped small
1 small hot chili pepper, chopped small, or a pinch of chili (optional)
4 limes or lemons
A pinch of sea salt and some freshly-ground pepper

Mince the onion, garlic, and chili coarsely (this is most easily done with a pestle and mortar). Mix with the lime or lemon juice, the cilantro, and the seasoning.

Slice the fish into thin slices or cut it into small cubes. Mix with the marinade. This can be served immediately, or, if preferred, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours before serving. Serves 2.

This is a popular way of cooking fish in Symi and makes use of the local home-made wine as well as adding flavor and moisture to the fish dish; the peppers are a great way to add color, flavor and nutrients.

Requires 1 hour refrigeration time before cooking

1 large fresh fish suitable for baking (monkfish, bass or any white fish works well)
2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1-2 large cloves garlic, chopped small
1 lemon
5 or 6 ripe, red tomatoes
2 onions, sliced
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
8 fl oz extra-virgin olive oil
1 large glass of white wine
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Clean and wash the fish if necessary. Season both sides of the fish, stuff the belly with the parsley and garlic, then squeeze the lemon over the fish. Refrigerate for one hour.

Put half the tomatoes, onions and peppers in a baking dish in a layer, place the fish on top, then put a second layer of the vegetables on top. Pour over the olive oil.

Bake at 400F degrees 6 for 15 minutes. Baste the mixture with the juices. Add the wine, and bake for another 15 minutes. Serves 2-3.