Cod With Raisins..Bakaliaros Me Stafida (Video Redux)

Having posted this recipe as my first blog posting, I thought it would be fitting to revisit the dish for my first video blog posting. Though this dish is more of a cooler (or rainy) weather comfort food, I can eat this year round without complaint.

Greeks have had a long relationship with the sea and its bounty. As Greece has over 14,000 kilometres of coastline the majority of her population is never very far from the sea, hence, Greece abounds in recipes for the cooking of seafood and each region of the country has its own specialties. This recipe originates in the southern Peloponnese, specifically from the area of the coastal city of Kalamata. However, it is not likely that you will find this dish in any of the restaurants that line the city’s harbour; this is traditional home cooking pure and simple.

This unique recipe combining the fruits of the vine and sea was taught to me by my Aunt Voula some fifteen years ago, and has remained as one of my all-time favourite fish dishes. As the video illustrates, the preparation is quite simple and requires a minimum of ingredients. Furthermore, although one might be tempted to think that this meal would tend to be rather sweet because of the raisins, it is actually quite savoury with the sweetness of the raisins providing more of a mellowed nuance that mingles amazingly well with the tomato sauce and onions. Combine it with a red-skin potato mash (mixed with some finely chopped fresh green onions and wild Greek oregano), and the virtues of this simple dish will become quite apparent in a most satisfying fashion.