Gregada

Ingredients

Stew

• 1.5 kgfirm white fish, in thick steaks
• 1 kgpotatoes, sliced 1 cm thick
• 2onions, sliced
• 4 clovesgarlic, sliced
• 150 mlolive oil
• 200 mldry white wine
• 1 bunchparsley
• salt
• black pepper
• water

To serve

• bread

Directions

1. Use a wide, shallow pot and build the dish in layers, starting with the sliced onion and a good pour of the olive oil.
2. Lay the potatoes over the onion, then the garlic and half the parsley, then the fish on top.
3. Fish on top and potatoes underneath. The potatoes need the longer cooking and they sit in the liquid, while the fish steams above it and stays whole.
4. Season each layer as you build it.
5. Pour over the wine and enough water to come level with the top of the potatoes but not over the fish.
6. Pour the rest of the olive oil over everything.
7. Bring it to the boil, then drop to a steady simmer, cover, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes.
8. Do not stir it at any point. Shake the pot by the handles instead if things need moving.
9. Never put a spoon through a gregada. Stirring breaks the fish up and turns a layered stew into a mess, and the shake is how it has always been done aboard.
10. It is ready when the potatoes are soft and the fish flakes at its thickest point.
11. The liquid should have thickened a little from the potato starch into a broth that stops just short of being a sauce.
12. Take it off the heat, scatter the remaining parsley over, and let it stand 5 minutes.
13. Serve it straight from the pot, fish and potatoes together, with bread for the broth.
14. It is a one-pot from Hvar and the central Dalmatian islands, cooked aboard with whatever the nets brought up, which is why the fish is simply whatever is best that day.

Technique

• Mixed fish beats a single species, and one bony rockfish among the fillets gives the broth real body.
• Use good olive oil and plenty of it, because it is a third of the sauce.
• No tomato in the Hvar version, which is exactly what separates it from brodet.

Substitutions

• Any firm white fish: scorpionfish, John Dory, monkfish or sea bass.
• A splash of white wine vinegar in water if you have no wine.

Variations

• Brodet, the tomato-based Dalmatian fish stew.
• With mussels and prawns added for the last five minutes.
• Made with wine alone and no water, for a sharper broth.

History

A fishermen’s one-pot from Hvar and the central Dalmatian islands, cooked aboard with whatever fish the nets brought up.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gregada?

Gregada is a soup & stew from Croatia: hvar fisherman’s stew of white fish, potatoes and onion in wine. A fishermen’s one-pot from Hvar and the central Dalmatian islands, cooked aboard with whatever fish the nets brought up.

How long does Gregada take to make?

Gregada takes 20 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Gregada?

Yes, within limits. Any firm white fish: scorpionfish, John Dory, monkfish or sea bass. A splash of white wine vinegar in water if you have no wine.

What is the most important thing to get right in Gregada?

Do not stir it at any point. Shake the pot by the handles instead if things need moving.