The abundant use of olive oil, colorful vegetables, citrus, bright herbs, warm spices, legumes, grains, and seafood is what best describes these 21 Mediterranean recipes, which capture the essence and aromas of this vast and varied region.
While all the talk about Mediterranean cooking often focuses on its health benefits, the fact of the matter is it's just damn delicious. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for eating healthier, but I want to satisfy my taste buds first. These Mediterranean recipes hit on all points—from a grilled paella bursting with the best of land and sea, flavor-packed spanakopita, and the best-tasting Niçoise salad to ultra-smooth whipped feta, fool-proof hummus, and smoky baba ganoush.
Seafood is at the forefront of all Mediterranean cooking, and this classic Italian coastal fare of crispy fried "fruit of the sea" best exemplifies the “don’t mess with a good thing” approach. Fresh, locally caught seafood is lightly coated in flour, fried until golden, and served simply with a squeeze of lemon.Grilled lamb skewers are another Mediterranean favorite. Here, they're in the form of kofte kebabs, which have seasoning built into them, packing more flavor in less time.
Some would argue that a composed salad is a lazy salad because it's just lining a bunch of ingredients on a plate and drizzling on a bit of dressing. Rows of artfully arranged green beans, boiled potatoes, tomatoes, tuna, olives, and hard-boiled eggs may look pretty, but they won't be the easiest to eat, nor do they make the most flavorful salad. For a full-flavored Niçoise salad, we say cut everything into bite-size pieces and toss them together with the dressing.
Nobody likes a soggy zucchini fritter. But if you lay shredded zucchini out on paper towels, salt it, and let it hang out for 30 minutes, it draws out the excess moisture from the vegetable. Then just squeeze the zucchini dry before forming it into patties and frying them to golden crispiness in olive oil.
Although skordalia doesn't have to be made with a potato base, we happen to like this version with puréed potato, raw garlic, almonds, olive oil, and vinegar. We rinse the diced potatoes before and after cooking to remove the surface starch that can turn them gummy when puréed. Blending the raw garlic with an acid like vinegar or lemon juice tamps down its pungency while preserving its flavor.
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