Why Greek food doesn't need garnish

I. What simplicity requires

Simplicity is not effortlessness. A tomato salad of three ingredients depends entirely on the quality of the tomatoes. Santorini tomatoes — small, intensely flavoured, grown without irrigation in volcanic soil — are a specific thing the recipe requires. The simplicity of the preparation places maximum demands on the ingredient. There is nowhere to hide.

II. Five things Greek food does without

Cream sauce. Heavy spicing. Garnish. Long transformation. Self-importance. The grilled fish does not need a sauce — it needs heat applied correctly, good olive oil, lemon, and the quality of the fish itself. Greek vegetables are expected to provide flavour. The seasoning clarifies.

III. The Santorini tomato

Tomataki Santorinis has PDO status. Grown without irrigation in volcanic soil, the plants develop deep root systems and produce concentrated fruit. Sweet and acidic in balance. Dense, not watery. Cut in half with flaky salt and olive oil is the most direct expression of what Greek food at its best is.

IV. The dish that proves the argument

Kakavia, the Greek fisherman's soup — broth from fish bones, vegetables, a few pieces of fish, olive oil and lemon at the end. Not served on the caldera in Oia. Served at small tavernas in fishing villages and on boats. It does not need garnish. It is complete.

Recipe — Grilled Fish — the correct method

Eleni Papadopoulos · Santorini · serves 4 · 15 minutes

• Serves 4
• 8 min grill
• 2 min rest
• 0 sauces

Ingredients

• 4 whole fish (branzino, sea bream)
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Flaky sea salt
• 1 tsp dried Greek oregano
• 2 lemons, in wedges

The method

1. Season cavity with salt and oregano. Season exterior with salt.
2. Heat grill or grill pan to high. Brush fish with olive oil. Place on the grill.
3. Do not move for 4 minutes. Fish releases naturally when crust forms. Flip once. Cook 4 more minutes.
4. Done when flesh at thickest point pulls from bone and is opaque.
5. Drizzle olive oil. Squeeze lemon. Pinch oregano. No sauce. No garnish.

About the contributor

Eleni Papadopoulos

Eleni Papadopoulos writes about Greek food philosophy and the aesthetics of simplicity from Santorini, Greece. She has strong opinions about foam.

Editor’s notes — the longer view

A note on the foam. Not opposed to technique — opposed to technique deployed to disguise a deficit.

A note on the photograph. A grilled fish photographs as one beige-and-white thing. This is fine. The food is not for the photograph.

A note on the menu. Long ingredient-and-technique descriptions are usually inversely related to ingredient quality. A great fish reads as: fish.

A note on the taverna. The small village taverna does not list a tasting menu. It tells you what came in this morning.

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