Greek meze and dips

20 recipes from across Heart Athens. Each one opens where it sits, next to the place, dish or dictionary entry it belongs to.

MezeA classic meze plate to serve alongside retsinaGrilled sardines or octopus with olives, feta and bread, the plate that sits beside a well chilled glass of retsina.Serves: 4 · Time: 15 min prep, 10 min cook · on Taste of AthensMezeA classic mezedes platterTirokafteri or tzatziki, olives, feta, dolmades and fried courgette, brought to the table in stages rather than all at once.Serves: 4 · Time: 20 min prep (assembling several small dishes), no single cook time · on Taste of AthensMezeBakaliaros skordalia (fried cod with garlic dip)Battered fried salt cod with garlic purée, eaten across Greece on 25 March.Serves: 4 · Time: 30 min prep (plus 24 hr soaking cod), 20 min cook · on Eat and DrinkMezeDolmades (stuffed vine leaves)Vine leaves stuffed with rice and herbs (sometimes minced meat), served warm or cold with lemon.Serves: 6 · Time: 40 min prep, 45 min cook · on Taste of AthensMezeFava (yellow split pea puree)A smooth purée of yellow split peas dressed with olive oil, lemon and raw onion; a classic meze.Serves: 4 · Time: 10 min prep, 45 min cook · on Taste of AthensMezeGavros (fried fresh anchovies)Fresh anchovy, either floured and fried or marinated in vinegar, and a standard ouzo meze.Serves: 4 · Time: 20 min prep, 15 min frying · on A to Z GuideMezeHtapodi sti schara (grilled octopus)Octopus hung to dry in the sun, then grilled over coals, the classic companion to ouzo.Serves: 4 · Time: 15 min prep, 1 hr simmering, 10 min grilling · on A to Z GuideMezeHtipiti (spicy feta and pepper dip)Feta blended with roasted red pepper, chilli and lemon into a rough, spiced dip.Serves: 4 · Time: 10 min prep, 30 min chilling · on Eat and DrinkMezeKalamarakia (fried squid rings)Squid cut into rings, floured and fried, on the menu of practically every seaside taverna.Serves: 4 · Time: 20 min prep, 10 min frying · on A to Z GuideMezeKeftedes (fried Greek meatballs)Fried meatballs mixed with onion, bread and herbs, eaten hot or cold as a meze.Serves: 4 · Time: 20 min prep, 30 min chilling, 10 min cook · on Eat and DrinkMezeKolokithoanthoi (stuffed courgette flowers)Courgette flowers stuffed with rice or cheese, then fried or baked.Serves: 4 · Time: 40 min prep, 35 min cooking · on A to Z GuideMezeKolokythokeftedes (courgette and feta fritters)Fried courgette and herb fritters bound with cheese, a standard meze in tavernas across the city.Serves: 4 · Time: 20 min prep, 50 min draining and resting, 15 min frying · on A to Z GuideMezeMarides (fried picarel, eaten whole)Small whitebait fried whole and eaten with a squeeze of lemon, heads and all.Serves: 4 · Time: 15 min prep, 15 min frying · on A to Z GuideMezeMelitzanosalata (smoky aubergine dip)The smoky aubergine dip, charred over a flame then beaten with garlic, olive oil and lemon.Serves: 4 · Time: 15 min prep, 20 min cook, 20 min chilling · on Taste of AthensMezeOuzo flambeed shrimp saganakiPrawns flamed with ouzo and finished in tomato with crumbled feta.Serves: 4 · Time: 10 min prep, 15 min cook · on Taste of AthensMezeSaganaki (fried cheese)A slab of cheese pan fried until golden and served sizzling with lemon; also used for small skillet dishes.Serves: 2 · Time: 5 min prep, 5 min cook · on Taste of AthensMezeSkordalia (garlic and potato dip)A thick garlic purée thickened with potato or bread, served mainly with fried salt cod or beetroot.Serves: 6 · Time: 15 min prep, 20 min cooking · on A to Z GuideMezeTaramosalata (fish roe dip)A pale, tangy dip of cured fish roe blended with bread or potato, olive oil and lemon; a Lenten table staple.Serves: 4 · Time: 15 min prep, 30 min chilling · on Taste of AthensMezeTirokafteri (spicy feta dip)Whipped feta with hot pepper, the spicy dip on the meze list.Serves: 4 · Time: 10 min prep, 20 min chilling · on Eat and DrinkMezeTzatziki (yoghurt and cucumber dip)The cooling dip of strained yoghurt, cucumber, garlic and olive oil that accompanies grilled meats.Serves: 4 · Time: 15 min prep, 1 hr chilling · on Taste of Athens

All 71 recipes A to Z