Chef Dimitra
Aegean Island Chtapodi me Kritharaki (Χταπόδι με Κριθαράκι)
Aegean island octopus, tomato, red wine, and toasted kritharaki share one pot, so the pasta drinks the briny sauce and stays glossy instead of turning heavy.
Culinary Explorer
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Cretan Psari me Bamies (Ψάρι με Μπάμιες)
Created by
Crete's summer fish with okra is baked in tomato and olive oil, with vinegar-salted bamies that stay whole under firm white fish.
Main Dishes
Greek
Weeknight
Comfort Food
Budget Friendly
35 min
Active Time
55 min cook•1 hr 30 min total
Yield4 servings
Psari me bamies belongs to Crete in high summer, when okra is small, tomatoes are heavy with juice, and the fish is whatever the day's catch allows. It is not a fancy dish. It is a baking dish of bamies, okra, softened in tomato and olive oil, with firm white fish laid over the top so it cooks gently in the sauce.
The okra decides everything. Salt it with vinegar first and give it time to sit. That small treatment tightens the cut edge, pulls out a little moisture, and keeps the pods separate in the pan. Skip it and you haven't saved time. You've made glue with a fish on top, and no Cretan auntie will thank you.
Use good tomatoes in season or honest canned ones outside it. Use a firm fish that won't collapse before the okra is ready. I don't invent it, I find it, I test it, I write it down, and this one asks for only three virtues: small okra, clean fish, and good olive oil.
Fish with okra is strongest in the cooking of Crete and the southern Aegean, where summer vegetable dishes often meet the day's fish in one baking pan. Okra entered Greek kitchens through Ottoman-era routes and settled especially well in regions with heat, oil, and tomato, becoming a household vegetable rather than a restaurant one. The Cretan version keeps the fish separate until the end, a practical method that protects both the okra's shape and the fish's tenderness.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
firm white fish fillets or steaks
Quantity
800g
patted dry
small fresh okra (bamies)
Quantity
700g
trimmed carefully
fine sea salt, for the okra
Quantity
10g
red wine vinegar
Quantity
45ml
extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil
Quantity
90ml
large onion
Quantity
1
thinly sliced
garlic cloves
Quantity
3
thinly sliced
ripe tomatoes
Quantity
500g
grated
good canned chopped tomatoes (optional)
Quantity
400g
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
2 tbsp
chopped
dried Greek oregano
Quantity
1 tsp
bay leaf
Quantity
1
sugar (optional)
Quantity
1/2 tsp
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 tsp
plus more for the fish
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 tsp
lemon
Quantity
1
half juiced and half cut into wedges
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| firm white fish fillets or steakspatted dry | 800g |
| small fresh okra (bamies)trimmed carefully | 700g |
| fine sea salt, for the okra | 10g |
| red wine vinegar | 45ml |
| extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil | 90ml |
| large onionthinly sliced | 1 |
| garlic clovesthinly sliced | 3 |
| ripe tomatoesgrated | 500g |
| good canned chopped tomatoes (optional) | 400g |
| flat-leaf parsleychopped | 2 tbsp |
| dried Greek oregano | 1 tsp |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| sugar (optional) | 1/2 tsp |
| fine sea saltplus more for the fish | 1 tsp |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 tsp |
| lemonhalf juiced and half cut into wedges | 1 |
Equipment Needed
- •wide ovenproof baking dish or round metal tapsi, 30cm
- •box grater for fresh tomatoes
- •rimmed tray for salting the okra
Instructions
- 1
Salt the Okra
Trim only the tough cap from each okra, keeping the little cone intact so the pods don't open. Toss the okra with 10g salt and the vinegar, spread it on a tray, and let it stand for 30 minutes while you prepare the sauce. This is the step that decides the dish: the salt and vinegar pull moisture from the cut edge and help the okra hold its shape, so it bakes tender instead of turning the pan gluey.
If your okra is large and tough, save this dish for another day. Small pods are the kindness here. - 2
Start the Sauce
Heat 60ml of the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft and sweet but not browned. Stir in the garlic for one minute, then add the grated tomatoes, parsley, oregano, bay leaf, sugar if needed, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the tomato loses its raw smell and the oil begins to shine at the edges.
- 3
Bake the Okra
Heat the oven to 190C. Rinse the okra briefly, drain well, and pat it dry with a clean towel. Spread it in a 30cm baking dish, pour the tomato sauce over it, and turn gently with a spoon. Drizzle with 15ml olive oil, cover loosely with baking paper or foil, and bake for 30 minutes, until the okra is almost tender and the sauce has thickened.
- 4
Add the Fish
Season the fish lightly with salt, pepper, and the juice from half the lemon. Nestle the pieces over the okra, spoon a little sauce over the top, and drizzle with the remaining 15ml olive oil. Return the dish to the oven uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on thickness, until the fish flakes cleanly and the tomato oil looks glossy around the edges.
- 5
Rest and Serve
Let the pan rest for 10 minutes before serving. Fish and okra both taste better after the oil settles back into the sauce. Serve warm, with lemon wedges and bread for the tomato juices.
Chef Tips
- •Buy the smallest okra you can find, bright green and firm, with pods no longer than a finger. Frozen okra can work on a weeknight, but thaw it on towels and still give it salt and vinegar.
- •Choose firm white fish. Hake, cod, grouper, sea bass, or bream all behave well. Thin fillets cook fast, so check early. Thick steaks can take the full 20 minutes.
- •This is a bread dish as much as a fish dish. Serve it with country bread, a cucumber salad, and nothing that fights the tomato oil. Λίγα και καλά.
Advance Preparation
- •Trim and salt the okra with vinegar up to 2 hours ahead, then drain and pat dry before baking.
- •The tomato sauce can be cooked 1 day ahead and chilled. Warm it before mixing with the okra.
- •Do not bake the fish ahead. Add it near serving time so it stays tender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 455g)
Calories
420 calories
Total Fat
22 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
18 g
Cholesterol
85 mg
Sodium
1270 mg
Total Carbohydrates
20 g
Dietary Fiber
7 g
Sugars
8 g
Protein
40 g
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