Chef Dimitra
Aegean Island Kakavia (Κακαβιά)
Aegean kakavia is the fisherman’s soup named for the pot itself: small rockfish, potato, onion, lemon, and enough olive oil to turn a poor catch rich.
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Mainland Easter Magiritsa (Μαγειρίτσα της Στερεάς Ελλάδας)
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Mainland magiritsa is the midnight Easter soup: lamb offal, lettuce, dill, rice, and avgolemono, sharp with lemon and gentle enough for a stomach coming out of Lent.
Soups & Stews
Greek
Easter
Comfort Food
Special Occasion
45 min
Active Time
1 hr 35 min cook•2 hr 20 min total
Yield6 servings
Mainland magiritsa, especially in Roumeli and the old sheep-raising villages of Central Greece, is the soup that waits after the Anastasi, the midnight Resurrection service. It is made from the lamb's pluck, lettuce, dill, a little rice, and avgolemono, because after seven weeks of fasting the table returns to meat carefully, not with a hammer.
What makes magiritsa itself is not only the offal. It is the way the lamb is stretched into broth and the greens, then softened with egg and lemon until the soup tastes bright, clean, and full. From the paschal lamb, nothing wasted. This is Greek Easter with its sleeves rolled up.
One method decides the pot: temper the avgolemono. Whisk hot broth into the eggs a ladle at a time, then return it gently to the soup without boiling. Do this and the broth turns silky. Rush it and you get lemony scrambled eggs, which is an expensive sadness at one in the morning.
I keep this version close to the mainland table I know from Thessaloniki families with roots farther south: small-cut offal, lettuce, dill, rice, and a proper lemon edge. A recipe written down is a recipe saved, and this one deserves to stay alive in real kitchens, not only in Easter memory.
Magiritsa belongs to the Greek Orthodox Easter table and is eaten after the midnight Resurrection liturgy, when the long Lenten fast ends. In mainland sheep-raising regions, the soup used the lamb's offal while the whole animal was prepared for Easter Sunday, a practical ritual of no waste. Regional versions differ sharply: Corfu has tsilihourda without avgolemono, while many mainland pots finish with egg and lemon and carry lettuce, dill, and rice.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
fresh lamb pluck
Quantity
700g
liver, heart, lungs, and sweetbreads if available
cleaned lamb intestines (optional)
Quantity
250g
rinsed well
white vinegar
Quantity
2 tablespoons
for rinsing intestines
lemons
Quantity
2
divided
cold water
Quantity
2 liters
extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil
Quantity
80ml
dry onion
Quantity
1 large
finely chopped
spring onions
Quantity
6
finely sliced
romaine lettuce
Quantity
2 heads, about 500g
washed and sliced
short-grain rice
Quantity
80g
rinsed
fresh dill
Quantity
25g
finely chopped
fresh parsley
Quantity
10g
finely chopped
fine sea salt
Quantity
2 teaspoons
plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1 teaspoon
large eggs
Quantity
3
fresh lemon juice
Quantity
90ml
from about 2 lemons
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh lamb pluckliver, heart, lungs, and sweetbreads if available | 700g |
| cleaned lamb intestines (optional)rinsed well | 250g |
| white vinegarfor rinsing intestines | 2 tablespoons |
| lemonsdivided | 2 |
| cold water | 2 liters |
| extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil | 80ml |
| dry onionfinely chopped | 1 large |
| spring onionsfinely sliced | 6 |
| romaine lettucewashed and sliced | 2 heads, about 500g |
| short-grain ricerinsed | 80g |
| fresh dillfinely chopped | 25g |
| fresh parsleyfinely chopped | 10g |
| fine sea saltplus more to taste | 2 teaspoons |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1 teaspoon |
| large eggs | 3 |
| fresh lemon juicefrom about 2 lemons | 90ml |
Equipment Needed
- •heavy soup pot, 5 to 6 liters
- •fine skimmer
- •large whisk
- •thin skewer or knitting needle for cleaning intestines
Instructions
- 1
Clean the offal
Rinse the lamb pluck under cold running water. If using intestines, turn them inside out with a thin knitting needle or skewer, rinse until clear, then rub with vinegar and lemon and rinse again. This is not the place for cleverness. Buy from a butcher you trust and cook the same day.
- 2
Blanch and chop
Put the pluck and intestines in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes, skimming well, then drain and rinse. When cool enough to handle, chop everything small, about the size of chickpeas, so every spoonful has meat, rice, greens, and broth together.
- 3
Soften the onions
Wipe the pot clean. Warm the olive oil over medium heat, add the dry onion and spring onions, and cook 6 to 8 minutes until glossy and sweet, not browned. Add the chopped offal and turn it in the oil for 5 minutes, until it tightens slightly and smells clean.
- 4
Simmer the soup
Add 2 liters cold water, the salt, and the pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, lower the heat, and simmer 45 minutes, partly covered. Add the rice and cook 15 minutes more, until the grains are tender but still whole.
- 5
Add the greens
Stir in the sliced lettuce, dill, and parsley. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, just until the lettuce softens into the broth and the dill perfumes the pot. The soup should be loose, not thick like a stew, so add a little hot water if the rice has taken more than its share.
- 6
Temper the avgolemono
Take the pot off the heat. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until light, then whisk in the lemon juice. Add hot broth to the eggs one ladle at a time, whisking constantly, until the bowl feels warm. Hot broth into the eggs, slowly. That is what keeps the avgolemono silky instead of scrambling.
Do not pour eggs straight into the pot. Warm them first, then the soup will thicken gently. - 7
Finish and rest
Pour the warmed avgolemono back into the pot in a thin stream, stirring all the time. Set the pot over the lowest heat for 2 minutes, only until the broth turns creamy and pale. Do not let it boil. Taste for salt, pepper, and lemon, then let it stand 5 minutes before serving.
Chef Tips
- •Sourcing wins here. Ask the butcher for very fresh lamb pluck from a young animal, and use it the same day. If the intestines make you hesitate, leave them out before you buy poor ones.
- •Cut the offal small and evenly. Large pieces turn the soup heavy, while small pieces give you the proper spoonful: broth, rice, greens, lemon, and lamb together.
- •Magiritsa is served after midnight, often with tsoureki and red eggs waiting for the next day. It is rich, yes, but the lemon and lettuce keep it from sitting heavily. Good olive oil, and patience.
Advance Preparation
- •The offal can be blanched, chopped, covered, and chilled up to 12 hours ahead.
- •Wash and slice the lettuce and herbs earlier in the day, then wrap them in a clean towel and refrigerate.
- •Do not add the avgolemono ahead. Finish it just before serving, after the soup is hot and off the boil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 470g)
Calories
430 calories
Total Fat
24 g
Saturated Fat
6 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
18 g
Cholesterol
480 mg
Sodium
960 mg
Total Carbohydrates
20 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
32 g
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