Perfect Hvarska Gregada

The Croatian fish “gregada”, from the island of Hvar, is definitely a “vintage” dish of Dalmatian cuisine. It is considered to be one of the oldest fish dishes – one that is extremely delicious yet easy to prepare.

In the past, people were limited to using seasonal products from their local area, which resulted in traditional recipes being simple but creative, which prevented people from getting bored of eating the same thing over and over again.

When someone mentions this dish, my mind automatically flies to the journey of fisherman Paško and Nikola in the novel “Ribanje i ribarsko prigovaranje”(Fishing and Fishermen’s Talk), written by Petar Hektorović.

In this travel novel, dating back to 1566, the above-mentioned author sails to the islands of Hvar, Brač and Šolta, filling long hours on the boat with stories, fishing and preparation of simple fish meals.

At that time potatoes didn’t exist in Europe and “gregada” consisted solely of fish, onion and oil.

To quote a great gastronomic expert and author, Veljko Barbieri: “Quick-witted and skilful fishermen had already started to prepare a fish dish for our lord Petar - the famous Hvar “gregada” -which, with the addition of boiled potatoes, has survived all the way to this day. The feast ended with cheese, bread and Paprenjak cookies – a medieval honey-based sweet that is still considered a symbol of Hvar’s cuisine and also a symbol of a journey that will never again happen in our gastronomical history.” (note: free translation)

Petar Hektorović came from Stari Grad, and it makes me believe that it was in that town that “gregada” was first made. Stari Grad is the oldest Croatian town, dating back to the 4th century B.C..

Petar Hektorović built his own house – the impressive Tvrdalj (castle) – in the 16th century, complete with a beautiful pond and dove-cot. Today it is a museum. Most of the preserved houses are from the 16th century as well.

For all fish lovers, “gregada” is definitely a mouthwatering dish. And, as is the case with every traditional meal, the flavours are balanced to perfection.

Now I’ll show you how to make perfect Gregada in less than an hour.

All in all, it is a tasty and healthy meal, like most traditional Dalmatian dishes are, because the base is always cold-pressed olive oil, onion, lemon, garlic, parsley and, of course, fish.

Once you add potatoes to it, it becomes an excellent meal to serve at social gatherings.

You can serve it with fresh corn bread, to mop up the leftover sauce, and iceberg lettuce. (JUMP TO RECIPE)

To make the whole experience even richer and to get that sense of old Hvar dinners, prepare some Paprenjaci cookies to end the feast on a sweet note. (JUMP TO RECIPE)