Recipe

September 25, 2024

Taramosalata and Skordalia Dips

Recipe: Costas Spiliadis

Served with warm pita, these two dips from the H&H archive — roe-flecked taramosalata and skordalia made with potatoes and bread — are a flavor-packed opener.

Ingredients

Taramosalata

  • 1/2 cup tarama (pale orange carp roe; sold in jars in most supermarket fish departments or at Greek and Middle Eastern markets)
  • 1/2 small sweet onion, chopped
  • 4 thick slices of good-quality white bread, torn into small pieces
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup Greek extra-virgin olive oil (such as Milos’s signature My Sister’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
  • 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped for garnish (optional)

Skordalia

  • 225 g potatoes (about 2 Yukon Gold), halved
  • 1/2 small loaf good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into small pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt to taste
  • ⅓ cup white vinegar
  • ⅔ cup Greek extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup warm water

Directions

Yield: Serves 4

Make Taramosalata

  1. Place tarama in a bowl, cover with cold water and break up any lumps with your fingers. Set aside for 30 minutes.
  2. Line a sieve with 2 layers of cheesecloth (muslin) and drain tarama over a bowl. Gently squeeze cheesecloth to remove as much salty water as possible. Discard water.
  3. Place prepared tarama, onion and bread in a food processor or blender. While the machine is running, add lemon juice and olive oil and continue blending until thick and creamy. If too thick, add some cold water; if too thin, add a bit more bread. Chill in fridge for 1 hour. Pour into a serving bowl and top with chopped parsley.

Make Skordalia

  1. To a medium-sized pot, add enough water to be able to cover potatoes and bring to a boil. Add potatoes to the boiling water and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until just tender. Drain potatoes; peel and discard skins. Work potatoes through a potato ricer or food mill over a bowl, or use a spoon or your hands to mash the potatoes into small chunks.
  2. Add torn bread, garlic and salt to taste to the mashed potatoes and mix well.
  3. Gradually add vinegar and olive oil, mixing constantly until dip thickens. Add water and more vinegar, if necessary, to taste. Serve at once or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Author: Amy Rosen
Photographer:

Angus McRitchie

Stylist:

Food styling by Ashley Denton/Prop Styling by Sasha Seymour