Our top 3 recipes to cook when on a sailing vacation in Greece

It’s easier than you think to recreate some of your favourite Greek dishes when sailing on a yacht charter. When stopping in a Greek port, marina or mooring in a small harbour, you will always find markets and small shops with fresh local produce where you can buy the ingredients you need. All of our operators’ boats come equipped with standard cooking equipment which make it easy to whip up your lunch or dinner. Here is our guide to the top meals to cook while on a sailing vacation in the Greek Islands.

Cheese saganaki

A traditional Greek dish referring to any meal cooked in a small frying pan, Saganaki is easy to make, requires very little preparation and goes well as part of a light meal of other traditional Greek meze items. What’s more, the items are easily sourced either from a provisioning store at the marina where you are departing from or in local grocery stores. We’ve chosen cheese saganaki as one of our favorite recipes. If you are island hopping around the Dodecanese or the Ionian, we would recommend going ashore and asking the locals what their favorite cheeses are and where to buy them.

Ingredients

Feeds 6

• 4 1/4oz local Greek cheese such as graviera, kefalograviera or kefalograviera, but other local cheeses native to each island can be used too
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1 fl oz olive oil
• 1/2 lemon

Method

1. Slice the cheese into half inch thick slices
   Rinse in water and roll in the flour, shaking off any excess.
2. In a small frying pan, add some of the oil and heat. Once moderately hot, add the dredged cheese and fry until golden.
3. Flip over and repeat on the other side
4. Serve sprinkled with lemon juice and other meze items, such as olives, wine leave and bread

Giouvetsi

A traditional Greek dish made with either beef or lamb and combined with pasta, this is an easy to make, one pot meal that will fill up those tummies after a day of sunbathing, adventure seeking or hiking through the beautiful Greek landscapes. While this takes a little longer to cook, the flavors make it well worthwhile.

Ingredients

Feeds 6

• 2lbs of beef or lamb, cut into edible chunks
• 2 medium red onions, chopped finely
• 2 carrots, sliced into 1cm chunks
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsps tomato puree
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 9fl oz red wine
• 1tbsp grated cinnamon
• 4fl oz olive oil
• 2 cups orzo pasta
• 3/4 cup grated kefalotyri or crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan on the stove and add the chopped onions and carrots. Sauté for approx. 5-minutes on a medium heat
2. Increase the heat and add your chosen meat. Cook until brown on all sides until crusty
3. Add in the tomato purée and red wine and cook for approx. 5-minutes until the wine starts to evaporate
4. Add the tinned tomatoes, water, sugar and cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste
5. Turn down the heat simmer with the lid on for about 45-minutes.
6. In the meantime, heat another pan, add 3 tbsps of olive oil and the orzo pasta and sauté, until golden
7. Add the orzo pasta to the meat and sauce and mix together. Cover and cook for 45-minutes, checking regularly. Add more water if needed

Greek salad

A traditional Greek salad isn’t just a flavorsome meal, it’s a beautiful sight! A proper Greek salad should be bursting with color, as fragrant as possible, with hints of onion and oregano and fabulous in textures with crumbly feta cheese, crunchy cucumber and juicy olives. It’s also dead easy to make, so is perfect for a light meal on board after a day swimming and snorkelling or exploring the local sights.

Ingredients

Feeds 6

• 6 large ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 whole cucumber, cut into inch slices and quartered
• 1 whole red onion, cut in half and sliced
• 2 large handfuls (approx. 20) kalamata olives
• 1 cup fresh feta cheese, crumbled
• 4fl oz of olive oil
• Tbsp of sea salt
• Tbsp of freshly ground black pepper
• Tbsp of oregano

Method

1. Prepare all of the ingredients as listed 
2. In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients except the feta cheese
3. Toss with the olive oil until it is all coated
4. Crumble over the feta cheese
5. Enjoy!

More blogs about sailing in Greece​

1. 1. Ideal Greek islands to charter for US sailors
   2. Food glorious food: How to provision
   3. A sailor’s guide to deciding between Greece or Croatia charters
   4. The top places to visit on a Greek island sailing vacation

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Get in touch

To find out more about chartering a yacht in Greece or more than 60 destinations around the world, email us at info@latesail.com or call us on 877-292-0737.