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Kakavia (Cretan fisherman’s soup)

By: Marianna Leivaditaki

Published: 7 Aug 17
Updated: 18 Mar 24

You don’t have to eat the fish head in Marianna Leivaditaki’s traditional Cretan stew, but cooking it with potatoes, herbs and tomatoes adds fantastic flavour to the silky broth.

If you love seafood, then this Cioppino fish stew ticks all the boxes.

Medium
June 2017

Test kitchen approved

Serves 6
Hands-on time 25 min, simmering time 30 min

You don’t have to eat the fish head in Marianna Leivaditaki’s traditional Cretan stew, but cooking it with potatoes, herbs and tomatoes adds fantastic flavour to the silky broth.

If you love seafood, then this Cioppino fish stew ticks all the boxes.

Dairy-free recipes

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 681kcals
Fat: 53.3g (7.6g saturated)
Protein: 32.5g
Carbohydrates: 15.6g (5.9g sugars)
Fibre: 4.8g
Salt: 0.5g

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Ingredients

400g cyprus potatoes, cut into 3cm chunks
150g fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped, fronds reserved
250g carrots, finely chopped
200g celery, finely sliced
200g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1kg hake steaks on the bone, plus a hake head – about 400g
1 tbsp roughly ground fennel seeds
400ml extra-virgin olive oil
200ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus wedges to serve
Small bunch fresh parsley, roughly chopped, to serve
Barley rusks or sourdough bread to serve

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Method

Put the potatoes in a large pan with a lid (they should fit snugly in a single layer). Top with the fennel, carrots, celery and tomatoes. Add the fish head and the fennel seeds and a little salt. Pour in the olive oil and 1 litre water, then put over a high heat.
Bring the soup to the boil, cover with a lid, then cook over a high heat for 25-30 minutes, shaking the pan regularly to prevent sticking.
Remove the fish head with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the hake steaks to the pan with the lemon juice and cook for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Taste and season. Let the soup sit before serving – it’s not supposed to be eaten piping hot. Use a fork to flake the hake off the bone. Scatter with the parsley and reserved fennel fronds, then serve with lemon wedges and rusks or crusty bread.

Recipe from June 2017 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 681kcals
Fat: 53.3g (7.6g saturated)
Protein: 32.5g
Carbohydrates: 15.6g (5.9g sugars)
Fibre: 4.8g
Salt: 0.5g

delicious. tips

If you can’t find cyprus potatoes go for a waxy variety such as charlotte or new potatoes. Large fish heads (often given away by fishmongers) have good quality meat on them. It’s worth picking out the cheek meat and other morsels before discarding.

“Making kakavia is easy as long as you use very fresh bony fish and excellent olive oil – there’s a lot of oil in the dish, which is as it should be. You also need a good hob – preferably gas, with a strong flame. Gurnard, hake or halibut all make great soup. It’s important to include the head of the fish even if you don’t fancy eating it, as the gelatine it releases mixes with the oil to make a silky broth.”
Barley rusks are a Cretan speciality – double baked until dry so they last better in the heat than fresh bread. Find them in Hellenic grocers or at amazon.co.uk.
A lemony Greek wine (they’re in supermarkets now) or crisp Provence rosé.