Anchovies with fresh oregano and garlic – Γαυρος στο φουρνο με φρεσκια ριγανη και σκορδο

“Primum vivere, deinde philosophare” goes the Latin saying, and it is right (although I personally have difficulty following it all the time.) It means that first we must ensure that we stay alive, and then spend time on philosophizing. So after the ouverture of Existentialism, it is time for a good meal.

Today’s dish is a super quick but delicious nutritious and tasty dish that smells of Spring and gives your inner self a warm feeling that the world is not such a bad place after all, if it can produce natural flavors like these.

Ship arriving at the port of Rafina

Like all good meals, this started with a visit to my fishmonger, who is in the port of Rafina, a few kilometers east of Athens. By the way, it is places like Rafina that make Athens still a bearable place to live. Within 30 minutes you are in a totally different – and better – environment, in this case the sea, and all of tis goods.

Fresh anchovies

Among other wonderful fish and seafood,I found super fresh anchovies, brought in this  morning.  I am very fond of this small fish, as It is tasty and versatile. I can do many things with it, and today I married it with fresh oregano from my garden.

I consider the web a totally imperfect tool, as I cannot offer you the smell of this oregano. It is uplifting and mesmerizing!  So lets get down to work: remove the heads of the anchovies and the guts, wash thoroughly, spread on a baking tray, sprinkle with olive oil, and coarse sea salt, shake about so that salt and oil spread evenly, and top with the oregano leaves and finely chopped garlic.

Bake in 250 Celcius for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and enjoy!

At less than 8 Euros per kilo, this is a cheap fish meal, but a lot of the very very expensive dishes would try very hard to match its taste. Who said that cheap is not good? As long as it is fresh, of course!