21 Mediterranean Recipes That Will Make You Feel Like You're on Vacation

These dishes are brimming with olive oil, fresh seafood, vibrant vegetables, bright herbs, and warm, savory spices.

By
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Editor
Mimi Young is an editor and chef.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated October 25, 2024
Grilled mixed meat and seafood paella presented in a paella pan

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

While all the talk about Mediterranean cooking often focuses on its health benefits, the fact of the matter is it's just damn delicious. Don't get me wrong: I'm all for eating healthier, but I want to satisfy my taste buds first. These Mediterranean recipes hit on all points—from a grilled paella bursting with the best of land and sea, flavor-packed spanakopita, and the best-tasting Niçoise salad to ultra-smooth whipped feta, fool-proof hummus, and smoky baba ganoush. They perfectly showcase ingredients that define the region: olive oil, fresh fruits and vegetables, warm spices, garlic, anchovies, chickpeas, nuts, and rice. We've got all the courses covered, so there's bound to be a recipe or two that'll appeal to your culinary sensibilities.

  • Chicken Souvlaki With Tzatziki Sauce and Greek Salad

    Skewers served with salad, pita, and tzatziki sauce

    Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

    Chicken souvlaki has all the elements that make it the quintessential Mediterranean dish: flavorful, juicy charred meat, zesty fresh vegetables, and cool garlicky yogurt sauce wrapped up in grilled flatbread. What's more, you don't even need to fire up the grill to pull off this feast—a simple stovetop grill pan will do!

  • Grilled Paella Mixta (Mixed Paella With Chicken and Seafood)

    Grilled mixed meats and assorted seafood paella presented in a paella pan

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Paella is one of Spain's most iconic dishes, and this variation encapsulates the best of the Mediterranean. Chicken, pork, chorizo, and fresh shellfish are nestled in short-grain rice simmered in a broth mixture of sofrito, tomatoes, garlic, saffron, and plenty of extra virgin olive oil over the grill, which amplifies the smoky flavor of the paprika. To achieve the perfect copper-colored crust and minimize the chances of scorching, we use a lighter broth to reduce the protein content and make sure to lift the paella pan higher midway through boiling, which allows the rice to cook more gently.

  • Fritto Misto di Mare (Fried Mixed Seafood)

    A large platter of fritto misto di mare with fried shrimp, squid, and smelt.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Seafood is at the forefront of so much Mediterranean cooking, and this classic Italian coastal fare of crispy fried "fruit of the sea" best exemplifies the “don’t mess with a good thing” approach. Fresh, locally caught seafood is lightly coated in flour, fried until golden, and served simply with a squeeze of lemon.

  • Kofte Kebabs With Spicy Harissa Yogurt Sauce and Grilled Flatbread (Minced Lamb Kebabs)

    Kofta kebabs on grilled flat bread with carrot dip

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

    Grilled lamb skewers are another Mediterranean favorite. Here, they're in the form of kofte kebabs, which have seasoning built into them, packing more flavor in less time. Hand-formed minced lamb skewers are charred over blazing hot heat to quickly firm up the meat so the kebabs hold their shape. A touch of the Tunisian pepper paste harissa adds a nice hit of heat to the cool yogurt sauce.

    Continue to 5 of 21 below

  • Braised Squid With Tomato, Harissa, and Olives

    Braised squid with fregola in a bowl

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Here, Daniel takes a Mediterranean approach to cooking squid by briefly simmering it in onions, garlic, white wine, olives, and tomatoes until tender and supple. He then dials up the flavor with harissa and lemon zest, which gives the dish complexity and backbone. Cutting the squid into half-inch thick large rings makes up for shrinkage during cooking, so they end up just the right size.

  • Spanakopita (Greek Savory Greens Pie)

    A slice of flaky Spanakopita on a plate from the side

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    If you've only ever had the store-bought, bake-from-frozen spanakopita, you've been missing out. This version is what spanakopita should be: not watery, chock-full of fresh greens, and loaded with good Greek feta. Using a combination of tender greens and herbs gives the pie subtle complexity and maximum flavor, while quality extra-virgin olive oil adds richness and depth. The addition of trahanas—small, pebbly crumbles made from a fermented porridge of grain and dairy—helps absorb excess moisture from the greens.

  • Orange and Leek Loukaniko (Greek Sausage)

    Closeup of Orange and Leek Greek Sausage on the grill

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

    These Greek pork and lamb sausages—infused with the bright Mediterranean flavors of fresh orange zest, leeks, garlic, oregano, thyme, and coriander—were made for the grill. Taking the time to cure and cold smoke them yields a distinctive smokiness that's characteristic of the best loukaniko.

  • Pasta c'Anciuova e Muddica Atturrata (Sicilian Pasta With Anchovies and Toasted Breadcrumbs)

    Pasta with tomato, anchovies, and breadcrumbs in a bowl

    Serious Eats / Sasha Marx

    You can argue that the holy trinity of Sicilian cooking is made up of tomatoes, anchovies, and olive oil, and this simple yet deeply satisfying pasta showcases the power of the mighty three. The inclusion of raisins, onions, and pine nuts adds sweet and bitter notes to balance the acidity and savoriness from the tomatoes and anchovies, while toasted breadcrumbs provide texture and crunch.

    Continue to 9 of 21 below

  • The Un-Composed Niçoise Salad

    Un-composed Niçoise salad in a bright blue bowl

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Some would argue (Daniel, for one) that a composed salad is a lazy salad because it's just lining a bunch of ingredients on a plate and drizzling on a bit of dressing. Rows of artfully arranged green beans, boiled potatoes, tomatoes, tuna, olives, and hard-boiled eggs may look pretty, but they won't be the easiest to eat, nor do they make the most flavorful salad. For a full-flavored Niçoise salad, we say cut everything into bite-size pieces and toss them together with the dressing. Also, adding minced anchovy to the dressing instead of serving whole fillets will provide a subtle anchovy flavor to the entire salad.

  • Horiatiki (Greek Salad)

    Greek salad in bright blue bowl

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    I'm all for breaking a few rules if it results in a better overall dining experience—like this version of Greek salad, for example. The focus here is on fresh, ripe, juicy tomatoes at their peak, so no lettuce filler necessary. A quick pickling in red wine vinegar tames the sharpness of raw onion, and pitting the olives ahead of time means you don't have to spit them out as you eat your salad. And, most importantly, serving a slab of feta on top instead of crumbing it up allows each diner to choose how they want to experience each bite.

  • Avgolemono Soup (Greek Lemon-Egg Chicken Soup)

    Overhead view of Avgolemono Soup

    Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze

    The key to making your ideal Avgolemono rests on how you incorporate the egg and lemon juice. We found that mixing some of the lemon juice with the egg and tempering it with some of the hot broth prevents the egg from scrambling or curdling. Then, all you have to do is add more lemon juice until you've achieved your desired degree of lemony-ness.

  • Patates Lemonates (Greek Lemon Potatoes)

    Closeup of a serving plate of Greek lemon potatoes

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    This recipe for patates lemonates employs a similar method as the braise-roasted French pommes de terre fondantes to yield potatoes with a creamy texture, infused with all the flavor of chicken stock, olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano. They're seared on the stovetop, then roasted in the oven until all the braising liquid has evaporated, and finished with a final hit of lemon juice to drive home the fresh citrus notes.

    Continue to 13 of 21 below

  • Kolokithokeftedes (Greek Zucchini Fritters) with Tzatziki

    Greek zucchini fritters plated with tzatziki

    Serious Eats / Carrie Vasios

    Nobody likes a soggy zucchini fritter. But if you lay shredded zucchini out on paper towels, salt it, and let it hang out for 30 minutes, it draws out the excess moisture from the vegetable. Then just squeeze the zucchini dry before forming it into patties and frying them to golden crispiness in olive oil.

  • Charred Eggplant and Tomatoes with Harissa and Mint

    Closeup of charred eggplant with tomato, harissa, and mint

    Serious Eats / Max Falkowitz

    Eggplant and tomato is an ubiquitous vegetable combo in Mediterranean cooking; you see it in everything from main dishes, appetizers, and side dishes like this one. Young, firm eggplant are charred in a cast iron skillet until just tender, then they're combined with charred tomatoes, garlic, and harissa, and finished with lemon juice, fresh mint, and more extra-virgin olive oil.

  • Hummus B'Tahini (Hummus With Tahini)

    Overhead view of hummus b'tahini

    Serious Eats / Mai Kakish

    I'm all for cooking from the pantry, and this foolproof hummus recipe is right up my alley. The best part is that it comes together in 10 minutes—no food processor required. Just use an immersion blender to blitz drained and well-rinsed canned or jarred chickpeas with tahini, fresh lemon juice, salt, and a bit of water until smooth. That's it! Serve it with a healthy drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Unless you plan to consume all of the hummus in one sitting (no judgment here), we advise against adding garlic, which oxidizes quite quickly, and its sulfuric compounds impart a strong and unpleasant aroma the longer the hummus sits.

  • Skordalia (Greek Garlic and Potato Spread)

    Scordalia Greek potato dip in a bowl with pita triangles on the side

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Although skordalia doesn't have to be made with a potato base, we happen to like this version with puréed potato, raw garlic, almonds, olive oil, and vinegar. We rinse the diced potatoes before and after cooking to remove the surface starch that can turn them gummy when puréed. Blending the raw garlic with an acid like vinegar or lemon juice tamps down its pungency while preserving its flavor.

    Continue to 17 of 21 below

  • The Best Baba Ganoush

    Overhead of a stoneware bowl of baba ganoush, next to charred and blistered flatbreads

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    For the richest, smokiest, creamiest baba ganoush in town, we char the eggplant over high heat, put the cooked eggplant in a salad spinner to dry it out and concentrate its flavor, and then emulsify it by hand with tahini and olive oil. Leaving the baba ganoush chunky provides a nice textural contrast that you wouldn't get by machine processing.

  • Whipped Feta Dip

    Whipped feta dip in bowl drizzled with olive oil and garnished with chopped toasted nuts

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Raise your hand if you'd like your feta cheese whipped into an ultra light and smooth dip! Greek yogurt serves as the creamy base and complements feta's saltiness in this recipe. This dip is so dreamy you'll want to slather it on bread and dollop it on soup, too.

  • Preserved Lemons

    Opened glass jar of lemons packed in salt for preserving

    Serious Eats / Clara Inés Schuhmacher

    Preserved lemons are a pantry staple in Mediterranean countries and incredibly easy to make. All it takes are three ingredients—lemons, salt, and sugar—and a little time for the salt and sugar to work their magic. You'll find yourself adding it to everything, from roast chicken to guacamole to martinis. And don't throw out the liquid that's produced from this recipe—you can sprinkle it over fish and vegetables before roasting.

  • Pistachio Cake

    A slice of pistachio cake cut and served on a plate

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik.

    Stella's standout pistachio cake is brimming with Mediterranean flavors: toasted pistachio, olive oil, orange, and orange blossom. The best part is that it's quick and easy to make. You can top it with pistachio cream like she has here, or with some roasted strawberries on the side, but it's moist and flavorful enough to serve with just a light dusting of powdered sugar.

    Continue to 21 of 21 below

  • Marrakesh Express (Pomegranate Mezcal Cocktail With Harissa)

    Tops of tall glass of Marrakesh Express cocktail garnished with pomegranate seeds

    Serious Eats / Kelly Puleio

    I often associate pomegranates with the sunny climes of the Mediterranean—little juice-packed gems sprinkled over meats, stews, salads, dips, and spreads. But the Marrakesh Express has a flavor profile that captures the vibrancy of the region: bright, tangy fresh pomegranate juice; warm, savory, spicy harissa; and floral rose water. Oh, and it's packed with antioxidants from the pomegranate so it's a "healthy" cocktail...right?

More Serious Eats Recipes