Greek Main Courses
Bianco Corfu Recipe (Corfu White Fish Stew)
Μπιάνκο bee-AHN-koh · Bianco
Photo: Palamut.jpg by E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0. Placeholder until original photography is shot.
In short
Bianco is a Corfu fish stew, its name meaning white, built entirely without tomato, unlike bourdeto or pastitsada. Firm white fish is braised gently with garlic, potato and lemon in a pale, delicate broth, giving a much gentler counterpart to the island's spicier signature dishes.
Bianco takes its name straight from the Italian word for white, one more small trace of Corfu's long Venetian history running through its food, and it stands out clearly against the island's better-known bourdeto and pastitsada precisely because it contains no tomato at all. Firm white fish braises gently in a pale broth built on garlic, olive oil, potato and a generous finish of lemon, giving something delicate where its siblings are bold and spiced.
It is genuinely the gentlest of Corfu's signature fish preparations, letting good fish and good olive oil speak without the paprika heat of bourdeto competing for attention, and it is a good dish to reach for when you want something lighter from the same regional repertoire.
The technique asks for a properly gentle simmer throughout, since there is no thick sauce here to hide a fish that has broken apart from being handled too roughly.
Key preparation steps
- Build a base of garlic and potato in olive oil and water.
- Add firm white fish and simmer gently.
- Finish with a generous amount of lemon juice.
- Serve with bread to soak up the pale broth.
Why no tomato
Bianco is defined by what it leaves out as much as by what it includes. Skipping tomato entirely, unlike almost every other Greek fish stew, lets the dish stay genuinely pale and lets the flavour of good fish, garlic and olive oil come through clearly rather than being layered under tomato's acidity and sweetness.
The base
Cook a generous amount of sliced garlic gently in olive oil, being careful not to let it brown or turn bitter, then add potato cut into chunks and enough water to just cover. Simmer until the potato is nearly tender before the fish goes in, since it needs considerably longer to cook through than the fish will.
Adding the fish and finishing
Nestle firm white fish pieces, such as monkfish, grouper or a similar dense variety, into the pot once the potato is nearly done, and simmer very gently for ten to fifteen minutes, until the fish is just cooked through. A vigorous boil breaks the fish apart, so keep the heat genuinely low throughout this stage.
Finish with a generous squeeze of lemon and a little chopped parsley, and serve with plenty of bread, since the pale, garlicky broth is worth every drop.
Tips from my kitchen
Do not let the garlic brown
Cooked too hot or too long, it turns bitter, which this pale, delicate stew has nowhere to hide.
Keep the simmer gentle once the fish goes in
A vigorous boil breaks the fish apart, and there is no thick sauce here to disguise it.
Do not skip the final lemon
It is what gives this otherwise mild, pale broth its brightness.
Bianco Corfu Recipe (Corfu White Fish Stew)
Μπιάνκο · by Kalliopi Andreou · updated 2026-07-31
- Prep
- 20m
- Cook
- 35m
- Total
- 55m
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a wide pot over a low heat. Add the garlic and cook gently for 2 minutes, taking care it does not brown.
- Add the potato chunks and water. Season and bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 15 minutes, until the potato is nearly tender.
- Nestle the fish pieces into the pot and simmer very gently for 10 to 15 minutes, until just cooked through.
- Stir in the lemon juice and chopped parsley.
- Serve hot, with plenty of crusty bread.
Nutrition, per 1 portion
- Calories
- 342
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Sat fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
These figures are calculated estimates based on the ingredients listed, not laboratory analysis. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Frequently asked questions about Bianco
Why is bianco called white?
The name comes directly from the Italian word for white, reflecting Corfu's Venetian history, and describes the dish's pale colour, since it contains no tomato at all, unlike most other Greek fish stews.
How is bianco different from bourdeto?
Bourdeto is built on a generous amount of sweet and hot paprika and has real heat. Bianco skips both tomato and paprika entirely, staying pale and mild, built instead around garlic, potato and lemon.
What fish works best for bianco?
A firm white fish, such as monkfish or grouper, that holds together well through the gentle simmer without falling apart.
