Greek Australian twins, chefs Helena and Vikki Moursellas are on a mission to bottle up the essence of the Greek taverna, and serve it to the world. Their new cookbook OPA! is not just a collection of recipes – it’s an invitation to pull up a chair, pour a glass of wine, and celebrate life the Greek way.
“OPA! is a word that’s always meant joy and celebration to us,” the sisters tell Neos Kosmos.
“We grew up hearing it from every family member, it was part of the soundtrack of our upbringing. When Helena suggested it as the title, it just felt so right.
“OPA! has that instant energy, like stepping into a lively Greek taverna where you’re welcomed like family. That’s the feeling we wanted to capture from the very first page.”
A legacy from Yiayia Koula
Born and raised in Adelaide, Helena and Vikki credit their yiayia Koula, the matriarch, who shaped their cooking philosophy.
“Our Yiayia Koula was the centre of our kitchen and, honestly, the heart of everything we know about food and family,” they say.
“Growing up in her kitchen taught us to cook with love and to treat everyone like family. She cooked with tradition and emotion, not with recipes.
“We always have Yiayia in the back of our mind when we are cooking, her voice is always saying to cook with love.”
That grounding in love and family has followed them from Adelaide to Sydney and London, where the sisters now live and work as chefs, stylists and content creators.
Capturing the spirit of the taverna
The heart of OPA! is not only in the recipes, but in what the twins call their “Taverna Diaries.” These pages are sprinkled with stories, photos and memories from tavernas across Greece.
“We visited some of Greece’s best tavernas and for us, the most special part wasn’t just the food but it was sitting down and chatting with the owners,” they tell Neos Kosmos.
“Hearing their stories, their family histories, and what the taverna means to them. Those conversations added so much heart and depth to the pages along with the recipes each taverna shared with us.”
One recipe, clams with lemon rice, comes with its own unforgettable memory.
“We were in Skopelos, sitting with friends on a warm summer afternoon, when we had clams with lemon rice. The dish was simple but unforgettable … It was one of those meals that captures everything we love about Greek food – unfussy, full of flavour, and meant to be shared,” Vikki reminisces.
Tradition with a twist
The twins walk a delicate line between honouring authenticity and tradition while creating something new.
“For us tradition is the starting point, it gives the dish its roots – creativity is how we keep those roots alive. “We never want to reinvent something just for the sake of it, but we love finding new ways to express the flavours we cook with now.”
In OPA!, is replete with timeless classics – lamb kleftiko, hortopita, horiatiki salata as well as new, playful, and unexpected recipes. Their favourites include, “Ouzo and Citrus sorbet will have readers going ‘WOW’. “It’s bright, refreshing and just a little bit cheeky – the perfect way to end a meal.”
Beyond souvlaki and moussaka
For Helena and Vikki, a big joys has been challenging perceptions about Greek food.
“People often think of Greek food as just souvlaki, or moussaka but there’s so much more depth and regional variety. Greek cuisine can be delicate, vibrant and deeply seasonal.”
That freshness and vibrancy is evident in the book’s photography. The sisters’ background in styling and content creation has given them a sharp eye for telling stories visually.
“For OPA!, we wanted every image to evoke a feeling of summer. Styling Greek food is about letting its natural colours and textures shine. It’s about capturing a moment that feels lived-in and real, like you’ve just sat down to eat, not just looked at something pretty,” Helena says.
What’s next?
After Peinao (2023) and now OPA! (2025), the twins are just getting started.
“This is our dream project – we will start to write book four soon. And there will be some fun collaborations coming out in October.”
For now, the twins remind us, Greek food has always been about more than ingredients. It’s about family, memory, and the word that says it all: OPA!
RECIPES
Whole snapper with avgolemono sauce
Whole snapper with avgolemono sauce”Our dad loved fishing. He owned a small boat and often came home with snapper or calamari. Snapper was one of his favourites – juicy, tender, and perfect with tangy avgolemono sauce. This sauce is also delicious over roasted chicken, but try not to eat it all on its own!”
Ingredients
2 × 750 g whole snapper, cleaned, gutted and scaled
2 lemons, finely sliced
½ bunch oregano, leaves picked
Salt flakes and freshly cracked black pepper
80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil
½ bunch horta (wild greens) such as chicory, amaranth or curly endive (frisée), washed well, leaves picked
– Avgolemono (Lemon Sauce)
60 ml (¼ cup) lemon juice
1 tsp plain flour
2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
250 ml (1 cup) fish stock
Pinch of ground white pepper
Method
1. For the avgolemono sauce, whisk the lemon juice, flour, cornflour and eggs in a bowl for about 5 minutes, until frothy.
2. Pour into a small saucepan with the fish stock, whisking continuously over medium–low heat for about 6 minutes until thickened. Season with white pepper and keep warm.
3. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a large tray with baking paper.
4. Place the snapper on the tray and stuff cavities with lemon slices and oregano. Season, drizzle with half the olive oil and roast 25–30 minutes until flaky.
5. Heat remaining olive oil in a pan over medium–high heat and fry the horta for 4–5 minutes until lightly charred.
6. Arrange the fish on a serving platter with the horta and drizzle with avgolemono sauce.
Notes
The sauce can be made a day ahead and reheated gently (loosen with fish stock if too thick).
Fish is best cooked fresh and served immediately.
Works well with sea bass or barramundi too.
Loukoumades with honey & pistachios
“Back in the 1990s, the Adelaide Greek Festival was the highlight of our year – and loukoumades were always the first thing we ran for. Crisp and golden on the outside, drenched in honey and cinnamon, they’re best eaten fresh and hot, just like we remember them.”
Ingredients
7 g sachet (2¼ tsp) active dried yeast
1 tbsp caster sugar
600 g (4 cups) plain flour, sifted
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp ouzo (optional)
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
350 g (1 cup) honey
100 g (⅔ cup) pistachios, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling
Method
1. Pour 750 ml (3 cups) warm water into a jug. Add yeast and sugar, whisk, and set aside 10 minutes until frothy.
2. Place flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, pour in yeast mixture (and ouzo if using) and whisk until smooth. Cover with a damp towel and leave for 1 hour until doubled.
3. Heat oil in a saucepan to 180°C (350°F). Drop heaped tablespoons of batter into oil, cook 6–7 minutes until golden, turning occasionally. Drain on paper towel.
4. In a large bowl, mix honey, pistachios and 1 tbsp boiling water. Toss loukoumades to coat.
5. Serve immediately with a dusting of cinnamon and extra pistachios.
Notes
Batter cannot be made ahead; cook and serve fresh.
Perfect with a freddo cappuccino in the sun.
