The atheer is a small fish of 7-8 cm in size, with a greyish-green body and a silvery back from head to tail. It is also called "skewer" because it has a pointed snout like a skewer. Its scales are very small and cannot be cleaned. It is a foam fish, meaning it lives in the sea foam, in shoals and eats plankton. It lays its eggs in coastal waters with seaweed and rocks, in bays, harbours and estuaries.
It is a commercial fish found in many areas of the Mediterranean, such as Spain, Croatia, Italy, Egypt and Turkey. In Greece, it is mainly caught in Lake Trichonida, Vistonida, in Aitoliko of Messolonghi.
Aterina is an excellent snack in tsipouradika and fish taverns. It is eaten fried and dry-roasted after being salted a few hours before frying. In the Cyclades we find it as an omelette (eggs and aterina) and as a pan-fried pie (aterina and onions).
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