Grilled Squid (Calamari) Istrian Recipe

Tender and succulent, grilled or pan-fried squid can be enjoyed all year round, but it is particularly popular during the hot weather, it is light and fresh and makes a perfect summer meal.

This classic Mediterranean dish can be served as an appetizer or part of a main dish, and it is incredibly easy and fast to make.

Some people are put off and maybe a bit reluctant cooking with squid maybe as a result of experiencing chewy and rubbery tasting squid.

For the squid to be tender it needs to be cooked very fast for only a few minutes or slow cooked, at least 30 minutes, and seasoned with sea salt at the very end.

Observe these two tricks and successful end result is guaranteed. For a very tender squid I have been suggested to soak the squid in milk prior cooking (I have not tried this yet).

This dish is very popular along the Slovenian coast and can be found on menus in just about any type of restaurant. Locals refer to this dish as Kalamari na žaru or called Lignji na žaru in standard Slovenian.

It is traditionally served with a simple garlic, parsley and olive oil sauce referred to by the locals as Tržaska omaka (Trieste sauce, Triestine sauce or salsa Triestina).

I am sharing here the family recipe for this seriously delicious grilled squid, after you try it, you will be checking out the fish counter for fresh squid a bit more often!

Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main with a side dish

• 1kg fresh squid, tubes and tentacles, cleaned (if daunted by the task of cleaning the squid yourself ask your fishmonger to do it for you). Alternatively you can use store bought already cleaned frozen squid, make sure it is defrosted safely before using.

• extra virgin olive oil, a generous drizzle

• sea salt

• black pepper, optional

• 1 lemon, cut in wedges to serve, optional

• For the sauce, optional

• 1 handful of fresh flat leaf parsley (about 10g) washed, dried and very finely chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic or to taste, very finely chopped, as finely as you can

• 3-5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

Rinse well already cleaned squid under cold running water (make sure you rinse the inside of the tubes as well).

Dry well with kitchen paper and place in a dish, plate or bowl. Add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, toss the squid and leave to rest for about 15 minutes. Set aside.

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While the squid is marinating in olive oil make the sauce if using. Place very finely chopped garlic and parsley in a small bowl and add extra virgin olive oil, mix well and set aside until needed. The quantities for this simple sauce in this recipe are approximate and you can adjust it and tweak it to your liking. Add more garlic if you wish, omit garlic altogether if not keen having raw garlic in the sauce, add more oil etc.

Take a griddle or regular non stick pan and heat very well.

When is very hot place the squid tubes and tentacles in a pan and cook for about 5 minutes, two and a half minutes on each side.

If you see the squid is drying out a bit just drizzle or brush a bit more olive oil.Season with sea salt at the very end.

Place the little bowl with garlic, parsley and olive oil sauce on the table, so everyone can spoon a bit of sauce on top of grilled squid if desired, and lemon wedges.

Serve grilled squid with boiled potatoes, chard with potatoes, chips or simply with some rustic bread. You can also serve it on a bed of rocket and make it into a main seafood salad dish.

Just a thought

The sauce should always be offered separately for everyone to be given a choice to spoon it over grilled squid if desired.

If you are left over with the sauce, you can spoon it on other types of grilled or pan-fried fish, great on grilled scallops and other sea food like prawns or langoustines.

Although not part of local costume this sauce can be spooned over grilled meat or pizza.

Crispy Fried Squid (Calamari) Recipe

This incredibly popular dish is a real crowd pleaser and will be the talk of the table. It can be served as a starter or as a main course and makes a great party food as its taste is pretty extraordinary.

With a few simple steps and a tiny bit of effort you can tackle this simple and quick recipe at home and end up with crispy calamari to delight your friends and family. There is nothing daunting and tricky about it.

Squid flourish in the Mediterranean and Adriatic sea where for the locals fried calamari are equivalent to British concept of “Fish and Chips”.

Along the Slovenian coast, this dish can be found on the menu in just about every restaurant (Ocvrti lignji or Ocvrti kalamari). It is served with chips and mayonnaise or tartar sauce or a traditional Istrian vegetable side dish made with spinach or chard and potatoes. During hotter months a mixed summer salad could be a great alternative to accompany this exquisite dish.

It is enjoyed as part of everyday meal or as a seafood feast during festivities, very popular on Christmas Eve when traditionally fish and seafood-based menu is served according to the tradition that originates from the Roman Catholic practice of not eating meat on Fridays.

Fried squid can be served on their own or with whitebait or other small fish, prawn tails or shrimp.

I am sharing here my mother's recipe how to make the best crispy calamari!

Ingredients

Serves 4

• about 800g squid, tubes and tentacles, cleaned

• 250-500g plain white flour

• vegetable oil, for frying

• sea salt

• 2 lemons, quartered, to serve

Method

Prepare and clean the squid.

Remove from the squid tube the head, backbone and innards, and separate the tentacles.

(If you are uncomfortable with this task, ask the fishmonger to clean the squid for you).

Wash thoroughly under the cold running water.

Pat squid dry with the kitchen paper.

Cut the squid pouches into rings, roughly about 5mm.

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Put enough oil in a saucepan to come halfway up the pan.

Place on a medium heat and heat the oil for deep-frying to 190°C, if using a thermometer.

(if not using a thermometer, one way to check that the oil is at the right temperature is to drop a small cube of bread into the hot oil, it should become crispy and golden in 1minute)

While the oil is heating, put the flour into a shallow dish, bowl or a plate.

Coat lightly the squid in flour (work in small batches).

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Transfer them into a sieve and gently shake off the excess.

Carefully drop into the hot oil.

Fry in batches (and do not overload the pan) for about 2 minutes or until the squid becomes golden in colour

(dropping bigger batches of floured squid in hot oil can bring the temperature of oil down, the squid will be “cooking and steaming” in oil rather than frying and potentially compromising its crunchiness).

Remove the squid from the pan with a slotted spoon.

Place on the kitchen paper to absorb excess oil and drain.

Sprinkle with sea salt to taste.

Serve with lemon quarters.

Serve as a starter or as a main dish with mayonnaise, garlic mayonnaise, tartar sauce, salad or chips and chard or spinach with potatoes Istrian style.

Mackerel in a Pan with Olive oil, Lemon juice and Fresh parsley Recipe

Mackerel, or any other type of fish, cooked in a pan with olive oil, fresh parsley, lemon juice and a splash of water is probably the simplest fish-based recipe, and it is absolutely perfect for all of those who are slightly intimidated and generally not too confident cooking with fish.

It is a no-fuss dish and a great choice for a quick and uncomplicated rustic lunch or dinner, it is very nutritious and healthy as it contains beneficial fats (omega-3 fatty acids).

This dish is of Venetian influence and the success of it lies in seasoning well the fish and using the freshest and best quality ingredients you can find and afford to buy.

Mackerel is an inexpensive, affordable, massively underrated fish, and far too often overlooked by the shoppers, maybe perhaps it is an oily fish that carries a slightly stronger and distinctive flavours compared to some other fish.

In this one pan recipe the fresh and citrusy ingredients like parsley and lemon juice, cut through the richness, “oiliness” and “fishiness” of the mackerel, and when combined with the juices released from the fish during the cooking process. This combination of the flavours produces the most stunning plate of food.

I am sharing here this very simple family recipe, which is an absolute winner. Fish cooked this way has been prepared and loved in my family for generations using different types of fish depending on what was found fresh in the fish market on the day.

Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1kg fresh mackerel, gutted, cleaned, washed, and dried (the fishmonger will be happy to do this for you, alternatively you can use the fillets).

  For this recipe you can easily replace mackerel for other types of fish or fillets of your choice like sea bream, sea bass, sardines, trout, and monkfish to name just a few.

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• a handful of fresh flat leaf parsley (about10g, plus some extra for serving), finely chopped

• lemon juice of ½ lemon or to taste

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

Season the outside and the inside (the cavity) of the mackerel with sea salt.

Put the olive oil in a pan (big enough to accommodate the mackerel).

Place the whole fish or the fillets in a pan in a single layer.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley, add the lemon juice, a splash of water and black pepper to taste (optional).

Cover with the lid and cook the fish on a gentle heat for about 25 minutes (if using the fillets cooking time will reduce to about 15 minutes).

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To serve, lay the whole mackerel, or the fillets, on a plate and pour the juices they have released during the cooking process, over them.

Best enjoyed warm with some crunchy rustic bread, boiled potatoes, cooked rice, grilled polenta, and a side salad of your choice.

Wine suggestion

Venezia Giulia Bianco Sivi IGT 2018 - Dario Princic

Sea Bass Risotto Istrian Recipe

Sea bass risotto is light, creamy and flavoursome, it is made with very simple and delicate in flavour ingredients.

This dish is a true testimony to honest and uncomplicated cooking. It might not be the most colourful dish, it is modest, and humble in its appearance, but it most surely delivers in flavour. It will delight all the generations around the dinner table and will be enjoyed by the most reluctant fish eaters due to its very mild “fishy taste”.

This Venetian inspired risotto is made with fresh sea bass, a very much appreciated fish. It is one that is considered to be a real delicacy, and is very often represented in the antique mosaics by the Romans. A good quality fish stock is pretty much essential to the success of this risotto. Home made fish stock is very easy and quick to make, it is fresh, resourceful, sustainable and incredibly satisfying and economical since you are using up every part of the fish.

What are the origins of this type of risotto? The fishermen sold the precious filets of fish in the market, and so to provide for their families, they used the left-over bones and heads, which they cooked to form the most delicious stock that was then used for cooking this type of risotto.

Venetian style risotto is very popular along the Slovenian coast, where I come from, an area once part of ‘La Serenissima,’ the Most Serene Republic of Venice. Sea bass or sea bream risotto is found in most good fish restaurants and cooked in local households on a regular basis.

I am sharing here my family's recipe for this rustic fish based risotto, that can equally, and proudly sit on elegant plates during a more formal dining setting.

Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4

Fish Stock

• 500g roughly, sea bass or sea bream (1 big fish or two smaller in size) washed, cleaned, gutted and scaled (fishmonger will be happy to do this for you)

  You can use other type of sustainable white fish like hake, pollack, and flat fish, avoid oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna, as they are too fatty and will make your stock greasy and unpleasant.

  You can make the stock using just the bones, again only from the white fish. You will need about 1kg of these, the fishmonger will sell them very cheaply or even given for free.

• 1 small bay leaf or ½ of big one (fresh or dry)

• a few whole black peppercorns (about 6)

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled

• 1 carrot (about 40g), peeled

• stick of celery (about 40g)

• 1 shallot or a piece of anion (about 40g)

• small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, washed

• extra virgin olive oil, a drizzle

• sea salt

Risotto

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 shallot or onion (about 40g), peeled and finely chopped

• 300g risotto rice (like Vialone Nano, Arborio, Carnaroli)

• fish chunks removed from previously cooked sea bass or sea bream

• 1 litre of hot fish stock

• knob of butter

• handful of freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese, optionala

• small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley (about 4g), finely chopped

Method

Fish Stock

Start by preparing the fish stock.

Place the fish in a pan, big enough to accommodate the fish lying flat (if using 2 fishes lie them next to each other or one on top of the other).

Add a few black whole peppercorns, clove of garlic, bay leaf, a generous pinch of sea salt and about 1.5 litres of cold water.

Bring to boil, turn down the heat, cover with the lid, and gently cook the fish for about 10-15 minutes.

When almost cooked, remove from the water, place on a big plate and allow to cool a bit.

When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and the fish meat from the bones in medium size chunks, put them in the bowl, cover so the fish pieces do not dry, and set aside for later use.

Put the head and the bones back in the pot, in the same water in which the fish was cooked.Add a carrot, celery stick, shallot or onion, fresh flat leaf parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Cover with the lid and gently simmer for about 30 minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

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Place the fine sieve over a saucepan and pass the stock through a sieve. Discard the head, bones and cooked down vegetables.

Put the saucepan with the stock back on the stove, on a very minimum heat, put the lid on and keep it warm and ready to hand for later use.

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Risotto

Place the oil in a pan and gently sauté chopped shallots or onions until soft.

Add the risotto rice and toast a bit, stirring constantly to avoid sticking to the pan.

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Add the fragments of sea bass or sea bream.

Start gradually adding ladles of hot fish stock, one at a time, allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding more.

There should always be enough liquid just to cover the risotto.

Cook on a medium heat, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is cooked al dente, meaning fully cooked but still a bit firm when bitten.

Removing from the stove, add a knob of cold butter and a handful of freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese and finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley. Stir with a wooden spoon, quite vigorously, in order to develop its delicious creamy texture.

The risotto should be smooth and runny enough to be described by the Italians as risotto all'onda, meaning risotto on the wave.

Serve immediately while the risotto is still hot.

Just a thought

To cut the corners, you can make this risotto by using fresh sea bass or sea bream fillets and using a high quality store bought fish stock.

Sea bass risotto will keep in the fridge for a couple of days in an airtight container.

It can be enjoyed at room temperature as well, and is not suitable for freezing.

Wine Suggestion

Soave Classico DOC "Calvarino" 2020 - Pieropan

Golden Prawn Tails Istrian Recipe

This dish is a real seafood delicacy, and a real treat, made with prawns or langoustines tails, which are sweet, delicious, and cook in minutes. Tails are coated in flour and egg, and then very briefly deep fried until golden, this a one of the top crowd pleaser dishes, never seems to be enough of them to go around.

Golden prawn or langoustine tails are easy and quick to prepare, a perfect warm starter, makes the best finger food for any party or celebration, and works well as a main course too.

Back home, on the Slovenian coast, this dish is traditionally made with precious and expensive langoustine tails, rather than prawns, it is therefore a celebratory dish enjoyed during the festivities and to mark special occasion, it is more like a restaurant meal treat, a favourite of mine when I was a child. You will find this dish in seafood restaurants, škampi na pariški način, which literally translates to langoustines “Parisian style”. My extensive research brought me no answers as to why the name of this dish is called what is, and so if anyone is reading this blog and knows the answer I would love to hear it!

Golden langoustine tails is most definitely one of the top family favourites, and here I am sharing my mother's recipe.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 700g roughly, prawn or langoustine tails (can use frozen and previously defrosted)

  If you are buying fresh whole prawns or langoustines, you will need around 1200g (they need to be cleaned, peeled and deveined).

• 100-150g plain white flour, for coating

• 1-2 eggs, lightly beaten

• sea salt

• black pepper

• oil for frying

• juice from ½ - 1 lemon, optional

• some fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped, optional

Method

Tap dry you prepared prawn or langoustine tails with kitchen paper or clean kitchen towel.

Place the flour in a bowl or shallow plate.

Crack the eggs into a bowl or shallow dish, add a pinch of sea salt and whisk gently.

Coat prawn tails in the flour and shake off the excess.

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Dip in egg mixture, turn to coat, letting excess egg drip back into the bowl before putting it into oil.

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Lower coated prawn tails into a hot oil and fry briefly until fully cooked through and golden brown in colour. That's it!

With a slotted spoon, transfer fried tails onto a plate or a dish previously lined with kitchen paper to allow excess oil to be absorbed.

Remove the kitchen paper and place your golden prawn tails onto a plate or serving dish.

Sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper and roughly chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, and if you wish to add some freshness to the dish, give them a squeeze of lemon juice.

Best served hot immediately with some mayonnaise or tartar sauce.

Stuffed Squid Istrian Recipe

Stuffed squid is a light and delicate fish based dish packed full of flavour, with simple ingredients being used for the stuffing mixture to maximise the scent and flavour of the squid.

This is a very tasty seafood recipe, perfect for any occasion and any season, and makes a fantastic centrepiece, you will surely impress your family and friends.

Works for both rustic style eating or slightly more formal and elegant dining, whether for big parties or small groups alike.

Squid is a highly popular ingredient in Istrian cooking, it is used to make rosotti, fish soups and stews, grilled and deep fried squid are very much loved.

Stuffed squid represents one of the most quintessentially Istrian seafood based dishes, it is made in the households, maybe not perhaps as your average mid week supper but prepared during the weekends or festivities or to mark a special occasion. Along the Slovenian coast stuffed squid would be traditionally briefly cooked in white busara sauce (simple sauce made with olive oil, hint of garlic, white wine and fresh parsley), as supposed to the red busara sauce variation where tomato element is added to the basic white busara sauce.

This is the dish that would be prepared and cooked instead of a meat roast, and also commonly found on the menus in the restaurants (polnjeni kalamari or nadevani lignji, calamari ripien).

Stuffed squid has been very much loved in the family, my father especially adored cooking this dish, and here I am sharing his recipe, serve this dish to your guests and and you will most certainly not fail to impress.

Recipe

Ingredients

• about 1 kg fresh medium size squid

  (the sacks of the squid should be long between 13-15cm, if they are too short and small you will find it a bit tricky to fill, very big squid not particularly suitable for this recipe), bodies and tentacles separated, if using frozen squid, defrost first

• about 80g dry breadcrumbs

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus some extra

• 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and very finely chopped

• small handful (about 3g) fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus some extra for the sauce

• 50ml white wine, optional

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

Clean and prepare the fresh squid and separate the tentacles. When cleaning the squid be careful not to damage the pockets (sacks), as the filling might come out during the cooking process.

If uncomfortable tackling this task, your fishmonger will be happy to do it for you.

Tap dry cleaned squid pockets with kitchen paper.

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Start by making the stuffing.

Place the oil in a large non stick frying pan. Weight the squid tentacles, then chop quite finely and add to the pan. Cook for a few minutes, add white wine if using, and cook further until all the wine evaporates.

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Turn off the heat and add an equal wight of breadcrumbs.

Add finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, crushed garlic and season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Mix well so all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning, set aside.

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Stuff the squid sacks with the mixture, using the teaspoon, not too full, or they can potentially burst during the cooking.

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Close the openings of the sacks with cocktail sticks (toothpick).

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Use the same non stick large frying pan and pour a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Gently fry stuffed squid in batches, if making large quantity, (do not overcrowd the pan) for about a minute or so on each side until they start to colour.

If you have leftover stuffing mixture, add it to the pan.

Add a touch of water, cover with the lid (ideally a lid with a steam whole) and cook on a gentle heat for about 20 minutes.

Move them around gently, now and gain, taking care not to break them.

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During the cooking a small amount of the filling will come out and become part of a delicious sauce that should not be too thick nor to watery.

If your sauce is too watery, cook for a short while until the sauce thickens to your desire, if on the other hand you think the sauce is too thick for your liking, just dilute a bit by adding a splash of water.

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When the squid is cooked , remove the cocktail sticks (toothpicks).

Sprinkle with some extra roughly chopped parsley and serve hot with some fresh crunchy rustic bread, toasted bread, bruschetta or soft cooked or grilled yellow or white polenta.

Just a thought

You can add a bit of freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese to the breadcrumb mixture.

Sometimes when you buy frozen squid, they come with no tentacles. In this case you can replace the tentacles for the filling with 1-2 thin slices of finely chopped Prosciuutto crudo (Italian dry ham). Be mindful of the seasoning as the prosciutto crudo is quite salty.

It is quite common also to use parboiled white rice (cooked al dente) instead of dry breadcrumbs to make the filling, and you can also substitute bread crumbs with some old and stale bread (no crust) soaked in a bit of water, squeeze well to remove the excess, 1 lightly beaten egg.

This dish is best eaten fresh, when just cooked, but can be stored in a fridge for a day or two at most, in an airtight container, and it is not really suitable for freezing.

If you do want to be ahead of time you can clean the squid and make the filling a day before and store them overnight in the refrigerator in an airtight container or covered with cling film.

You can add some chopped tomatoes to the white busara sauce if you prefer red busara sauce variation.

Wine suggestion

Collio Friulano DOC 2019 - Borgo del Tiglio

One Pot Roasted Octopus with Potatoes and Vegetables Istrian Recipe (Octopus Peka)

One pot roasted octopus with potatoes and vegetables called Octopus Peka (dish found in Slovenian and Croatian Istria and along Dalmatian coast in Croatia) is seriously delicious, very aromatic and one of the easiest and simplest recipe for a one pot roast where the preparation for it requires minimal effort but the finished dish is a serious show stopper, and although this dish is very rustic and formal, for locals it feels very special and celebratory, as it is usually prepared for a large number of people, for friends and family to mark a special occasion

The word Peka, in Slovenian (also called črpinja) and in Croatian, refers to a large metal baking dish with a lid that resembles a bell-shaped dome but it is also a name given to the finished dish (lamb peka, octopus peka etc.) cooked with this very ancient method (in an open fireplace) and the oldest roasting technique which ensures the slow and even cooking as hot coals and embers are placed on top of the dome.

Most of us do not have a possibility to make this dish with the authentic and traditional peka method, but I am sharing here the recipe that would come as close as you can get to the “real deal octopus peka” using Dutch oven, cast iron casserole dish, even a baking tray and some aluminium foil will do.

Serve this dish hot, place the pot in the centre of the table and make sure there is plenty of crunchy bread to soak up the juices, prepare a mixed salad to accompany the dish, and you are ready to go.

I am sharing here this traditional one pot roasted octopus using potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic as basic selection of vegetables, together with fresh fennel bulb that can be replaced by courgettes, aubergines, and bell peppers. Play around and use the vegetables, or a combination of vegetables that you like or prefer. There really is no wrong or right way here, the most important thing is that you enjoy the dish!

Ingredients

Serves 4

• octopus, cleaned, 1 big or a few smaller ones, about 2kg in weight (fishmongers will be happy to clean it for you).

• For this recipe it is best if the octopus has been previously frozen and then thawed, or buy an already frozen octopus if you can.

• 1 kg potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

• onion (about 150g) peeled and cut into chunks

• carrots (about 280g) peeled and roughly cut into chunks

• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled

• tomatoes (I used 6 mini San Marzano Tomatoes), you can use other variety of small tomatoes or use one bigger in size and cut into chunks

• one fresh fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into chunks. You can also replace fennel with other vegetables, such as courgettes, aubergines and bell peppers, or you can use fennel in addition to other vegetables. Few black pitted olives are a tasty addition too.

• 50ml white wine, optional

• extra virgin olive oil, a very generous drizzle

• one small sprig of fresh or dry rosemary

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

Place clean and defrosted octopus (or octopuses) in a pan, put the lid on and cook the octopus on a medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. There will be quite a lot of liquid coming out of the octopus. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200C static or equivalent.

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Put all the vegetables in a Dutch oven, baking dish or tray, and very generously drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Season with sea salt and black pepper and mix well.

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Place previously cooked octopus on top of the vegetable and drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Put the lid on and roast for 60 minutes.

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Take the lid off and roast for further 10 minutes, or a bit more if there is still a lot of liquid. This will partially depend on the type of vegetables you are using and personal preference.

You want enough liquid so the final dish is juicy and moist.

Place the dish at the centre of the table, so everyone can help themselves, with some crunchy bread to soak up the juices and maybe a nice fresh salad.

Just a thought

This dish is best served hot immediately.

It can be reheated but the dish will be slightly drier as the potatoes and other vegetables will soak up all the juices, although it will still be tasty though.

This recipe is not suitable for freezing.

Wine suggestion

Vitovska 2019 - Čotar

Whole baked Sea Bass on roasted potatoes Istrian Recipe

Whole baked sea bass on a layer of potatoes is very simple, easy, and healthy recipe for oven-roasted fish that calls for only a few fresh simple ingredients, and it is a perfect choice for a light meal main course option. This delicate fish, baked whole in the oven, is effortless to make, flavoursome and never fails to impress your guests. The recipe gives you a superior taste, the flesh remains really tender and moist and the potatoes, during the baking, absorb all the wonderful flavours and aromas from the garlic, onions, olive oil and the juices from the fish.

This basic method of roasting the whole fish on the bone on a bed of sliced potatoes represents the most common and traditional way of preparing and eating fish along the Slovenian coast in restaurants as well as in the households. It is considered one of the best fish based recipes by the locals, very often made on Sundays as a Sunday roast choice, and as a alternative to a meat roast.

I am sharing here my family recipe for whole baked sea bass with potatoes that would traditionally be accompanied by a vegetable side dish such as (depending on what is available in the season) sautéed courgettes, peas or bell peppers, green beans with tomatoes, borlotti beans salad, creamed spinach, braised fennel and different types of seasonal salads, just to mention a few...

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 fresh whole sea bass (each weighing around 300g), cleaned, scaled and gutted (your fishmonger will be happy to do this for you)

• potatoes (about 800g), peeled and sliced (roughly3-5mm)

• 1 small onion (about 50g), peeled and very finely chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

• 4 small sprigs of fresh rosemary (small enough to fit into the body cavity of the fish)

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus some extra for drizzling)

• sea salt

• black pepper

• 100ml white wine, fish stock or water (I used a ¼ Tsp of dry granulated fish powder and dissolved it into a 100ml of hot water)

• fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped, for serving, optional

• fresh lemon, for serving, optional

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C static or equivalent.

Line a baking tray with non stick baking parchment.

Peel the potatoes and cut them with the knife or a mandolin slicer into slices the thickness of about 3-5mm.

Place sliced potatoes into a bowl and add finely chopped onions, sliced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper and mix well.

Transfer the potato mixture onto a baking tray and with your hands arrange them, distribute evenly more or less, into a single layer (they will overlap a bit).

Put in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.

While the potatoes are baking prepare the fish.

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Wash the fish thoroughly inside and out under cold running water and pat dry well the fish with the kitchen paper.

With a sharp knife, slash the fish 3 to 5 times through the flesh, about 5mm deep, almost to the bone.

Season with sea salt and black pepper and put a small sprig of fresh rosemary into the body cavity of each fish.

Take the potatoes out of the oven (after 15-20 minutes) and place the sea bass on top of the potatoes, side by side, scored side up and drizzle each fish with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.

Cover the baking tray with the aluminium foil, put it back into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

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Remove the aluminium foil and bake further for 10 minutes.

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Pour white wine, fish stock or water over the fish and potatoes and bake further for about 5-6 minutes.

Serve hot with a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley and an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

Just a thought

If you end up with a leftover baked sea bass, it is delecious eaten cold or at a room temeprature with a drizzle of olive oil and finely chopped fresh flat parsley and accompanied with some cruncy bread, or alternatively you can make a fish spread (see my recipe for Rustic Sea Bream spread)

Wine suggestion

Fiano di Avellino DOCG “Ciro 906” 2019 - Ciro Picariello

Sea Bream broth Istrian Recipe

This clear fish broth is very light and has a very pleasant, delicate and mild fish flavour, it is very nutritious and incredibly easy to make as it consists of cooking fresh whole fish in plenty of water together with the onions, celery, bay leaves, parsley, carrots, black peppercorns and seasoned with sea salt, then strained and served hot with fillets of fish and some cooked white rice if desired.

This fish broth can be as rustic or as elegant and sophisticated as you want it to be, it is a very family friendly dish and perfect for any occasion.

It would be normally eaten as a hot starter, however, you can turn this clear soup into a bit more substantial main course by cooking some white rice separately and add it into a broth, and sprinkle some freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano (or Padano) cheese on top, which is a very customary thing to do along the Slovenian coast, where this type of soup is very much loved by the locals, cooked recurrently in the households and found on menus in fish restaurants (Ribja juha).

This type of broth would be most commonly cooked using fresh whole Sea bream or Sea bass, but other type of fish can be used like Red mullet, John Dory, Small red scorpionfish and similar fish that have a delicate flavour, and you can also mix and match the fish that you like and found available fresh when deciding to cook the broth.

Fish that is quite strong in taste and quite oily, like mackerel, for example, is not the best choice for the broth, also fish fillets are not particularly recommended (although you can use them for practical reasons) as they will give you a slightly blander tasting broth, and that is because the real flavour comes out of the heads and the bones of the fish.

Recipe for this broth is timeless, it has been cooked and loved by the whole family since I was very little and really does take me right back to my childhood when my family used to run a small fish based restaurant.

This type of fish broth would be cooked in large quantities as it is also a fantastic base to use for sauces and for fish and seafood risotto, as it adds bags of extra flavour.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• fresh whole sea bream, one big in size or a few smaller ones (total weight roughly between 400-600g), cleaned, scaled and gutted

• 1 medium onion, peeled and halved

• 1 medium carrot, peeled

• 1 fresh celery stick, washed (with or without the leaves on)

• 2 fresh bay leaves, fresh or dry

• 2 branches of fresh flat leaf parsley, washed (plus some extra when serving the dish)

• sea salt

• few black peppercorns

• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling, optional

• white rice, optional

• Parmiggiano Reggiano or Padano cheese, freshly grated, optional

Method

Place sea bream in a pan or stock pot large enough to accommodate the fish lying flat (if using more than one sea breams they can overlap a bit but avoid laying them one on top of the other).

Add onion, carrot, celery stick, bay leaves, fresh parsley and a pinch of salt.

Add 2 litres of cold water and bring to boil.

Lower the heat and gently cook for about 1 hour with the lid partially uncovered.

Check occasionally so the broth does not boil too vigorously (this can break the fish into pieces) and skim off any scum if it forms.

Cook the rice as instructed on the pack, if using to add to the broth (a small handful of rice per person).

Carefully remove the fish from the pan, the use of slotted or unslotted turner spatula on each end of the fish will help to lift the fish out of the pan and place it on a big plate or chopping board.

Allow the fish to cool a bit to a manageable temperature.

Clean sea bream by removing the tails, heads, the skin and all the bones in order to obtain small fillets of fish.

Put the fillets in a dish and cover with the aluminium foil to prevent drying and set aside for later use.

Pour the broth through a fine strainer or sieve into another pan.

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Add previously cleaned pieces of fish (small fillets) back into a pan with a filtered broth.

Discard bits and pieces caught in the strainer or in the sieve.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt.

Ladle the broth into serving soup plates or bowls, sprinkle with roughly chopped fresh parsley, drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, add a small handful of cooked rice if desired, and serve hot, immediately with some fresh crunchy bread.

Just a thought

Freshly cooked fish broth will keep in the fridge for a few days in the airtight container and is suitable for freezing.

You can cook this broth using only the heads and the bones of the fish and use the fillets for a different recipe or make a second course with them.

Wine suggestion

Vino Bianco "Turno Belo" - Movia

Whole baked Sea Bream with fresh rosemary Recipe

Whole baked sea bream in the oven with fresh rosemary is a simple and tasty main fish dish that takes little effort to prepare.

Cooking the whole fish on the bone gives it a better flavour, and this delicate white fish is best cooked simply and gently in order to give it the full respect it deserves.

Baked sea bream is a perfect choice for a light meal option, traditionally served with spinach or chard cooked with potatoes, garlic and extra virgin olive oil.

Sea bream is a great choice to include in your diet as is rich in iron and vitamins and easy to digest.

This fish as a main course is unpretentious and understated in its simplicity, but it is elegant, and full of flavour.

I am sharing here this incredibly simple way of cooking the fish, that also represents the most common method of preparing and eating the fish along the Slovenian coast in restaurants as well as in many households.

This recipe has been in the family, well, since forever. Give it a go, there is nothing complicated about it, and if you are slightly intimidated by the task of cleaning the fish, the fishmonger will be more than happy to do it for you. Give a fish a good rinse, pat dry it, and follow the easy preparation steps, and off it goes in the oven, how difficult can that be?

Ingredients

Serves 4-8

• 4 fresh whole sea bream (each weighing between 300g – 400g), cleaned, scaled and gutted

• extra virgin olive oil, generous drizzle

• 4 small sprigs of fresh rosemary

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C static or equivalent.

Line a baking tray with non stick baking parchment and drizzle a bit of olive oil.

Wash the fish thoroughly inside and out under cold running water and pat dry well the fish with the kitchen paper.

With the sharp knife, slash the fish 3 to 5 times through the flesh, about 5mm deep, almost to the bone.

Place the fish on the oiled baking parchment, side by side.

Season with sea salt and black pepper and rub with the olive oil.

Put a small sprig of fresh rosemary into the body cavity of each fish and drizzle the fish with a little more oil.

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Cover the baking tray with aluminium foil and place in the oven.

Bake for about 30 minutes then remove the aluminium foil and bake further for about 10-20 minutes until the fish is cooked through and comes away from the bone easily.

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One way of checking that the fish is cooked thorough, insert a small knife into the thickest part of the sea bream, the flesh of the fish should be nice and white in colour.

Discard the skin, bones, rosemary (from the cavity) and serve.

Wine suggestion

Vermentino "Tuvaoes" di Sardegna DOC 2020 - Cantina Cherchi

Venetian style Sardines in Savor (Marinated Fried Sardines)

Marinated sardines is a classic and quintessentially Venetian dish, where sardines are lightly fried and then marinated in onion and vinegar mixture. It is prepared and found on Venetian menus (Sarde in saòr) where typical humble dishes are served all year round The name of the dish comes from the Venetian word saòr, meaning sapore in standard Italian, which translates as flavour, and refers to the fact that the flavour of the marinated fish is elevated by the use of good quality wine vinegar.

This dish originated simply out of necessity, when the catch of the fish was particularly abundant and plentiful, people had to figure out how to preserve food to be able to eat it for days without going bad, as the refrigeration had not yet been invented.

This Venetian dish in origin is also very popular and became a staple dish along the coast of the Slovenian Istra, where local gastronomy was strongly shaped and influenced by the Venetian cuisine, and this is of no surprise, as this land was once part of The Republic of Venice who “left behind” the recipe for marinated sardines and enriched the food habits of the locals, who refer to this dish as Sardele in savor (Sardele na šavor in standard Slovenian) and serve it as a cold starter or sometimes as main. It is made all year round but particularly pleasant to eat cold during the hot summer months due to its refreshing taste.

Unlike the Venetian variety of this dish, Istrian marinated sardines do not include the use of pine nuts or raisins, testimony to the introduction of expensive and unusual ingredients in noble Venice due to a its strong trading activity with the East.

More humble and poorer Istrian variation, to offer extra flavour to this dish, introduced the use of fresh parsley and Mediterranean herbs like rosemary and bay leaves growing in abundance along the coast, instead of pine nuts and raisins, difficult to find and expensive, and therefore out of reach for most households. This variation also introduced the use of red wine vinegar, home made and produced in most households, instead of white wine vinegar, type of vinegar solely used in Venetian recipe.

This dish is customarily made with sardines (small ones are particularly suitable) but can be made with other types of fish like sprats, called papaline (Venetian word) by the locals and mackerel being most popular and most common alternative to sardines, and fillets of more prestigious fish like sea bream and sea bass can also be considered.

Once, this was food for the poor, nowadays is a delicacy and a speciality very much appreciated for their unique flavour and highly valued for nutritional content, especially in Slovenian Istra, where, unlike in Venice, this dish, although very traditional in the area, is not easily available in the restaurants, but almost exclusively made in the households.

My nona told me a lovely story, when she was only twenty two years old and got married she moved into the house, where she still currently lives, not very far away from the sea, and during the hot summer nights, the windows would be kept wide open in the hope to get some fresh breeze from the sea to cool the bedrooms to make it easier to sleep.

She could very clearly hear, in the middle of the night, the sound of very small fishing boats leaving the port and going out in the open sea to fish, this is the sound that she remembers as a very special and nostalgic one, and this is because she can no longer hear these sounds, as the majority of those small boats were replaced by only few commercial bigger fishing boats. These days they struggle for a few big catches since over the years the the sea has been depleted of fish. Sadly, fishing has become very difficult and complicated, and so is not very appealing to the younger generations.

I am sharing here my nona's recipe, this is the dish she grew up with, and the one she recalls was also made by her grandmother. This is a traditional, local and authentic family recipe for Istrian style marinated sardines. However, if you wish to “jazz up” this recipe a bit, and make it more “noble” and Venetian, you can add 50g of pine nuts and 50g raisins (previously soaked in lukewarm water for few minutes to help them become more plump).

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 1 kg very fresh sardines, cleaned (scaled, gutted, heads and central bone removed and butterflied)

  (ask fishmonger to prepare them for you if uncomfortable with the task)

• all purpose flour (quantity enough to flour the sardines)

• 400 ml frying oil

• 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 500 g onions, peeled and thinly sliced

• 5 whole black peppercorns

• 1 Tbsp white dry breadcrumbs

• 100 ml white or red wine vinegar

• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dry

• 1 small fresh rosemary spring

• very generous pinch of fresh flat leaf parsley (about 2g), finely chopped

• sea salt

Method

Cut the heads of the sardines, gut them and remove the central bone. Butterfly the sardines, rinse them well under cold running water and pat dry thoroughly with the kitchen paper.

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Coat them in flour and shake off flour in excess.

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Place frying oil in a frying pan, heat it up and fry gently and quickly the sardines, 2 minutes on each side is sufficient. They should have a light, not very crunchy, coating coating.

Drain well on a kitchen paper.

Season well with sea salt and set aside.

Peel the onions and slice them thinly.

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In a separate frying pan, ideally non stick, put extra virgin olive oil and heat a bit.

Add the onions and cook them on a very gentle heat until they become very soft and translucent, stirring often to avoid getting too brown.

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Add black peppercorns, breadcrumbs, bay leaf, small fresh rosemary spring, finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley.

Pour in wine vinegar and enough water to completely cover the onion mixture.

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Cook the onion and vinegar mixture on a gentle heat for about 20 minutes. The sauce should slightly thicken and reduce a little, but you should still be left with quite a bit of liquid.

If too much liquid has evaporated during the cooking add a bit more water.

Take a serving dish and alternate layers of onions in the vinegar mix and fried sardines.

Repeat the process of layering until the dish is full. The number of layers will depend on the size of your serving dish but the last layer should be onion and vinegar mix.

If you are left with a bit of vinegary liquid from the onion mixture just pour it over the layers.

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Place the dish in a fridge or a cool place for at least 24 hours or a couple of days, so the sardines marinate well and absorb all the flavours.

The longer you leave to marinate the better it will taste, but bare in mind that the fish will keep for up to a week.

Wine Suggestion

Collio Sauvignon Doc 2020 Draga

Braised Cuttlefish Recipe

Braised cuttlefish is a simple, comforting and rustic dish, and it uses only few ingredients. The cuttlefish is slow cooked in a light tomato sauce with white wine to the point of becoming so tender that the cuttlefish almost melts into your mouth and you hardly need a knife to cut it. It is very easy to prepare and a fantastic recipe if you want to make a seafood based meal ahead of time. Cuttlefish stew is a staple dish in Venice and a real delicacy, famous in particular for being cooked in its black ink.

Cuttlefish are plentiful in British waters but the majority are sent to the continent where there is a high demand, and it is greatly appreciated.

Braised cuttlefish is a dish that is prepared in particular in coastal towns and villages in Slovenian Istra, since there is a cuttlefish habitat along the Adriatic coast. The tides push the fish towards the sandy shallows where it becomes an easy catch for the fishermen.

Braised cuttlefish play an important role in the local gastronomy and the locals are very grateful to the Venetians to have “left behind” this aspect of the marine and coastal ecology, given the very lengthy and strong presence of the Venetian Republic in the territory. Cuttlefish is not as frequently found in local restaurants as one might expect, although it is one of the most loved meals in the family.

If you have never had cuttlefish before or had it but were put off for whatever reason, try my nona's family recipe, you might just change your mind. If you are worried about handling fresh cuttlefish, fishmongers in general, will be more than happy to prepare the cuttlefish for you, they will clean all the ink off the cuttlefish, remove the skin and wash thoroughly the tentacles.

All you will be left with is beautifully cleaned cuttlefish that only needs to be cut into bite size pieces or strips, easy!

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 onion (about 130g), finely chopped

• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

• handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, stalks included (about 10g), finely chopped, plus some extra when serving

• 1 kg (roughly) cuttlefish, cleaned and cut into bite size pieces or strips. Already cleaned frozen cuttlefish as a alternative works well for this recipe

• 100 ml white wine

• 300 ml water

• 2 Tbsp tomato purée

• sea salt

• finely ground black pepper

• red chilli, a tiny bit, optional

Method

Put extra virgin olive oil in a pan or casserole dish, add finely chopped onion, crushed garlic, generous pinch of sea salt and fry gently until soft and lightly golden in colour.

Add finely chopped fresh parsley and mix together with fried onions and garlic.

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Add the cuttlefish and fry further for about 2 minutes.

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Cuttlefish will start turning whitish in colour and release liquid.

Add white wine, allow it to evaporate and reduce roughly by half.

Add tomato purée, water, sea salt and black pepper and stir together to combine. Bring to boil.

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Turn down the heat, partially cover with the lid and gently simmer for about 45minute to 1 hour, stirring occasionally. By this time the cuttlefish should be really very tender when you insert the fork into it. The final texture of the sauce should be velvety and thick and not too runny when you spoon it onto serving plates.

If the sauce is too thick add a little a bit of water to dilute it slightly, on the contrary, if the sauce is too runny and watery in consistency, cook further until the sauce thickens a bit.

Adjust the seasoning with sea salt and black pepper.

Sprinkle with some roughly chopped fresh parsley and serve hot with crusty bread, white or yellow polenta, soft cooked or grilled, or some boiled potatoes or cooked rice.

Just a thought

Braised cuttlefish can also be used as a base for making risotto or tossed with egg based fresh pasta.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for no longer than two day suitable for freezing.

The traditional recipe does not call for red chilli but adding a tiny bit gives this dish a real nice kick without overpowering the “sweetness” of the cuttlefish.

Wine suggestion

"Gardelin" 2016 - Aleks Klinec