Traditional Dalmatian Fish Specialties

A summer holiday cannot get any better than when it includes some relaxed time by the sea. Just as a holiday in Dalmatia cannot be complete without a full experience of a traditional Dalmatian cooking. Or in other words, when in Dalmatia, do as Dalmatians do and have some fish. After all, it’s one of the most important elements of Dalmatian cuisine together with fresh fruit and vegetables, olive oil and a bit of good wine.

Grilled, cooked, marinated are just a few different ways to prepare a fish - just pick your favourite and have a delicious meal!

Fish ‘n’ grill

The so-called riba na gradele (‘grilled fish’) represents a traditional way of preparing fish. From tiny sardines to a variety of fish such as dentex, seabass, gilt-head bream and mackerel, it’s hard to decide which is better when grilled. The distinct taste is also achieved by continually smearing the fish with olive oil and rosemary, so that it doesn’t become dry. The final touch then comes from a combination of olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Those simple, basic ingredients result in a true rhapsody of taste, particularly when the fish is fresh, maybe even caught the very morning just before it's prepared.

More than a stew

Initially a meal which the poor fishermen made with fish leftovers, brodet (‘fish stew’) has become so much more than just a stew. Nowadays the more different types of fish and seafood are used, the better it turns out. Brodet is an inevitable part not only of any restaurant serving Dalmatian cuisine, but also of every household. Generally served with polenta (cornmeal), the stew contains the same basic spices and ‘that-extra-somethings’ that are characteristic of Dalmatian cooking.

No food like seafood

Even though they aren’t technically fish, squid, octopus, cuttlefish, shrimp, lobster, mussels, oysters and other types of seafood are the ingredients for many mouthwatering Dalmatian specialties. For example, shrimps a la buzara are one of the most amazing dishes there are. Even though buzara didn’t initially refer to the ingredients but the dish it was made in, nowadays everyone knows that such dish contains traditional Dalmatian spices and, more often than not, tomato sauce.

Just as dishes  a la buzara are an absolute must-try for every visitor to Dalmatia, so are peka specialties and particularly when the most important element is the octopus. Similarly, do not miss a cuttlefish risotto - the rice will be blackened by the cuttlefish ink, but the taste will take you on a ride into the underwater world of the Adriatic Sea.

Delightful Dalmatian delicacies

An ancient Dalmatian saying states that a fish must swim three times - in the sea to begin with, then in olive oil and finally in wine. It basically illustrates the way a fish should be prepared and then eaten accompanied by a glass of good wine. Healthy and delicious do not often go together, but Dalmatian style of cooking proves that they can. Fish or seafood, basic ingredients and spices, a drop of olive oil and wine as the final touch - that’s how people in Dalmatia create magic in the kitchen. Magic dishes that are simple, yet irresistible.