Fresh from the sea to the table, a true match for gastronomes

The abundance of fresh seafood in Istria’s many coastal restaurants offers an embarrassment of riches, but at the same time raises the eternal question: ‘Which one to choose?’

The highly praised white fish or pilchards, which are excellent in both quality and taste, langoustines that are impressive in size, clam buzara, which sweet smell lingers, seafood soup or risotto, Adriatic shrimp or cuttlefish, or perhaps oysters, brodetto, grilled langoustines or, better yet, octopus or spider crab salad, salted anchovies or cod fish?

The sea has always been a man’s best friend, and in Istria this friendship is more intense than anywhere else, which has left its traces on Istrian gastronomy to this very day.

Glossary of dishes of Blue Istria
Brodet - Brodetto
Traditional dish, savoury fish stew made with several kinds of fish and crustaceans.
Buzara
Special type of sauce, sautéed with onions, parsley, olive oil and wine, usually with shellfish.
Jakovska kapica - Capesanta
Scallops - royal shell found on the sandy seabed. The central adductor muscle is tastiest when baked or gratinéed, but can also be eaten raw.
Kamenica - Oyster
Bivalve mollusk, which is said to have aphrodisiac properties, a true delicacy if eaten raw with a few drops of lemon juice and olive oil.
Rakovica - Spider crab
This reddish crab with delicious meat lives on the seabed. It has little meat and is highly praised as an ultimate delicacy.
Srdela - Pilchard (Sardina Pilchardus)
Well-known oily fish from the Adriatic. It is prepared freshly caught in oil or grilled, salted, marinated or canned in oil.
Škampi - Scampi
Crustacean of the Homaridae family. This delicacy is prepared in many ways - buzara-style, grilled, breaded tails, with rice and pasta, and even as a raw delicacy.