Red Prawn Addiction
Look at this. It's absolutely beautiful, isn't it?
For those of you who know your prawns, you might guess that the intensity of its red colour is directly proportional to the intensity of its flavour. And you'd be correct.
The meat is succulent, like a normal prawn, but it is sweeter and packs a greater umami punch than its 'normal' prawn cousins. So the flesh alone would win some Prawn Oscars, but the head, now that would win some Prawn Nobel Prizes. The head flavour is really, really incredible, like a sweet, prawny, umami-loaded atomic bomb.
So no surprises when red prawns, known as gamberi rossi in Italian, featured in most of our meals during our time in Western Sicily. The best way to savour their taste is to try them cooked simply: grilled with salt, and a drizzle of lemon. Especially at a place like Osteria La Bettolaccia, who know how to pick the freshest red prawns, and cook them better than almost everywhere else in Trapani.
Also, try them with the local busiate pasta and almonds, or in a risotto. Both these dishes are executed sublimely at this Osteria.
But, this restaurant also serves up a dish where the red prawn isn't the star. Their cous cous is probably the best cous cous I've ever eaten. Not that I'm a cous cous expert, but I'm sure you'd find it pretty hard to find a cous cous dish better than this, especially if you love your seafood.
Fragrant, fluffy cous cous is paired with a rich, savoury seafood broth, topped with calamari and small red prawns deep fried to absolute perfection. Squeeze a little lemon on the fried seafood, and this completes the dish. Really, really good.
I couldn't praise this restaurant more highly; not only is the food sublime, but the service is impeccable. Combine this with a modern interior, relaxed atmosphere and very reasonable prices, this is probably my top recommendation in the whole of Western Sicily.
Osteria La Bettolaccia
Via Gen. Enrico Fardella, 23/25, 91100 Trapani TP
Hours: Mon – Fri 12 – 13pm, 8 – 11pm; Sat – Sun 12 – 3pm, 8 – 11.30pm
http://www.labettolaccia.it/
Wish
I'd discovered prawns baked in breadcrumbs many years ago
We'd
just landed in Palermo. Clear skies, breathtaking landscapes, and two
empty stomachs. After a brief pause to drop our baggage at our hotel,
we ventured into town in search of seafood.
We
ended up at Trattoria Piccolo Napoli, known for serving up honest,
rustic cooking - where we headed straight inside to check out the
seafood selection. Between my badly broken Italian and the chef's
slightly rusty English, we managed to order three things.
Firstly,
a mixture of tasty looking antipasti – grilled courgettes,
aubergines and a variant of the broccoli family. All tasty, but not
mind blowing by any stretch of the imagination.
Secondly,
an exceedingly fresh sea bream, which showcased the grilling skills
of this chef. Perfectly crisp skin, soft, juicy flesh – this is how
to grill a fish. To use a bit of a foodie cliché, for fish this
fresh, you don't need to do more to it. My only slight criticism was
that the salt on the skin was not perfectly distributed, leading to
the odd pocket where your tongue was slightly overwhelmed by salt.
Now,
onto the item which gave this post its name – the prawns baked in
breadcrumbs. Sounds kinda boring when I give it a name like this. But
imagine perfectly fresh prawns coated fragrant olive oil, salt and
crispy breadcrumbs, and oven baked – yes I know the dark picture
doesn't really help your imagination – just let me tell you that
the sweet juicy flesh, addictively unctuous head juice of the prawns,
and the crispy and savoury breadcrumbs are a stunning combo.
Combine
this with friendly service, good prices and alfresco dining in a
quieter district of Palermo, I'd definitely recommend this place. And
especially those prawns.
Trattoria
Piccolo Napoli di Corona Giuseppe
Piazzetto
a Mulino Vento, 4, 90139 Palermo
Hours:
Mon: 12 – 4pm; Tues – Sat: 12 – 4pm and 7.30pm – 11.30pm
Closed
on Sundays
Phone:
+39091320431
Cost:
25 euro per person, excl. alcohol
Antipasti never tasted so good
So
some of you might not agree with what I'm about to write. Compared to
antipasti found in other regions of Italy, I far prefer Sicily's
light, bold and zesty versions. For a true home-made taste of such
creations, I'd recommend Zia Pina in Palermo, which serves up
exceedingly good antipasti (buffet style, but don't let that put you
off) and simple seafood.
Look
at this antipasti spread. Making you hungry? Well, it should. Make
you very.
Anyway,
what are these delicious delights? They range from simply grilled
aubergines topped with sweet tomato sauce, mushrooms grilled with
cheese, aubergines stuffed with cheese, breadcrumbs and a hint of
orange peel, sardine balls in a sweet-sour vinegar based sauce… I
could go on, but all you need to know is how good they tasted, each
and every one of them.
The
seafood here is pretty good too – we had fried calamari (very
fresh, though a tad over-fried), and grilled large prawns (also very
fresh, though a tad under-cooked for my taste).
Zia
Pina
Via
Cassari 69, Palermo
Hours:
Mon – Sat: 12 – 3.30pm (lunchtime only)
Closed
Sunday
Cost:
Antipasti + seafood ~ 20 Euro per person, excl alcohol
Grilled greatness, boiled brilliance
Ahh
Palermo's streetfood scene. Arancine, I'll mention these balls of
greatness in another post. Let's get straight to stuff which might
not sound ideal for some people's palates.
In
Palermo's Vucceria market, in the evenings, you'll find a piazza
(square) where a number of street vendors are serving up some
delicious Sicilian street-treats.
Stigghiola,
grilled lamb's intestines. This is what I wanna talk about. Normally,
I'm not an innards kind of person but this time, I must admit, I was
impressed. Charred and crunchy on the outside, tender and slightly
fatty in the middle, and definitely free of that innard or strong
'lamb taste', this street snack was surprisingly addictive. Highly
recommended.
And,
it'd be pretty hard to miss the guy selling octopus in the middle of
the square. When overcooked, octopus can be really rubbery and tough
– but this guy really knows how to boil these eight-tentacled
creatures. Drizzle on a bit of lemon juice and you're good to go.
Then,
as the locals do, pop over to Taverna Azzurra (on the corner of the
square) and wash down those delicious lamb's innards and octopus
tentacles with a beverage of your choice.
La
Vucciria, Piazza Caracciolo
Not only for gelato…
Pistachio
nuts. Probably the most famous ingredient, other than lemons, to come
from this sun-drenched isle. Used to make sublime gelatos, but in
Western Sicily, also as an ingredient in pestos and sauces.
Firstly,
let me write a little bit about Scopello, a little town next to 'Lo
Zingaro Nature Reserve' – a breathtaking national park well worth
hiking in, even in the blistering heat:
After
losing all your bodily fluids in the heat of summer and burning
approximately one billion calories, you'll need some good food. For
me, the best we ate in this quaint little village was at La
Tavernetta, which serves up traditional food from the province of
Trapani.
It
was pretty dark at the time so apologies for the photos. Hopefully my
words will be able to give you a clearer picture.
First
up, langoustines (known locally as 'scampi') with linguine. Very
fresh langoustines, al dente pasta, a pretty good start.
Next, cous cous with fish. Cous cous was brought to Sicily by the Arabs, and is widely eaten in this part of the island. Light cous cous, rich seafood broth and tender pieces of fish (whose identity I could not decipher) combine to make very satisfying flavour and texture sensations.
Lastly,
the best of the bunch. Busiate (Trapanese spiral shaped pasta),
gamberi rossi (red prawns, I'll talk more about them later), cherry
tomatoes and last but by no means least, pistachio. The busiate does
an excellent job of holding the tomato based sauce, and also acts as
an excellent carrier for the earthy pistachios which are a perfect
match for the sweetness of the succulent red prawns. Again,
exceptional entertainment for your palate.
Prices
are very reasonable and you can keep your costs low by ordering the
ridiculously cheap (5 Euro for a carafe) but nonetheless drinkable
local wine. And La Tavernetta also has a tremendous view of Lo
Zingaro. Overall, highly recommended.
Hotel
La Tavernetta, Via Armando Diaz, 3, Scopello, Castellamare del Golfo
TP
About
20 euro per person incl. house wine
Beach-side bites
We
were in Favignana, an island famed for its glorious beaches whose
crystal clear emerald-blue waters were just too alluring to turn
down. The most famous of which, Cala Rossa, was our first
destination. About 3km from the main port, we rented bikes and set
off straightaway in a bid to reach there before the crowds (note that
we took the 7.15am Ustica Lines ferry over from Trapani on mainland
Sicily).
You'd
be surprised at how hot cycling at 8.30am under the mid-August
Sicilian sun can be. After taking a couple of wrong turns we made it
to Cala Rossa. My arms were feeling toasty already, even with some
SPF 50 suntan lotion on.
As
you can see, Cala Rossa is worth the journey. Its waters are as clear
as some of the best beaches I've seen anywhere in South East Asia.
You
might be wondering why I haven't mentioned a single word about food
after 8 sentences and a few pics. Your patience is rewarded: next to
Cala Rossa, a guy sells Pane Cunzato – a typical Sicilian sandwich
filled to the brim with delicious ingredients including tomatoes,
anchovies, olive oil, dried oregano,basil and capers – pretty
awesome stuff.
Next
stop. Cala Azzurra – but on the way, we had to stop by a road-side
truck shaped like a lemon. Who wouldn't? We each order one of their
'special' granitas – lemon-infused shaved ice with fresh orange
juice on top. Unbelievably refreshing.
Cala
Azzurra was pretty nice but wasn't much in comparison with its sister
Rossa. So, I'll start talking about food again. Before you leave
Favignana, don't miss some fantastic gelato near the port, at Mama's.
My two scoops of the pistachio and fig were right on the mark –
creamy but not too thick, as proper gelato should be, and whose
flavours really showcased the earthy nuttiness of the pistachio and
the fruity nuttiness of the fig.
Gelateria
Mama's Ice Cream
Via
Molo S. Leonardo, 31, 91023 Favignana TP
Hours:
Mon – Sun: 9.30am - 11pm
An exemplary plate of pasta
After
being semi-roasted in the heat of Favignana, we needed a restaurant
extremely close to where we were staying. Fortunately, Salirosso was
literally just round the corner.
We'd
tried some Gamberi Rossi (red prawns) earlier in Scopello and we were
craving more. So we shared three dishes: firstly, gamberi rossi with
paccheri (large, flat tubes of pasta) and cherry tomatoes – this
was probably the best pasta dish we ate on the whole trip. The pasta
was immaculately al dente, the sauce had the perfect balance of
saltiness and sweetness, and these prawns – well, they were just
phenomenal. I'll shower these prawns with more praise in another post.
Next,
a scampi (langoustine) soup with linguine. This was quite tasty, but
the soup was a tad too salty for our taste. The spaghetti a la
vongole (with clams) was better – whose creamy sauce was given an
interesting twist by being blended with radicchio (a type of bitter
red lettuce). But, when eaten alongside the red prawn paccheri, these
dishes were always going to be overshadowed.
But
Salirosso is not just a one trick pony (or should I say red prawn).
They also make extremely good desserts. Their Torta Salirosso, whose
almond, ricotta and chocolate flavours balanced each other with
surpeme precision, was pretty sublime. And their pistachio parfait,
which oozed the sweet nuttiness of those little green gems which by
this point of the trip I was addicted to, another winner.
Salirosso
Via
Sant'Eligio, 13, 91100 Trapani TP
Hours:
Mon – Sun: 8pm – 11.30pm
About
20 Euro per person excl. alcohol
Crumbly creamy goodness
People
come to Erice for its well-preserved medieval architecture, its
peaceful cobbled streets and its fantastic views of Trapani, the
Egadi Islands, and the Saline (salt flats).
We
also came here for that. But we also came for the sweet treats. Being
pressed for time, we didn't try everything we wanted to, but let me
recommend one thing – the Genovese con crema at Pasticceria del
Convento (in the below picture, it is the pastry dusted with icing sugar). Its light, crumbly exterior (best analogy is that the
pastry was like a lighter, lest buttery shortbread) filled with a not
overly sweet cream, might not sound all that special, but believe me,
you have to try it if you have a craving for sweet treats. Really,
really good.
In case you're wondering, the small green balls pictured above are pistachio-flavoured marzipan, which was a tad too sweet for our liking.
Antica
Pasticceria del Convento
Via
Gianfilippo Guarnotti, 1, Erice TP
Arancine!!!
On
the way back from Erice, we craved something simple, non-pasta
related. We passed by an unassuming little eatery packed full of
locals. Lots of Sicilians packed inside a bar waiting for some
simple street food. It had to be good.
Unsurprisingly,
it was. We tried two of their calzones – which was not what I
expected it to be but nevertheless very tasty. It was basically like
a doughnut filled with mozzarella and parma ham.
But
the real star was their Arancine balls. They only had the mozzarella
and parma ham filled renditions, but it was 9pm and most of their
stuff had pretty much sold out. We had earlier tried Arancine in
Palermo and were a tad disappointed because the rice was a bit heavy
and stodgy. But these versions, whose saffron infused rice was light
and not too densely packed, was the perfect housing for the parma ham
(not too salty, I should mention) and the chewy mozzarella. And the
breadcrumb exterior was crispy, and not too oily. Really good stuff,
especially for 1.20 Euros!
Antica
Panelleria Za Paolina
Via
XXX Gennaio 98, Trapani TP
8am
– 2pm, 5pm – 9pm (things sell out)
Cost:
1.20 Euro for each snack
CIY (cook it yourself)
Sometimes,
cooking on holiday can be a good thing. Especially in a place like
Sicily, which has too many tasty things to choose from.
As
we were staying in a rental apartment with a small kitchenette, we
decided to make the most of it. We headed to Trapani's fish market,
located at the far western edge of the city.
On
one day, we cooked large prawns (pan fried with salt and butter) and
mackerel (baked with lemon, tomatoes and basil), and on another day, small red
prawns (sauteed with garlic and butter). The cost for both lunches
combined was a mere 20 euro – a steal for such fresh, delicious
ingredients.
Near
the market, we even found a stall which sold us a deliciously sweet,
medium sized watermelon for only 1 euro. I don't recall exactly which stall, but just keep your eyes peeled for some fruity bargains.
Location:
far western edge of the city, just head there and ask for the
'Pescheria' (pronounced peskeria)
Hours:
Best to go early for the best produce!
Uni spaghetti
We
came to Marsala for a winery tour. Cantine Florio, whilst its cellars
were quite something, didn't have the rolling hills of grapevines
that I've seen in Napa Valley or in Victoria (Australia). We left
satisfied, but I guess we'd expected more, since so much of what we'd
seen in Sicily thus far had been so impressive.
Whilst
waiting for our train to return to Trapani, we started to scout out
local restaurants. A little bit of research told me that Ristorantino
via vaccari 6 had red prawn pasta, and another dish which I was keen
to unleash my tastebuds upon.
This
dish was spaghetti con ricci, basically spaghetti with sea urchins.
If you've read my posts on Tokyo and Cebu/Bohol, you'll know how much
I love these spikey sea critters. Now the sauce isn't just made of
the unctuously sweet roe of the urchins, the roe is mixed (gently, to
avoid excessive breakup) with a mild tomato based sauce, which
complements the urchin perfectly. This was then mixed with al dente
spaghetti, creating a pleasantly comforting pasta dish.
Their
breaded beef was another dish we sampled – yes, that description
doesn't sound very appetising, I know. But imagine thin slices of
beef steak, lightly coated with thyme-infused breadcrumbs, pan fried
with slices of sauteed potato inserted in between – I think that portrayal should get a carnivore's juices flowing.
Ristorantino
via Vaccari 6
Via
Vaccari 6, 91025 Marsala TP
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