Fish and seafood

Taranto black mussel

Taranto black mussel: sweet, firm and shaped by the Mar Piccolo's springs

In Taranto's Mar Piccolo, underwater freshwater springs called citri lower the salinity and give this black mussel its firm flesh and sweet flavour. It is farmed in piscarie, plots of water marked out by wooden poles, and is ready for harvest after twelve to sixteen months. A traditional agri-food product (PAT) and Slow Food Presidium, its protocol swaps plastic nets for compostable ones.

• Glossy, ridged black-violet shells, almost square, 5-8 cm long
• A pearly violet interior and a white-to-pink mussel, full and sweet on the palate
• Firm flesh credited to the citri, freshwater currents mixing into the lagoon's salt water

How to enjoy it. Rinse them, scrape off any encrustations and pull away the beard, then cook them into spaghetti, with tomato or in bianco, or into a baked tiella with potatoes and rice.

Production areas

Apulia

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