Fish and seafood

Traditional fishing on the Ugento shoals

Traditional fishing on the Ugento shoals: seasonal catch from the Ionian Salento

Six boats from a Torre San Giovanni cooperative work shallow, treacherous grounds where the seabed rises from five metres to under one within a short distance. Trammel nets, gillnets, pots and longlines are matched to each species, so only the intended fish come aboard. The Slow Food Presidium protects this way of fishing rather than any single species.

• A catch that follows the sea: autumn and winter bring mackerel, amberjack, cuttlefish
• Gilthead, white bream, dentex and sea bass from summer to autumn; octopus and red mullet in spring
• Selective nets, and fish landed by the same crews who caught it

How to enjoy it. Spring octopus goes into polpo alla pignatta, slow-cooked in terracotta with tomato and onion; the rest of the catch suits Salento fish soups, served with country bread for dipping.

Production areas

Apulia

Season

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