The Campania is among the richest gastronomic regions in Italy, and the Phlegraean Fields bring high quality products with unique and excellent flavors to our tables.
This area is characterized by the rich volcanic soil that allows for the development of varied vegetation.
But we must not forget the sea, with which the City of Pozzuoli has an intense bond that has been created and strengthened over thousands of years.
Fishing in the clear waters of Pozzuoli
The Gulf of Pozzuoli presents a sea of unparalleled beauty, one of the Campi Flegrei's greatest attractions.
Fishing in its crystal clear waters is an ancient and magical ritual that has been maintained unchanged since ancient times, repeating itself identically night after night after night. From octopuses to shellfish, from "harvested" seafood to paranze, what most characterizes fishing in Pozzuoli is the catching of anchovies and bluefish.
People start scouring the sea from the early evening hours, trying to catch as many fish as possible, nets are set up, and the light from the boats acts as a lure for the fish that flock in large numbers.
The Phlegraean Fields area has a millennia-old tradition of raising clams, mussels, razor clams and tellins.
The carnummole
The sea lemon is a seafood typical of the Mediterranean as well as the northern seas, with a wineskin-shaped body and an acrid smell. It is not a bivalve like clams and mussels, so a pointed knife must be used to open it. Known by various, often fanciful names that vary from region to region, such as sea egg, taratufo, spuenzi or even strunsi di mare (used in Liguria), in Campania it is referred to by the term carnummole.
The sea lemon can be eaten either raw (if safely sourced and with a squeeze of lemon) or cooked. Let's look together at a recipe for enjoying it.
Ingredients
- 300 gr. of sea lemons
- 160 gr. of spaghetti
- 75 ml. olive oil
- no.1 lemon
- herbs (such as wild fennel)
- salt to taste.
Preparation
Sea lemons need to be cleaned, then opened and the fruit gently taken out.
Now you need to cut the fruit into very small pieces with a pointed knife.
We put the spaghetti to cook, keeping an eye on the cooking time.
Meanwhile, we brown a clove of garlic in a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil. The garlic should be removed as soon as it turns golden.
Now we drain the pasta and toss it with the previously shredded sea lemons and herbs.
If we prefer, we can grate a lemon peel.
Puteolian anchovies
Pozzuoli anchovies fall into the category of oily fish, rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, with vitamins B and E.
Subsalted anchovies, placed in oil and then macerated in terracotta jars, are a typical product of Pozzuoli and have been preserved in this way for more than 2,000 years.
At the Campania Pavilion of the Brussels Seafood Exposition, held in the Belgian capital May 6-8, 2014, the city of Pozzuoli distinguished itself by presenting the Buono brothers' "Alici di Pozzuoli" brand.
Let's look together at the recipe for "alici nzugnàt," a typical Puteolian dish of simple preparation, with anchovies, pork lard and stale bread, widely consumed by fishermen who went out to sea and stayed there for several days.
Ingredients
- fresh cherry tomatoes
- anchovies
- pork lard
- stale bread
- laurel
- garlic
- salt to taste.
- oil q.b.
Preparation
Take a wide-bottomed frying pan and put it on the stove adding the lard. Add a drop of oil, then the chopped bay leaf and a slice of slightly wet stale bread.
In a pot we boil some water and add the cherry tomatoes, oil and garlic. We now add the anchovies, they should not cook more than a minute. We add a pinch of salt.
In the meantime, we toast the bread put in a pan with the lard and bay leaf.
Toasting the bread, we plate the anchovies and cherry tomatoes.
Add a little hot water taken from the pot. And enjoy!
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