Italy Puglia cooking vacations and wine tours

If there is something you should not miss when you are in Puglia on a gourmet tour is: eating fish! You can say: ohh “but I live by the ocean and I eat fish every day. I want some meat!”
Still, I think you should first try the fish in Gallipoli (by the Ionian sea), or in Otranto (by the Adriatic sea). Then you tell me if you still want some meat!

The Mediterranean sea has much saltier water when you compare it to the ocean, which I strongly believe makes fish more tasty.
However, it’s the whole experience which is unique and really mouth watering! In Puglia, locals won’t buy the fish in a supermarket. They will go direct to the harbor and buy the fish from the fishermen, just returned from their catch.

Can fish be any fresher than this? The typical Mediterranean fish includes: sea bass, sea bream, sword fish, calamari, squid, octopus.

However, my and Marika’s favorites are the red big shrimps from Gallipoli. The best place where to have them is in Gallipoli, in the historical center, just by the shore. They are a bit expensive, but really worth it. The famous recipe is to bake the shrimps in a big salt crust (exactly as if you were preparing the sea bream) and serve them with very fruity extra virgin olive oil. It’s something you will never forget!

Please let us if you ever try these shrimps!