The feasts and “sagras” that take place this week and next make Ferragosto (August 15) season very special. For example, this week in Pozzallo (Ragusa province), they are holding their annual Sagra del Pesce, a seafood and music/entertainment festival. Since 1967, during the Sagra, the town shows off its riches of bountiful, excellent seafood and the local traditions of preparing it. Each night features a local “frutti di mare” recipe and entertainment component. The “padellone,” however, steals the show: It’s a massive frying pan, about 4 meters in diameter, set on a raised stage, where throughout the evening, chefs prepare fried fish such as shrimp, cuttlefish, octopus, and calamari (pictured here) for dozens of hungry guests.
