When traveling to Sicily, I ask that you challenge your ideas about fish. Fish in North America, and certainly the canned and frozen kind, are not like the fresh fish you find in the markets and in restaurants in Sicily. In fact, they have many different kinds of fish that we never see on our…
Tag: pesce
Feast Of The Seven Fishes In Sicily
Merry Christmas! For many in The States, tradition is to observe Christmas Eve with “The Feast of the Seven Fishes,” however, this is not Italian or Sicilian at all, it is an Italian-American tradition! When I asked my cousin Evelina in Bagheria, Sicily about the Seven Fishes, she didn’t know what I was talking about….
Making Friends in Il Capo Market
Palermo has three ancient markets: Vucciria, Ballarò, and Il Capo. Vucciria isn’t what it was 40 years ago when Renato Guttuso painted it, which is perhaps a good thing. Now, during the day, it is smaller and host to a few food stands and many antiques and collectible vendors. At night, however, when it comes…
Hands-on Sicily
Visiting the vibrant markets of Sicily is a crash course in Sicilian cuisine, the natural world, and culture all at once. Here, I’m in Il Capo market in Palermo getting a lesson on spatola (or spatula aka silver scabbarfish or lepidopus caudatus) from the fish monger. Spatola is a beautiful silver, long fish found in…
Our May 2016 Sicily Tour: Ortigia’s Mercato Antico
The Mercato Antico in Ortigia is one of Sicily’s most animated daily outdoor markets. Chef Melissa will be taking us through the stalls on the morning of Day 7 of our May 19-31, 2016 tour. While there, we’ll meet various merchants, learn about the various vegetables and fish in season, and enjoy a tasting lunch…
Our May 2016 Tour, Day 4: Palermo’s Markets
Going to the market to purchase the day’s freshest ingredients is an institution in Sicily. On Day 4 of our May 19-31, 2016 Experience Sicily with Chef Melissa Muller tour, we’ll be exploring Palermo’s open-air, foodie’s paradises right alongside the locals. You’ll see bright yellow lemons, emerald green fennel, and wrinkled dates. You’ll smell earthy…
Silver Fish at the Ancient Market
Spadole photographed in the Mercato Antico in Ortigia, one of Sicily’s most animated daily outdoor markets.
It’s Sardine Season
In winter and spring, sardines swim close to Sicily’s coast in order to mate. So, I guess you might call this time of year sardine season! As we approach Saint Joseph’s Day on March 19, I’ll tell you about some of the traditions of this major feast day in Southern Italy and Sicily. Sardines are…
Ceramics with Spirit
Susanna de Simone created this ceramic plate. She was born in Palermo in 1959, and from the time she was a child, has lived and breathed the art and technique of ceramics (Her father was a ceramist and her most influential mentor.). Her work, presented under the name La Fabbrica della Ceramica, can be seen…
Into the (Really Big) Frying Pan
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…