Original recipes from Split area
You might be wondering what sort of food Croatia has in store. Whilst we did talk about the various cuisine Croatia has in our other blog post, we failed to mention how you can prepare some of these delicacies. But don’t worry, we’re here to tell you some of the most popular and delicious dishes ranging from fish, meat and dessert menus!
Croatia‘s cuisine evolved from Turkish & Venetian cuisine, since it was under rule by both parties at some point throughout history. Luckily for us, we kept their delicious food and recipes, adapting them into our own. Whilst we do explain the process how to make these recipes, it’s important to remember that everyone has a different method of preparing them. So let’s start off by mentioning the fish variant of recipes first off, seeing as how we are in the Dalmatian area.
Original recipes from Split area: Seafood cuisine
Grilled fish
Step 1: Clean and dry out the fish
Step 2: Oil up and spice up the fish in room temperature
Step 3: Pre-heat the grill to about 200-230 celsius, scrape the grill and then oil up the grill
Step 4: Place the fish on the grill and leave it there to grill for 8 to 10 minutes for every 3 centimeters of fish thickness.
Step 5: When the fish is done on the bottom side and is easily removed from the grill, we flip it over to the other side; if it can’t be removed easily, leave it on the grill for a couple of more minutes.
Step 6: Wait for the other side to be done for another 8 to 10 minutes before carefully removing it from the grill before eating it. 🙂
Fish in salt
Step 1: Clean and dry out the fish
Step 2: Place a lemon slice, half a clove of garlic and a small branch of rosemary, thyme and parsley before placing the fish on a casserole and covering it in coarse sea salt.
Step 3: Whisk one egg white in a bowl and mix it up with the rest of the coarse sea salt and chopped up rosemary, thyme and parsley so we can get thick homogeneous fat.
Step 4: Use the made homogeneous fat to slather the fish entirely, making sure there’s not one bit of fish exposed. You don’t need to worry about your fish being too salty as the egg white makes a type of protection which makes the fish stay juicy.
Step 5: Place the prepared fish in a pre-heated 200 celsius oven for about 35 minutes. To know the fish is done, we grab a fork and stab the fish at it’s thickest part and leave the fork in for a couple of seconds before pulling out. If the fork is warm, it means that the fish is done.
Step 6: We break the salt and remove it along with the skin of the fish, using a meat batter is recommended. Carefully remove the fillet from the bones and voilla! Serve the fish fillets with some cooked vegetables and enjoy your meal!
Fish under Peka
Step 1: Clean and dry the fish before salting and peppering it.
Step 2: Cut up the potatoes and vegetables in larger chunks.
Step 3: In the baking dish, place the fish in the middle and the vegetables around it and adding olives and cappers on top of everything. Cover the dish in olive oil and sprinkle a little bit of mediterranean spices.
Step 4: Put the prepared fish under a pre-heated “peka” before covering the “Peka” bell with the still hot charcoal, leaving it to cook for aprox. 1 hour.
Step 5: After 30 minutes of the first hour, lift up the “peka” before pouring some white wine onto the fish and then closing it back up again for another 30 minutes.
Mussels on the Buzar
Step 1: Clean the mussels off of their scales with a brush in cold water so the mussels don’t open up. When you finish cleaning them, take them out of the water, cover the bowl up and then place it in the refrigerator.
Step 2: Finely cut garlic and parsley.
Step 3: Pour olive oil into the pot just so it covers the bottom, not more. On a light flame heat up the oil and toss in the garlic and fry it, but not enough to make it stink. Add in the parsley and stir it with the two ingredients.
Step 4: Take out the mussels from the refrigerator, drain out the remaining water from them before putting them in the pot. Stir it all together so the parsley and garlic mix in with the mussels. Close the lid. NEVER salt the mussels because they will add their own saltiness, unless you want them to be too salty.
Step 5: Occasionally stir the pot, but not too often. When the mussels start to open up, douse them with vine and stir. Leave them like that for some time until it starts to boil.
Step 6: Then, between the mussels made a hole in which you will keep adding bread crumbs. Carefully keep adding the bread crumbs whilst at the same time stirring the bread crumbs into the liquid. The bread crumbs will allow the sauce to lightly thicken. Now just stir it all together and leave it for another minute inside the closed pot.
Step 7: When you see the mussels opening up, turn off the stove and serve them to enjoy.
Rice with seafood
Step 1: Cut up the carrot and celery, press the garlic and cut up the squid and young onions in small circles.
Step 2: Add two-three spoons of heated olive oil into the pot, followed by the young onions and carrots. Leave the ingredients to fry until the carrot goes a bit soft.
Step 3: Add in the garlic and chopped squid, frying them on medium to high heat for around 3 to 4 minutes. After that we add in the rice before lightly frying it so it soaks up the fat of frying.
Step 4: After a minute or two we add in white vine into the pot and wait for the rice to soak up the liquid. Continue cooking the rice until the wanted hardness.
Step 5: After 15 or so minutes we add in the tails of prawns, mussels, chopped up celery stalk before pouring the broth on top whilst contantly mixing it all together. Cooking the rice for another 5 minutes.
Step 6: We’ll more the rice from the fire, spice it up with salt and pepper, add in parsley, pour in a little of olive oil, stir it, close the pot up with a lid and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
Step 7: The meal is done and ready to eat!
Šibenski Cod brudet
Step 1: We’ll start off by cooking the Cod that has been staying in water for at least 2 hours beforehand. Place the Cod in a cold salted pot of water, adding a little bit of onion, garlic, peppercorn and bay leaf (For at least 1 hour). Save the water from cooking.
Step 2: Separate the bones from the Cod but do not throw away the skin from it, that’s the sweetest part in the “Bakalar”
Step 3: Yellow up the large onion in olive oil.
Step 4: Add in the Cod and lightly stir it together.
Step 5: Add in the garlic and parsley.
Step 6: Add in tomatoe sauce.
Step 7: Add in large chunks of peeled potatoes before covering it in water until it covers up the Cod and potatoes.
Step 8: Add in spaghetti
Step 9: Add in a large spoon of honey, a little sage, pepper and salt, 2 dcl. of white vine.
Step 10. Let it simmer lightly for at least 1 to 1 and a half hours before serving and eating.
Original recipes from Split area: Meat cuisine
You might have been shocked to see how many seafood based recipes we have, but don’t worry if you aren’t a fan of it. We’ll transition to our loyal meat lovers now, showing you some of the traditional recipes that Croatia and the surrounding area are known for. The taste of meat being one that most if not all are well acquainted with. So perk up and focus your attention, because you surely wouldn’t like to miss out on these recipes.
Veal peka
Step 1: Make a hot crackling fire and allow it to burn down to hot coals.
Step 2: Place all the ingredients except the wine in the peka pan. Cover with a lid before placing it in the prepared hearth and pile the hot coals on top of the dome.
Step 3: Cook for 1 hour, remove the peka dome and carefully turn over the meat and vegetable, add the wine then cover it back up again the same way. Cook it for an additional 45 minutes or until the meat is tender and vegetables are soft before serving.
Skradinski rizot
Step 1: Saute red onions on olive oil or fat for 20 minutes, salting it lightly after 10 minutes of doing so.
Step 2: Add in cubes of veal and saute them until the veal is dried up, followed by lightly brothing it until the meat is completely cooked.
Step 3: By Sauting the meat for at least 6-7 minutes you should get it to a consistency alike to pate.
Step 4: Add in the rice and continue to simmer it with broth. Spice it up with salt, pepper and nutmeg before serving.
Original recipes from Split area: Desserts
Croatia also has several other recipes like Čevapi or other versions of Peka that can have octopus or pork be their main ingredient instead of veal or fish. The country being adaptable with a wide variety of recipes. So those of us that have a bit of a sweet tooth will be delighted to hear and taste some of the delicious dessert dishes Croatia has to offer. After all, desserts are well loved by everyone; and there’s always just a little bit of room left to enjoy them after a hearty meal.
Semifredo
Step 1: On Steam, stir the yolks with sugar until the sugar melts
Step 2: Fry the hazelnuts or almonds in a pan
Step 3: Grind the nuts in a blender briefly
Step 4: Melt the sugar to caramel, mix the almonds with the caramel and spread them in a thin layer on a try that has been moistened with cold water.
Step 5: Grind them up briefly once more in a blender.
Step 6: Add in the hazelnuts or almonds into the yolk mixture before adding frosting
Step 7: Pour in the mixture into a venison back mold lined with foil
Step 8: Leave it in the refrigerator until it hardens
Step 9: Serve it with chocolate sauce
Panna Cotta
Step 1: Mix in gelatin with a couple of spoonfuls of water and let it swell up in a cup
Step 2: In the mean time heat up milk, cream, sugar and vanilla sugar.
Step 3: Move the pot from the fire and after a couple of minutes add in the gelatin, stirring it until it melts.
Step 4: Pour into a mold (that has been soaked in water) and let it cool down, after which put it in the refrigerator.
Step 5: Before serving it needs to stay in the refrigerator at least 5 hours. It can last covered in foil a couple of days.
Step 6: Pour your preferred dressing on top.
Step 7: Briefly boil some fruit with sugar (make sure it doesn’t fall apart!). When it cools down, pour it on top of the prepared dessert.
And just like that you can have a bit of Croatia in your home. Experiment and try out various recipes to add more spice in your daily life. Let’s hope this pandemic that is currently plaguing the world ends quickly so you can taste and experience all the tastes and flavour of Croatia personally. The country is full of opportunities just waiting for you to take, whether it be going on a tour to Krka from Split or exploring the old towns.
All in all, there’s more to Croatia than meets the eyes. Enjoy delicacies after bringing the recipes to life. Croatia being chock-full of new adventures and recipes to discover, whether you want to learn more about Croatia or explore the country on your own two feet when you come visit.
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Original recipes from Split area
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