Royal Scampi Buzara at Niko Restaurant, a Zadar Culinary Institution

On the seasonal menu of the famous Ducasse main restaurant at the Parisian luxury Hôtel Plaza Athénée from 2016, the most expensive dish was composed of scampi and caviar and it cost 195 EUR. Thus, the scampi came out on top of the list of the most expensive foods in the world in general. This orange-pink crab of tender tail meat and sweet-salty taste only confirmed its privileged, royal status in the world of good seafood.

Secret Hiding Places of the Best Scampi in Zadar Hinterland

Fresh scampi, in all their sizes, are almost regularly available at the local fish market in Zadar and other fresh fish shops, practically all year round, although the main hunting season for this charming and lively crab begins in March. Namely, deep in the Zadar hinterland, there is the vast Velebit channel and the nearby closed Novigrad Sea normally abundant with good seafood, and these micro locations are among the few in the Adriatic that are well populated by large groups of scampi. Until about 40 years ago, the Zadar channel was also rich in scampi, but, unfortunately, due to the overfishing at the time, they were almost exterminated.

Anyhow, in Zadar, scampi dishes are common, especially at fish restaurants. Whatever scampi dish you choose, it is important to always make sure that the scampi is completely fresh, brightly coloured, without traces of brown or green spots in the area of the head, and it is best when it arrives in the kitchen still alive. Which is easy to achieve in Zadar.

The most renowned fish restaurant in Zadar, and one of the most respected in Croatia is the "Niko" Restaurant, where scampi dishes are the most significant specialties. It is at this Restaurant that you will find an original Croatian scampi dish - buzara - but first of all, you need to learn some things about the "Niko" Restaurant, this Zadar culinary institution that has existed for 58 years. "Niko" started out as a small inn on the outskirts of the city back in 1963, in the Zadar area of Puntamika, when its founder Niko Pavin and his wife Šimica-Mimica started the first private restaurant in Zadar. The Pavin couple used to make their menu daily exclusively from fresh fish, crabs and shellfish, preparing them in a simple and traditional way to preserve the original flavours. The restaurant quickly became very popular with the local people, but also with tourists who started visiting Zadar more and more and discovering all its beauties, as well as good food.

In particular, one detail is interesting for our story about scampi: the head chef, Mrs Mimica, used to prepare between 50 and 100 kg of scampi a day in those first decades, mostly on buzara. And on top of everything else that her husband Niko would bring her from the fishermen and from the fish market! It is not unusual that Mimica got another interesting nickname – Škamparuša (Scampette)

"Niko" Restaurant - The Path from an Inn on the City Outskirts to a Posh Restaurant

Today, Mrs Mimica and Mr Niko are no longer alive, and the business is run by their son Erik, who has been spending time at the restaurant almost constantly since he was a child. Erik and his wife Rada, with their daughters Nikolina, Sara and Erika, share the same passion for the catering business, respect for good food and good dishes, and especially for their numerous guests. With many of them, and guests have been coming to the "Niko" Hotel & Restaurant from almost all over the world, they maintain friendly relations. The small inn from the 60s was remodelled into a posh, elegant restaurant, and above it they built a small exclusive hotel with 20 perfectly decorated rooms and suites that are booked almost throughout the year.

In its long history, many world-famous names, among them singers, musicians, athletes, politicians, or otherwise prominent people have been guests of the "Niko" Restaurant. Michael Schumacher ate here at the peak of his career, then the famous Paco de Lucia, three years ago the globally popular rocker Jon Bon Jovi, even before them actors Kirk Douglas and Yul Brynner, Ottavio Missoni, Otto von Harsburg, the best tennis player of today, Novak Đoković, and his colleague from Zadar, Borna Ćorić, and many, many others. One of the best football players in the world, Luka Modrić, is a regular guest at the "Niko" Restaurant when he comes to his hometown of Zadar, and one of the best Croatian basketball players of all time, NBA player Stojko Vranković is a friend of the Pavin family and a frequent guest of the restaurant. That is how the famous photo of two renowned athletes, Modrić and Vranković, was taken at the "Niko" Restaurant, which, you can conclude why yourself, has travelled around the world.

Luka Modrić and Stojko Vranković are regular guests at the "Niko" Restaurant

Everything has changed at "Niko" since 1963, the modest inn has become a well-known temple of good food, and all because the ways of preparing food have been preserved to this day. The freshness of fish, crabs and shellfish, as well as simple meal preparation and guest satisfaction are the absolute priorities with the Pavin catering family. Their showcase is always full of fresh fish and, of course, large alive scampi caught in traps in the Velebit channel. Sometimes from the Novigrad Sea as well, from where two record holders once arrived with a total weight of 1.05 kg, each of the 'twins' weighed more than half a kilogramme.

Recipe for the Best Scampi Buzara Has Remained Unchanged Since 1963

Even today, scampi buzara is prepared in the restaurant kitchen according to the recipe of the first cook, Mrs Mimica. Researchers of culinary history claim that this way of preparing mussels or crabs is an original Croatian dish, although according to some sources the name of the dish is related to the cauldron in which food was once prepared for the crew on Venetian galleys (busara, buzzara). The main features of the dish are fast preparation and knowledge of the chef to preserve the taste originality of the food.

The cook at the "Niko" Restaurant, Vesna Bulatović, prepares scampi buzara every day in this original way by Mrs Mimica: she puts a certain amount of scampi on a heated pan or shallow dish to fry a little without any oil, but then pours a little good cognac and lights them on fire, because of the aroma, and because of the need to burn the ‘moustache’ of the crabs. Only then will she pour a little olive oil into the bowl, and then add: previously stewed red onion, garlic and parsley, a few spoons of bread crumbs and plenty of good white wine, in our case a glass of pošip by the Zadar winery "Degarra". In the second half of the total time needed to prepare this dish, prepared in only 20 minutes, Vesna adds smaller amounts of fish stock and stock of boiled scampi heads to dilute and season the boiled sauce, and finally she adds a little salt and pepper to the dish.

And the dish is ready. On the plate we got an enchanting, creamy, and slightly sweet sauce with whole scampi. It only took a little skill to extract the most valuable thing from this crab of royal prestige - the tender meat from the tail in which the taste of the clear sea still remained. Connoisseurs know how to enjoy the delights hidden in the scampi head and the meat from the tongs, and especially in the thick sauce overwhelmingly searching to combine it with some more warm bread.

Bon appétit to you too, scampi buzara at the "Niko" Hotel & Restaurant is waiting for you!