Grilled Adriatic White Fish - a Typical Dalmatian Gastronomic Postcard

In its multiple variants, barbecue exists worldwide, but probably nowhere else does it have such ritual significance and generally accepted respect as in these parts. And the Adriatic fish that lets its juices ooze, sizzle and gives off a wonderful smell on the grill is a typical and most common gastronomic postcard of  Zadar and its region.

All the secrets of Dalmatian grill

What is so appealing about grilled fish is its simplicity. Apart from salt, fish prepared in this way almost does not tolerate any other seasoning, only good olive oil, which we coat over the fish with a sprig of rosemary while grilling and pour it over when it is done. However, the most important thing is that fish get on the grill from the sea as soon as possible to arrive as fresh as possible from their marine habitats on the red glowing gradele.

Another thing is that, no matter how simple this way of preparing food may be, you need a good knowledge of grilling fish. Fire or grill control, careful salting, the ability to cut it in the right place so that the fish is done evenly, grilling time, intuition and experience are all the qualities of a good grill master. These nuances distinguish those who know how to grill fish from those who will "mess it up".

There are almost no fish, crabs or shellfish in the Adriatic Sea that we do not grill. Oily fish like sardines, mackerel and tuna is the most delicious from the grill, no matter how many other recipes we may use to prepare these fish. The smell and taste of grilled fresh shrimp from the Velebit Channel or mussels and Noah's arks that take less than a minute to open up on live coals are intoxicating gourmet experiences because, in essence, they retain the original flavours of the sea in them.

However, what is grilled and evokes the most respect and makes even a full person’s mouth-watering is oborita or white fish, the fish from the stony sea bottom. Common dentex, the gilt-head bream and sea- bass are on the first line of the highest quality Adriatic fish, followed by two-banded bream, sargo, striped seabream, common pandora, black seabream and Kavala. There are only two fish in the royal most appreciated category: the John Dory and the grouper. Although we adore these fish grilled, still we Zadar prefer to prepare them in some other ways, just boiled, lešo, or in brodet and gregada. 

"Taverna Diklo" - a high standard of Zadar's sea gastronomy 

Many restaurants in Zadar base their menus on seafood gastronomy and fresh fish grilled on the omnipresent grill. One of the first restaurants that back in the mid-'70s opted for such a culinary concept, along with several other Zadar restaurants of the time, was "Taverna Diklo", more precisely its owner Ivo Milin. Located in the once-independent town of Diklo, today a district of Zadar, "Taverna Diklo" set a high standard and basic framework of a typical Dalmatian seafood restaurant that uncompromisingly offers the best and freshest seafood.

Even before now-retired Ivo took over the running of the restaurant,  his grandfather Ante Špaleta for years had owned a village tavern, spit-roasted lambs and sucklings and prepared brunches for his guests. It was the same place, on the coast of the western part of Diklo, where the famous Zadar sunsets appear most beautiful. When, in 1975, the grandfather left the job to his grandson, young Ivo, seeing that more and more tourists were coming to Zadar every summer, decided to freshen up the restaurant. The interior was slightly renovated, but all the features of the old tavern remained untouched, including natural stone walls.

The new menu turned to the sea, especially grilled fish, the freshest crabs and shellfish, and seafood risottos. Black cuttlefish risotto, which is still cooked according to Milin's mother Tina's recipe, is an exceptional gastronomic experience, a dish you will never miss again once you try it.

"Taverna Diklo" quickly became a popular, almost famous place, a restaurant that always requires an earlier reservation. Famous guests like Michael Schumacher, who even wanted to buy a villa in Diklo, started visiting it. In 1990, this grilled top-quality Adriatic fish was enjoyed by the then German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and the renowned Croatian diplomat Budimir Lončar.

Another world-famous face is almost anecdotally connected with "Taverna Diklo". The famous football player originally from Zadar, Luka Modrić, trained at the football school of the Football Club "Zadar" in the 90s. At that time, Ivo Milin was one of the volunteer members of the Management Board and a sponsor of the club, so he bought several new jerseys for the young football beginner-players (Brazilian national team, the then world champion) on a trip to Germany. He sewed the name of his restaurant on the upper part of the jersey, of which one reached the hands of young Modrić. This is how someone took the photo of the boy Luka wearing a jersey with the inscription "Taverna Diklo", which many later called the marketing "move of the century".

Today, "Taverna Diklo" is run by Ivo Milin's son Ante, just as successfully as his father did it. A spacious terrace is full of guests almost all day long, and they enjoy both the Zadar's sunsets and seafood (and meat) specialities always prepared from fresh sea fish, shrimps and shellfish. Ante did not change his father's simple culinary concept, so the barbecue with simple wire grill over red hot live coals and still the central part of the "Taverna Diklo" cuisine.

The same fishermen bring their freshest and best catches to the restaurant every day. For them, the workplace is the sea, the same sea that sometimes caresses and sometimes breaks on the coast of Diklo, once a peasant village, and today a tourist oasis right there, a few metres from the widely known and respected "Taverna Diklo".