Buzara Made of Novigrad Mussels - a Top Delicacy Available to Everyone

Now is the time for it. June, July, August and September - that's when mussel is the tastiest. It prepares for autumn spawning and pumps the seawater as if connected to electricity. It filters litres and litres of seawater in just one hour and picks up large amounts of plankton on which it lives and which makes it so delicious. Mussels contain selenium, iron, folic acid, vitamins A and B, iodine and zinc. Of all shellfish, mussels have the highest levels of omega-three fatty acids. Folic acid and vitamin B12 will remove fatigue, confusion and prevent nerve damage.

Mussels are the best in the Novigrad Sea

The Novigrad Sea is a small but precious bay at the foot of the southern slopes of Velebit and only 30 kilometres away from Zadar. It's so valuable due to its richness in plankton and chlorophyll, which has made it ideal for growth and mussel farming in recent decades. Because of traditions and research conducted by scientists at the University of Zadar, this seashell precisely in this sea is the most valuable in its composition, the fullest in meat, and the most pleasant in taste in the entire Adriatic. And it certainly surpasses the flavour and content of mussels grown along the ocean coasts. That is why in 2019, the Novigrad mussel received transitional protection from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Croatia called "Novigrad mussel" - a protected label of authenticity. After that, the protection procedure continued before the bodies of the European Commission, and soon, it is expected to obtain a European protected label of authenticity. In layman's terms, the secret of this mussel meat's value and vibrant taste is the vast amount of food that comes from the coast. Namely, there is the mouth of the river Zrmanja, which stretches almost 70 km from Lika. A large and unknown number of invisible sources of freshwater feed the sea with minerals from the land and lowers its salinity. Ideal for mussels!

Residents of Novigrad, a picturesque fishing village the Novigrad Sea was named after, both out of necessity and pleasure, have lived with and on mussels for centuries. They fed on its meat, prepared it in, today, rare dishes, and sold it, mostly in nearby Zadar. Today, the people of Novalja no longer extract mussels from the sea in the exact quantities as before. That is why in the Novigrad Sea in recent decades, mussels have been grown in seven or eight farms from which they go to the market throughout Croatia. It is precisely such mussels, grown in their natural environment in a dozen small farms, that are regularly enjoyed by the people of Zadar and by many tourists who come to this city. A black shell full of meat with a new taste of crystal clear sea has long been one of the most distinct signs related to Zadar's gastronomy. It is almost unthinkable to stay in Zadar and not enjoy some of the dishes prepared with mussels. And true connoisseurs will not miss the opportunity to taste it fresh, just opened, with a few drops of lemon.

Trattoria "Mediterraneo" - a charming temple of superb food 

Novigrad mussels are, therefore, common and generally available in many Zadar restaurants. Thus, several dishes with mussels are invariably on the menu at the Trattoria "Mediterraneo" in the old centre of Zadar, not far from the remains of the Roman Forum and the church of St. Donatus. "Mediterraneo" is run by chef Robert Pinto, who spent more than 20 years in the Italian province of Veneto. He was a cook there and learned from others. He first opened one restaurant in Venice, and later even two, and only a few years ago, he returned to Zadar full of culinary knowledge and experience. He opened a tiny but charming trattoria whose name immediately suggested Pinto's culinary "programme".

The interior of this decent restaurant is decorated with special attention and taste - paintings by the Zadar painter Silvijana Dražović, old photographs of Zadar, and family photos, even with fragments of ceramics from past centuries. And Robert arranges the menu in a similar, careful way. The dishes are made exclusively from seasonal and fresh ingredients that he purchases from small family and ecological farms in the vicinity of Zadar. His extended stay in Italy broadened his culinary horizons, primarily in his approach to preparing the best pasta sauces. But mussels have a special place in the kitchen of chef Robert; he paid particular attention to this shell, respecting the traditional methods of preparing it.

Pinto, for example, has seafood sauce with spaghetti in which mussels are the "main star" on the menu almost all year round. However, for a simple cold and light appetizer, the chef will offer - smoked mussel meat. The meat taken out from fresh mussels is smoke-cured very briefly using a technique he discovered himself. Mussels thus acquire a specific aroma, a different "patina" of taste, which the chef will complete with just a few drops of olive oil. Mussel participates in the rhapsody of flavours in Pinto's Zadar cream fish soup. The chef makes it by putting three types of stock in one plate: crabs, fish and vegetables. Then he adds white fish fillets, a whole shrimp, and, of course, mussels, which open in the soup at the very end of cooking. Due to the richness of taste, such fish soup can make a main, refreshing dish, and it does not need the usual, and so dull addition to fish soup - rice.

Buzara made of  mussels in the manner of chef Robert

Still, the most important dish at "Mediterraneo" is buzara made of mussels. Buzara is a typical dish of Zadar and Dalmatia with seashells or crabs. In the basic recipe, too many spices should not break down the freshness of the food and its original taste. Use only olive oil, garlic, parsley, some bread crumbs, pepper and, if you wish, a few drops of wine. Chef Robert has enriched the recipe with another addition - tomato sauce. The dish is prepared by steaming the mussels in olive oil until they begin to open and release the sea and flavours from its interior. He will then add a few tablespoons of the sauce he previously prepared exclusively from fresh tomatoes. The dish will further thicken with half a tablespoon of bread crumbs, flavoured with a few drops of white dry premium wine, and finished with a teaspoonful of crushed garlic previously mixed with olive oil. To end it, sprinkle a handful of chopped parsley and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper – and the dish is ready to serve.

Mussels prepared in this method should be eaten immediately and offhand while they are warm. This is the best way to experience the original Mediterranean simple but also full, sumptuous flavours. The mussel, the black queen of the Novigrad Sea, the best in the world, reveals its full splendour.

And not to forget, you don't need cutlery; you eat it with your fingers and freshly baked bread that chef Robert Pinto and his team make only when the dish is ordered. So, yes, it is a typical and traditional Zadar - finger food!