AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is the first of three posts, featuring my favorite meals during My Trip in Italy.
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On my last night in Catania, seven of us went out to eat…
Here, the fish greeted you at the door as you walked in…
…and you could order it by the kilogram.
Many of us were overwhelmed by the possibilities, so Francesco asked the waiter to bring a selection of plates for the table.
At first, it started slow with some tuna and salmon tartare…
…and some silver scabbardfish with peppers and zucchini…
…but then the waiters brought caponata (with some fish included)…
…raw scampies…
…and an assortment of plates that included cooked and marinated sardines…
…raw swordfish salad with corn and fennel (up front)…
…mussels and potato croquettes (left), cuttlefish with mushrooms (center), and couscous (right).
I spent a good meal of time passing plate after plate, getting a sample of everything…
…only to need to shift things around because there were still more plates to pass and I needed more plate space (notice the raw shrimp at 12 o’clock and the octopus at 2 o’clock).
Finally, the waited filled the last of the table space with two plates of fried shrimp, calamari rings and baby squid…
…and the eating began!
As we ate, the plates continued to circulate.
Maybe you ate your shrimp, only to find the shrimp plate coming right back to you.
Or maybe you noticed a dish for the first time halfway into the meal (marinated anchovies) because there were just so many plates moving about that one or two didn’t move at all.
Still, in the end, I feel I’ve tasted everything and it was all so good.
It was definitely my type of meal!
Once the eating had slowed and most of the plates were either consumed or taken away, the waiter returned to ask if anyone wanted a first or second course.
Most of the table had decided against it, but Francesco was looking at me to see if I was willing to have some pasta.
I told him I would be happy to split whatever he chose and, fortunately, he chose the one pasta dish that looked really appealing to me…
…spaghetti with sea urchin sauce.
Although rich in flavor, I thought the pasta was refreshing and light…
…allowing just the tiniest bit of room for dessert.