EAT IN ASIA / Destinations / Other destinations / Europe / Croatia
Mussels in a tomato sauce - Dagnje na Buzaru - Mussels alla buzara (red)
Croatia loves seafood. Squids, mussels, prawns, octopus or fish is widely available in every coastal city. The bigger the city is, the bigger the choice is. Depending on the season and the region different types are dominating. In some parts, different fish spices create the major part in the menu, in others, seafood is the loved one.
Among the seafood, mussels are the most popular. Served as a starter or as a main course. Boiled in a sauce that basis on a white wine, garlic and herbs. To that comes the sauce. White or red.
The first one we had in Trogir. A beautiful, small town close to Split. Trogir is a perfect place not only for a day excursion while being in Split, but also a great place to spend there a couple of days. Especially if you would like to enjoy the whole atmosphere of the historical city. A lot of churches, old buildings, historical mansions, cobbled streets and a lot small restaurants offering tasty food. Add to that a beautiful promenade, that you could walk from one side to another and enjoy the view. From the promenade you also have a view on the Ciovo Island, that can be reached via two car bridges connecting Trogir and the island. Although a small one, still worth visiting as views on the sea and Trogir are beautiful from there.
After a walk around the central part of Trogir, we headed to the promenade. The weather was good. Neither too hot, nor too cold. Warm, with a delicate, refreshing wind. A lot of sun, bright colors and charming restaurants. We chose one of them that had, for us, the best view and which menu had seafood mains.
That was the place, where our first mussels in Croatia were eaten. The meal was named Mussels alla Buzara or if you prefer it in Croatian – Dagnje na Buzaru.
Buzara-style mussels are, generally speaking, mussels cooked in a wonderful sauce made of olive oil, wine and garlic. In most recipes you will also find parsley that gives a characteristic taste but composes very well with garlic and wine. So, do not eliminate these dishes, even though you are not very keen on parsley. Well, if that does not convince you, maybe the fact that parsley is really healthy might be the one, that would do the job. Then comes the sauce - red or white, depending on the place and restaurant.
We were so excited. We were waiting for our lunch so impatiently and analyzing the way of serving it. Finally, they came. A big soup plate was full of big and mature mussels. A plenty of them was lying in front of me. Properly cleaned, garnished with finely chopped parsley. The tomato sauce was perfect. Light, but with a distinguishable olive oil flavor and of course with a lot of garlic. Wonderful! So aromatic!
All was garnished with a small cherry tomato and some rucola leaves. A small, but an aromatic lemon part was added too. All that composed a beautiful picture. Plenty of colors, plenty of flavors and an intensive aroma.
Mussels came with two small pita breads. Crunchy, warm and soft inside created a nice side-dish.
However, not only the serving part was good. The taste and the whole experience were perfect too. Mussels were well cooked, soft inside, easy opening and relatively big. Keeping and boiling them in the wine sauce let them absorb this unique aroma. Garlic and wine notes were distinguishable in each of them. The oily, but light tomato sauce was creating a refreshing feeling. More like a soup than a sauce, this sauce let you enjoy the tenderness of mussels. Add to that extra pita bread bites and you would have a well-balanced meal. And do not forget to use pita chunks to eat the sauce.
It was a pleasure to open each mussel and enjoy its tender and aromatic flesh. The proportion of the saltiness and spiciness was ideal. The amount of each component was tunning the flavor of delicate mussels and not killing it. Although additional spices were served, there was no need of using them.
Dagnje na Buzaru were great! Nothing to be said more. Add to that a glass or two of a white wine that would be a great fulfillment of the meal. Then, relax, admire views and enjoy your life.
If you are curious about other seafood dishes in Croatia, check these posts: Mussels in breadcrumps - Mussels alla buzara (white) and Grilled whole squids or a squid salad?
