This is one of those plates that happen when good ingredients meet minimal intervention. A thick slice of brioche, lightly toasted until the edges crisp and the crumb warms through. On top: a generous spoonful of artisan trout-roe tarama — creamy, saline, subtly smoky — the kind of spread that’s already a complete pleasure on its own.
Bronte pistachios are the green gold of Sicily. Grown on the volcanic slopes around Catania, protected by a DOP and harvested only every second year, they deliver a deep, almost buttery aroma that transforms even a simple pasta into something unique. This dish is one of the island’s modern signatures: prawns, pistachio cream, and spaghetti coated in a rich, nutty sauce with just enough sweetness from the shellfish to balance the earthiness of the pistacchio.
This dish is a twist of a Lyon classic ( namely pike quenelles in Nantua sauce ) with a touch of seaside : delicate fish, plump shrimps, butter-basted quenelles and a silky Nantua sauce built on crayfish flavour (or shrimp shells, if you adapt it). It’s elegant but unfussy—a perfect showcase for clean seafood flavours lifted by French technique. Pan-seared cherry tomatoes and mushrooms bring colour and depth, turning the plate into something warm, bistro-style and satisfying.
A true Belgian icon: the tomato stuffed with North Sea grey shrimp. Fresh, salty, delicate, and wonderfully simple. The whole dish relies on top-quality ingredients — ripe tomatoes, hand-peeled grey shrimp, and a light creamy dressing. Add some crisp vegetables and a hard-boiled egg, and you’ve got a perfect brasserie plate, especially with a good Belgian beer.
Few dishes scream Belgian comfort quite like moules au vert. It’s a bowl of steaming mussels coated in a vibrant green sauce bursting with herbs, garlic and freshness. The colour is striking, the flavour is deep but clean, and it turns a humble pot of mussels into something refined and aromatic.
Light, fluffy, and unctuous, fiskekaker are a comforting staple of Norwegian home cooking. These delicate fish cakes, often made from cod or haddock, have a mild flavour and melt-in-the-mouth texture that embodies the essence of Nordic simplicity. Traditionally served with boiled potatoes, steamed vegetables, or nestled in a soft bun, they pair wonderfully with romsås, a creamy mayonnaise-based sauce with fish roe and gherkins that adds a bright, tangy contrast.
A Venetian classic, baccalà mantecato is one of those dishes that prove simplicity and patience can create magic. In Venice, it’s often served as cicchetti — the city’s version of tapas — spread generously on crostini or grilled polenta.
Here I’ve gone for golden pan-fried polenta rectangles, crisp on the outside and creamy within, paired with the airy, whipped salt cod spread.
A little Italian nostalgia.
This dish is an ode to those unforgettable southern flavors — the sweetness of the Mediterranean, the creaminess of burrata, and the freshness of handmade egg pasta.
Mazara del Vallo shrimps are the true stars here — ruby-red jewels from the Sicilian Channel, prized for their delicate sweetness and buttery texture. Served raw, they melt beautifully into the warm fettuccine, releasing all their oceanic perfume.
Seared Scallops à la Normande — A Classic from the Northern French Coast
There is something irresistibly elegant about Norman cuisine — a celebration of the sea, the orchard and the dairy farm, all united under the golden glow of butter. This dish is a perfect embodiment of that spirit: pan-seared scallops served with a creamy reduction of cider, leeks, mushrooms and Calvados.
A memory of Bari, served in silence before sunset.
There are pastas that feel like a recipe.
And there are pastas that feel like someone opened the balcony door and offered us a view of the sea.
Romsås: The Classic Swedish Sauce for Seafood Lovers
If you love Scandinavian seafood culture, this is one sauce you need to know. Romsås is the cold, creamy Swedish condiment that quietly appears beside smoked salmon, pickled herring and crayfish and not only elevates them but steals the show.
Shrimp & Artichoke Spaghetti — Improvised Italian Alchemy 🍤
This dish was born not from a recipe, but from that glorious instinct to raid the pantry and make it taste like Salento.
🍤 Shrimp & Garlic Butter Egg Noodles with Cherry Tomatoes and Fresh Basil 🌿
(The five-minute miracle that makes working from home bearable)
