We are in Slovenia and Croatia for a few days before heading back to Italy. Porec is a nice little seatown on the coast of Istria, and there we had dinner at seafood restaurant Ulixes. The restaurant has a nice patio with an olive tree. They show the catch of the day to the guests to choose from, to be prepared in the oven with or without a salt crust. But I wanted to try a local typical dish called Scampi alla Busara.
First we shared the seafood antipasti (called Mediterranean platter on the menu). Octopus salad, bacalà (salted cod) salad, salmon with capers, sardines, and the most interesting: shrimp with almonds and onions. This was all very delicious and so good we could have finished a plate each.
Next came the Scampi alla Busara: scampi cooked in a delicious sauce with tomatoes, white wine, onions, and garlic. You have to get your hands dirty when eating this dish, but it is worth it. The scampi are great with the sauce, which is also very tasty to be mobbed up with bread. I will definitely make my own version of this dish when we get home, and post the recipe on the blog.
With all of this we had a nice bottle of Malvasia, the local white wine (which in Italy is not often bottled in purezza but instead blended with other grapes).
To finish chocolate cake with a tart compote of red fruits, very nice as well. The dessert wine was unfortunately served too warm.
Ulixes is a great seafood restaurant in Porec. The service is very friendly, both English and Italian are spoken, but a bit less attentive and efficient when it gets busy. Also the kitchen seemed to have a hard time keeping up when it goes busy. But otherwise a good restaurant that I’ll be sure to visit next time I’m in Porec.
Stefan's Gourmet Blog 
Have had a few fond Croatian friends but never been in the country. Love the atmosphere of the place: the dim lights and widely-set tables: remember a few such in the backblocks of Cote d’Azur . . . The seafood platter and the berry compote with some local wine would have been more than pleasing . . . lucky you . . .
LikeLiked by 1 person
Continuate così, con questi piattini monacali! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Adoro gli scampi alla bùsara!! Condisco perfino la pasta! Un milione di anni fa abbiamo fatto un viaggio in quella che era ancora la Jugoslavia e non ho mai dimenticato i crostacei mangiati in particolare di una cittadina che si chiama Makarska (o Macarsca), sulla costa della Croazia.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Abbiamo pensato ache noi che la salsa andrebbe benissimo per condire la pasta come primo piatto.
LikeLike
Grandi buongustai!!
http://silvarigobello.com/2013/09/09/spaghetti-con-scampi-alla-busara/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Naturalmente hai la ricetta sul blog 🙂 Nel ristorante non ho notato il peperoncino (però forse senza semi non era forte) e con tante cipolle.
LikeLike
Oooh Croatia!! Have a great time and I can’t wait to see some of her recipes you come up with… p.s. The scampi dish looks wonderful and the best food requires getting your hands messy right?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Stefan,
Thank you so much for writing about our restaurant, we are a small family owned fish restaurant with almost 30 years tradition. My brother and me are working outside on the terrace with guests, our mother is the chef and our father is the one responsible for the fish and supplies, which is his passion as he was a professional fisherman himself. Additionally, the specialty of this restaurant is the Istrian version of surf and turf: seafood and truffles. Surf includes calamari, octopus salad, scampi, shells and fresh fish, plus less common varieties such as ray, saint Peter fish, scorpion fish and turbot. Truffles can be served with steaks, in pasta or as part of starters such as sheep cheese or Carpaccio, plus there are daily offers like you saw during your stay. In case you plan to visit Istria again please contact us so we can share some experiences, recipes or perhaps give you some advices what and where to go as the region is rich when it comes to gastronomy and wines.
Kindest regards,
Mr.Sc Luka Maleš
00385989600790
LikeLiked by 1 person
I find it really cool that you’ve tried “skampi na buzaru”! I’m originally Croatian and have eaten and made this dish many times myself. However, this buzara on the photo looks a bit runny. If you’re planning on making it yourself, I suggest making more sauce (the scampis actually need to swim in the sauce) and it should have a nice grainy thick consistency. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Irena, for your nice comment. Do you have a recipe?
LikeLike
Love to visit Croatia someday! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person