Uliassi

This restaurant, situated in the fishing port of this beautiful and touristy town, is considered one of the temples of fish in Italy. Each day, boats unload the best that the Adriatic has to offer: fish and shellfish of extraordinary quality, exultant with freshness. As a result, raw materials are the first and greatest element of the cuisine of Mauro Uliassi, who makes a monograph of the sea. The raw Adriatic is his greatest obsession, and this line of work has innumerable examples. Such is the case that a tasting menu is offered consisting only of raw preparations; and there is another with cod as the only protagonist, in which its personality dictates with marked Basque inspiration. Going back to the heat-less preparations, there are no less than 10 here, all of them with the clear objective of defining a style. And the truth is that the chef, with carpaccios and tartars, with sushi, mixed with a myriad of ingredients and seasonings with all types of condiments and sauces, succeeds in dazzling the diner, who appreciates the deliberateness of creating an Italian alternative to sushi.

The sliced baby calamari with nori seaweed pesto and sesame; the ricciòla, or greater amberjack, or Mediterranean yellowtail, with coconut milk in the style of friend Antonio Mattei, with sea urchin ice cream; the swordfish with green apple and mango brunoise; the cod esqueixada (salad); the sea bass with grapefruit and pink grapefruit juice emulsified with celery; the turbot with fried sage and port reduction; the sole tartar with lemon and asparagus; the Norway lobster with tamarind; the monkfish with pealed beans, olive puree and bacon crunch; and the semi-raw spaghetti, crisp and cold, with lemon and raw fish.

Employing a similar philosophy, Mauro Uliassi is seeking perspectives in pairings of fish and fruit. In addition to some already described, deserving mention are the red mullets with melon, melon sauce, diced terrine of foie gras and balsamic aiguillettes, as well as the tuna tataki, golden and red, with pineapple and basil, peppers and soy caramel.

Shellfish and fish also take on an omnipresent protagonism in the extensive and brilliant pasta section. Needing mention are the spaghetti “Verrigni” with tomato, herbs and crustaceans; the rigatoni “Latini” with cod and olives; and the linguine “Gerardo Di Nola” with small anchovies and anchovy juice.

Making history on the menu are the tagliatelle with murex sauce, the peacock blennies in brochette, and the hermetically sealed glass jar containing a myriad of crustaceans with the aroma of white truffles, cooked at low temperature—a veritable marine jewel.