Taste the culinary treasure of the Adriatic: best fish dishes from Croatia

This is a collaborative post.

Croatian cuisine will delight you with an exciting mix of Mediterranean flavours, oriental influences and hearty Slavic ingredients. Fish dishes dominate on the coasts of Kvarner Bay, in Istria and Dalmatia. In the interior, you can look forward to a more meat-heavy lamb and pork. 

One of the most prominent features of Croatian coastal cuisine is the strong influence of the delicious yet healthy Mediterranean culinary tradition, which includes plenty of olive oil, wine, garlic and, of course, fresh seafood. 

However, eating Croatian specialities is only one of the ways to enjoy the Croatian coast. The country is famous for its many islands, which are definitely worth exploring.

The easiest way to do this is by sea; so, get in touch with luxury yacht charter specialists and dive into the fantastic culinary world of the islands from your own yacht! In order to truly discover the wonders of Croatia, you need to eat like a local – and the Croatians love quality fish.

Types of fish you need to try in Croatia

Red scorpionfish (škarpina) has delicate, juicy meat, which makes it so highly prized. The common dentex (zubatac) is slightly cheaper and is more commonly offered in family menus on the coast. It has appetising rich meat that will make for a real Mediterranean culinary experience.

Due to its affordable price and delicious taste, the sardine (srdela) is definitely the most popular fish in Croatia. Grilled, boiled or fried, sardines are a simple, unpretentious dish available on every corner of the coast. 

Thanks to its amazing white flesh, the gilt-head bream (orada or komarča) is such a famous delicacy that fishermen called it the ‘queen of the sea’. It is found in the traditional Croatian fish recipe called ‘brudet’.

European sea bass (brancin) is a fast swimmer, but if you manage to catch it, the best thing to do is to throw it on the grill in the Dalmatian style, which is called ‘na gradele’.

Apart from these types of fish, other fresh seafood such as scampi, mussels, squid and tuna are particularly popular and complement the Mediterranean diet.

Whether you’re setting up your boat for a sailing holiday with one of Croatia’s top yacht charters or just anchoring in a famous Croatian city for a restaurant, you simply can’t skip these dishes for a perfect holiday meal.

Famous Croatian fish dishes with the richest flavours

If you are not absolutely keen on trying only the grilled fish, black risotto is a real delicacy that is sometimes put in a bad light because of its colour, which is a shame because of its delicious and unique taste. The colour is due to the ink of the squid, which is cooked with the risotto rice together with pieces of squid. 

Dagnje are delicious black mussels that are cooked fresh every day. You can choose between two classic ways of preparing them: either buzara, which is mussels in tomato sauce or in a classic white wine broth.

Another classic dish typical of the Croatian coast, brudet, is a fish stew. Different types of fish and shellfish are steamed with onions, tomato sauce, drops of vinegar and spices and served with polenta.

This list is only the tip of the iceberg of Croatian culinary offer. There is much more to explore, and the best way to do that is to spend a couple of weeks on the Coast, where you will get the real Mediterranean feel.

All the specialities taste better when accompanied by seasonal vegetables, aromatic spices, Mediterranean herbs and the omnipresent olive oil. And to round off this gastronomic story, treat yourself to a glass of two fine Croatian wines!