Sardinia

Sardinia's geographic isolation in the western Mediterranean preserved fishing methods and recipes that have disappeared elsewhere. The island is the primary source of Italian bottarga, the cured and dried roe of grey mullet harvested from the Stagno di Cabras lagoon near Oristano, one of the most intensely flavoured preserved seafood products in European cuisine. Sardinia also produces tuna from the remaining small-scale tonnare, mussels from its coastal lagoons, and anchovies and sardines from its own fishing fleet. The island of San Pietro, off Sardinia's southwestern tip, is home to Carloforte, one of the last active tuna trap communities in Italy. Solky, a four-person operation in Sant'Antioco, processes around twenty large bluefin tuna per year by hand.