Time passes quickly as you wait in line for fresh seafood at the stand of Claudio in Palermo.
Pino, his longtime Palermo friend, Nino, and I joined the waiting customers there on an early December day.
Everyone takes a number and lines up with those other faithful Pescheria di Claudio clients – who all know that this is the best place in Palermo for fresh seafood.
And one of those loyal clients is Nino who took us there to purchase the fish he and his wife Maria would cook up for our lunch together.
The line was long but the Pescheria di Claudio visit was an adventure, for owner Claudio shares fish lore and recipes as he serves up customers.
And the passione for seafood and seafood lore of beaming Claudio was evident:
Claudio’s nonno Giovanni Battista had opened la bancarella (market stall) in 1945 and the pescheria (a place selling fish i.e.,“pesce” in Italian) was passed on to his sons, Salvatore, Domenico and Antonino.
Antonino had two sons: one is Claudio.
Claudio and his assisitants were veritable surgeons as they meticulously, agiley and rapidly cleaned the fresh seafood requested by customers, most of whom observed in fascinated silence.
As Pino watched enthralled, he said to me “guardare Claudio mentre pulisce il pesce e’ come assistere ad un grandissimo spettacolo” (“watching Claudio as he cleans the fish is like assisting at a great show”).
Near Tonino, meticulously dicing shrimp, Federica worked rapidly cleaning uncountable numbers of sarde (sardines):
Near Federica, asparagi di mare (salicornia) filled two crates. Growing along the seacoast or in brackish waters, those asparagi di mare are coveted for use in a pasta dish, though Claudio has other recipes to share with his customers.
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Many of those sarde Federica cleaned would be used in one of the antipasti sold at Claudio’s fish stand, le sarde a beccafico
Other Pescheria di Claudio seafood antipasti included steamed octopus (a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a dash of olive oil to be added at home),…
…..insalata di mare (seafood salad)..
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….and lo sfincione agli sgombri (a Sicilian focaccia made with mackerel):
Nino chose the gamberetti (small shrimp) for the pasta dish Maria would make and then ordered squid (to be roasted):
Claudio chose the squid for Nino…
He gathered up the chosen squid carefully, grouping them like a bouquet: Nino approved.
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And then assistant Toni cleaned them:
As Claudio wrapped up Nino’s shrimp and squid, Pino, too, put in an order.
He’d decided to cook his own favorite fish – red mullet – for his brother Filippo and wife Piera that night.
Claudio prepared eight triglie (red mullet) for Pino….
….carefully and rapidly cleaning each one:
As we left, Claudio passed us our seafood purchases with a smile, saying “Tornate presto!”
Nino certainly WOULD be returning soon – and often.
We’ll head back our next time in Palermo.
Maybe for red mullet.
Maybe for other seafood temptations.
See my video on the Pescheria di Claudio.
See my video on Sicily’s culinary wonders.
Read here about sfincione
Read here about Palermo street food
Read about a glorious hiistoric Palermo villa
Read about Palermo pastries and their lnk to history
