Octopus, swordfish, and then tuna, bluefish, assorted small fish for frying or making soup, red prawns, shrimp and clams all feature prominently in the seafood cuisine of Southern Italy, served up in uniquely delicious dishes with authentic Mediterranean flavors. The result of an ancient knowledge, the recipes in this book are a faithful representation of the culinary traditions of this land, brought up to date in the light of a contemporary vision. Ingredients and traditions of the different regional cuisines merge to create an encounter between Puglia, Calabria, Sicily, Sardinia, Campania, Abruzzo and Molise. Catch of the Day also offers a rich and detailed understanding of traditional fishing techniques and seafaring culture, while recounting centuries-old methods, which have practically disappeared today, and insights into the different species of fish and seafood preserves. All with an eye to the most genuinely popular aspects of the culture of the sea in Southern Italy, in many ways a still archaic universe, which still hands down its ancestral legends and stories with a legendary flavor.

45 recipes, 22 deeper insights, 100 photographs, 15 drawings.

About the authors:

Domenico Ottaviano 

This young but experienced chef, born and raised at Peschici in the Gargano, spent all the summers of his youth between the solid wood of his family’s trabucco (or fishing jetty) and the rustic tables of their restaurant, so inheriting two passions: fishing and cooking, the basic elements of this publication. With a passion for photography and journalism, he wrote for several regional newspapers before devoting himself to further education. He graduated in Parma, first in Gastronomic Sciences, then in Food Technology, presenting two theses on the use of sea water in the kitchen and consumer preferences for fish. For most of the year he lives, fishes and cooks on the reef, in his restaurant Al Trabucco da Mimì at Punta San Nicola, while in winter he sets off on far-flung gastronomic journeys around the globe. The trabucco has belonged to his family for five generations. The Ottaviano family, now among the very few to preserve a knowledge of its construction technique, are conscientious custodians of tradition.

For his skills in digital communication, Domenico Ottaviano was placed second in the Web Chef Competition 2014 at the Festival of Italian Cuisine in Rimini and this is his first publication.

“This book would never have seen the light without the ancient seafaring and culinary wisdom of which my grandparents Mimi and Lucia were the custodians.”

Maurizio Rellini I am a full-time photographer specialized in travel and landscape photography.

 My photos graced the cover of hundreds of magazine such as National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet, Geo, Meridiani, Sunday Times Traveller, L’Espresso, Meridiani, Le Figaro, Bell’Europa etc, some photos have been chosen for international advertising campaigns (American Express, Costa Crociere, United States Agricoltural Ministry, Seaburn cruises). I also have been awarded at international contests like World Photography Gala Awards (landscape category and overall winner tied with Peter Lik), Px3 Paris Prix (Nature category), MIFA Moscow international photo awards, Ipa International photo awards, and exhibited at 3rd Biennal of fine art and documentary photography in Malaga.