Besides being tasty, the swordfish of the Strait of Messina has an incredibly ancient tradition linked to a very particular fishing technique.
During the fishing, experienced ‘observers’ waited on the hills, ready to warn the boats as the fish arrived. Then, having received the warning, an experienced fisherman placed on a high mast (the antenna) ordered the rowers to move.
By rowing, the boat, which tip featured a long gangway at the end of which was the harpooner, approached the prey. Led by the indications yelled
by the man on the crow’s nest, the harpooner spotted the swordfish and hit it. The local swordfish, also known here as the ‘Prince of the Sea’, has a soft and tasty flesh with a delicate flavour, requiring nothing more than oil and
oregano on the barbecued meat.
Along with the skilful preparations handed down from generation to generation, many seasonings have been recently added. Among them, a bunch of freshly hand-cracked tomatoes, some capers, and a few olives gave rise to the recipe ‘alla bagnarota’, named after the seaside town where this type of fishing is widely practised (Bagnara
Calabra).