From the Sea of Etna, guaranteed quality Italian Tuna.

The Tuna from the Mare dell'Etna is an extreme guarantee of Italian quality. A product that, along with Red Tuna, Alalunga Tuna, Anchovies, and Greater Amberjack, makes up a mix of high-quality catch in a jar. Antonio Barbagallo is a young veterinarian from Catania who comes from a family of veterinary inspectors in the food world. The best guarantee for a controlled supply chain product. His passion is to provide true Sicilian fish of quality on the plates of Italians.

Unfortunately, too much tuna is seen in jars, and too little actually comes from Italian seas that have a salinity and a depth to guarantee better product healthiness and improved flesh palatability. We always read Tuna of FAO origin; rarely are the seas also indicated.

Mare dell'Etna: a group of young Sicilian fishermen

The Cooperativa Mare dell'Etna was born to coordinate a group of Sicilian fishermen from the Catania Etna area and the Ionian-Tyrrhenian area of Portopalo di Capopassero, where, offshore, there are passages of tuna and, of course, today, some of the best Alalunga farms in the Mediterranean. The certainty of origin is a very important piece of information.

In Portopalo, a state-of-the-art laboratory

The final Tuna production takes place in a brand new laboratory in a small town of Portopalo, with a constant that can be verified every time you visit the Barbagallo family: extreme cleanliness, order, and attention to detail. In short, a true workspace for a very delicate raw material, aimed at food consumption. All tunas are cleaned by hand on steel counters, and the work is done by skilled hands, especially patient women who must select the fillets and remove the bones from the flesh intended for cooking and canning.

Steam cooking in ultra-modern ovens

The cooking is done in state-of-the-art steam ovens that maintain the quality of the flesh without alteration and ensure its consistency after canning. The filleting is done by hand with small sharp knives that form the pieces. Nothing from the tuna is wasted, and indeed, in maritime jargon, it is said to be the "pork of the sea," precisely for this characteristic that brings it closer to the pig. Mare dell'Etna offers not only Alalunga Tuna fillet and Red Tuna, but also chunks and the Ventresca, the latter being a very interesting product, especially regarding the cooking of particularly flavorful and tasty sauces for seasoning pasta.

Tuna & friends

Besides Tuna from Sicily, Mare dell'Etna also produces other fish like the famous Anchovies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, which always come from the coasts of the Ionian Sea and the waters that touch Portopalo and its surroundings. The Anchovies are beautifully meaty and thick with a natural salinity that makes them very elegant in various gourmet preparations. From pizza and especially in pasta, in salads, together with sun-dried tomatoes in oil, with Sicilian-style "pane cunzatu," or with Apulian friselle. The Anchovies are an exceptional product that the Cooperativa Mare dell'Etna has only recently started working on, but they are yielding great satisfaction and a lot of interest from food operators.

Another newly introduced product in the Mare dell'Etna range is the Greater Amberjack. An extraordinary fish that Sicily offers to the end consumer at its best in terms of palatability and quality. The Greater Amberjack from Mare dell'Etna is hand-processed shortly after being caught, ensuring flavor and consistency. A refined product for demanding palates and for those who truly love having the sea on their table. A rare fish that is hard to find all year round on the fish counters. However, the low-temperature and steam processing proposed by Mare dell'Etna guarantees a naturalness in the product that is hard to find in other Italian competitors.

Bring a taste of the Sicilian sea to your table

If you want to bring the sea of Sicily and Etna to your table all year round, the choice of products from this beautiful cooperative is for you. Remember, furthermore, that by doing so, you will also help fishermen not abandon their small boats and ensure, therefore, an entirely Italian survival of a unique and precious sea like the Ionian and the Sicilian Tyrrhenian Sea.

Bernardo Pasquali