My Top Ten Dishes From My Croatian Journey

During my two week tour of Croatia, I enjoyed plenty of delicious food, in every region that I visited, from regional specialties to exquisite seafood. I created this top ten list to include dishes which I not only enjoyed immensely, but which I also found to be particularly compelling for various reasons. They might be especially delicious or something more unique, but all stand out for some particular reason. These are the type of dishes I would order again and again, and which I would highly recommend.

This is certainly not a complete list of all the delicious food I ate in Croatia but it's more a sampling of memorable dishes I experienced. It is also a purely subjective list, based on my own preferences, and makes no claims about being the "best" of anything. However, all of the items here earn my hearty recommendation. Please also note that this list is not in any order of preference, so all the dishes receive equal accolades. 

At the Bota Šare restaurant in Zagreb, we enjoyed some excellent seafood, including three dishes with the famed Mali Ston Oysters, which are special all on their own. I was especially impressed with their Tempura Oysters, which had a delightfully light and crispy batter, encasing the delicious oysters. I'm very picky about Tempura, and this was an excellent version.

Also while I was in Zagreb, I dined once again at the Agava Restaurant, and was enamored with their Risotto, made with sheep cheese from the island of Pag, thyme and pear. It was such a delectable dish, with perfectly cooked rice, an intriguing, slightly briny taste of cheese, and a little sweetness from the pear. Well balanced and delicious, this was such a satisfying dish. 

The city of Samobor is located about 20 kilometers west of Zagreb, and one of its claim to fame is a local dessert, Samoborska kremšnita. It has a puff pastry top (and bottom), is topped with powdered sugar, and filled with custard cream. It's believed that this kremšnita recipe was created in the 1920s by confectioner Đuro Lukačić, who previously worked in Vienna and Budapest. In January 2021, Samoborska kremšnita received the status of "intangible cultural property" and was entered into the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia. At a cafe in the Kavana Livadić, I enjoyed a good-sized piece of Samoborska kremšnita and it was absolutely delectable. The puff pastry was flaky and crisp, while the custard filling was rich and flavorful, as well as only mildly sweet. It was a lighter dessert than expected, and I easily understand its popularity. The next time I visit Croatia, I want to sample more examples of this delicious dessert.

In the region of Slavonia, one of their regional specialties is Fiš Paprika, a spicy seafood stew made with paprika. At the Josić Winery & Restaurant, I first saw and smelled the aromatic stew cooking at an outside fire. Fortunately, we were able to sample some of the stew as well, which was made with a fish they called smudge, which may be a nickname for some other type of fish, possibly a type of river trout. The broth was amazing, complex, flavorful and spicy. The tender home-made pasta went well with the broth and the fish was tender and delicious. 

 

The Istrian region is well known for Truffles, so while we visited that region, we enjoyed several dishes with added truffles. One of my favorites was at the Konoba Fakin, a Risotto with boletus, black truffles, and Istrian prosciutto chips. What an amazing dish, with perfectly cooked risotto, creamy and flavorful, with earthy notes from the mushrooms and the compelling aromas of the truffles. And those prosciutto chips were crispy, meaty and salty. A well balanced and compelling dish.

In the region of Slavonia, we visited Vina Antunović for a wine tasting. On the table were plates of home-made Fish Pâté, made with fish from the Danube, and it was delicious, especially smeared on some fresh bread. It was flavorful, spiced well, and with a pleasing taste of the river. It was just a small snack to accompany the wine tasting, but it certainly made an impression. 

Also at the Josić Winery & Restaurant, I have to give special kudos to one of the desserts we enjoyed,  a traditional Slavonian dish known as Tačkrle. These are Ravioli, filled with jam, in a walnut sauce with hibiscus. Pasta for dessert? This was such a unique and delicious dessert, with all of the flavors and textures working so well together. We need more dessert ravioli. 

In Istria, we spent a little time in the town of Poreč, and I stopped for a bite at Fora Le Parte. In Istria, you'll find Boškarin, an ancient breed of cattle that originated in Istria. Like Waygu, Boškarin began as draft animals, but when tractors eventually took over, there was little need for Boškarin. The breed nearly died out until some dedicated breeders brought the population back from extinction. Now, it's a gourmet delicacy. I sampled the restaurant's Boškarin Carpaccio, which was exquisite, silky and flavorful, with a rich, beefy taste. And the cheese was a nice addition. 

In the town of Skradin, in the region of Dalmatia, we dined at the Zlatne Skoljke Restaurant and our first course was Skampi, Mussels and Noah's Ark Clams, in a scrumptious white wine and garlic broth. The seafood was fresh and delicious, and the broth was excellent, as well as the perfect place to dip bread. I could have been satisfied with simply enjoying lots of this shellfish. 

Finally, in the city of Pula in Istria, I had lunch at Piazza Nova, delighted by the Šiš Ćevap, spicy minced beef with French fries. Ćevapi are common in southeast Europe, and the type of meat used varies from country to country. I received three larger skewers of meat, which were moist, tender and flavorful. A hearty lunch for meat lovers. And the French fries were almost flat, but nicely crisp, a fine addition to the dish.

Do you have any favorite Croatian dishes?