used in the finest sushi restaurants, bluefin is pretty special, and to catch it they use an equally special system of nets known as tonnare. here we have the nets, the big line we call coda. its 1 kilometer. really? yeah. the coda blocks the path of the migrating tuna. as they swim around it, they re funneled into a sequence of netted chambers with gaps wide enough for smaller fish to escape. the largest tuna enter a final chamber where fishermen work together in a finely tuned drill to lift them out of the sea. those are all the chambers. it s the chambers, yeah. there s no collateral damage or whatever? no. no. its sustainable. to avoid overfishing, the fishermen here never take more than 8% of the migrating tuna, ensuring the atlantic bluefin population remains a very healthy size.
man, it s incredible. i m stanley tucci. i m fascinated by my italian heritage so i m travelling across italy to discover how the food in each of this country s 20 regions is as unique as the people and their past. oh, he s between my legs. sardinia is italy s wild west. [bleep] it! and although they respect tradition, things here are never dull. argh! out here, nothing stands in the way of the freedom. it s different. because this is a place at the edge of reason. i am very adventurous, but sometimes i have a real fear. i think this is one of those times. due west of rome and right in the middle of the mediterranean
larger grains that distinguish this dish from its north african cousin. it s also the tradition of serving it with fish. this scorpion fish that we got this morning. what we re going to do is just we re going to fillet it. it s a beautiful fish isn t it? yeah. this is it. so, there s that. then we will blanch our octopus. there we go. gorgeous. after being toasted to enhance the flavor, the fregola are quickly blanched. so, you re cooking it like pasta. yeah. yeah. just season with a bit of olive oil. often this dish can be hearty fare, but at fradis minoris it becomes something refined. is this the scorpion fish raw? yes, its raw scorpion fish. we re gonna finish it up with with some bottarga. and finally, a rich tomato broth flavored with fragrant local herbs and the shells of the day s catch. let s go. let s go.
but i ve heard whisperings of another, more notorious cheese made in this region. here in sardinia, we produce casu martzu. what does that mean? it means that a type of gnat leaves their eggs there. oh no, those? it s called piophila casei. some small larvae start to form, and they start to work the cheese that gives it a spicy, strong and slightly sour flavour that we love so much. due to the presence of parasites, it s illegal to sell casu marzu commercially, but antonio makes something close to it, parasites not included. martzu cheese is the cocaine of sardinia. people go crazy about it. the fact that it s illegal makes it even more appealing. that is not totally rotten. there s a reason antonio
could stop me anymore. yes. this restaurant is my boyfriend s. i never cheat on it; i take care of it. whoa, look at that. antonietta belongs to a long line of sardinian women who since medieval times have managed not only the home, but often the family business. the life should be put here. there you go. a wonderful female lobster with its eggs. in america the eggs tend to be thrown out. but antonietta blends them with a simple vinaigrette to add a salty sweet flavor. the eggs are always delicious. mmm. its good. why is that sound so satisfying? on goes the catalan salad of onions, vinaigrette and tomatoes, but the local lobster is the star. look at that!