Ristopescheria at Mery’s, the zero-centimeter fish

In the mythical 1980s, finding good fresh fish on the Tuscan coast was not an insurmountable problem. There was no talk yet of blue crab and alien species, and with a little bit of effort, you could Select trusted fish market and trusted restaurant. I always remember the late Beppino of Livorno’s La Barcarola wandering every morning in the fish market followed by his attendant complete with a cart where the best sea bass, bream, snapper, capon, gurnard, shellfish and crustaceans would end up, blatantly in front of the morning crowd. And it would end with the inevitable: “Away children!!! Now everyone to Palmira!” (Beppino’s mother and unparalleled seafood cook).

A memory of Bangkok

Therefore, passing through Bangkok, I was struck by one restaurant: the Sea Food Market and Restaurant. I had been attracted to this term “market” combined with restaurant And the visit confirmed my expectations. One entered the a real fish market, with long shoals laden with fresh fish still alive. An endless choice of small and large tropical specimens, shellfish, squid and cuttlefish, seafood, crustaceans of all kinds. Splendid lobsters and shrimps among which stood out the very long claw of the spiny clawed shrimp. Fish were ordered for dinner and proceeded with the cart to the cashier for payment of what was purchased. After payment, one would go to the kitchen to order the type of cooking (to be paid separately) and sit at the table waiting for the dishes.

I found this fascinating and amusing. Oceanic fish didn’t taste like their Mediterranean equivalents, but having bought them in person looking into their eyes gave a sense of satisfaction and a unique conviction about the freshness and wholesomeness of the meal. Upon returning to Italy, I wondered why there was not something similar at home. Countless years and climate crises have passed, but now this system has spread to our home as well.

To come to Marina di Cecina

Today, fresh fish has become a matter of faith. Global warming is causing catastrophic damage, the amount of catch is always decreasing, the species getting smaller and smaller. Being able to buy fish and immediately watch it being cooked in the same place gives a fulfilling sense of confidence. Ristopescherie have been opened in many cities and not only in seaside ones, such as Naples and Livorno, but also in Milan or Rome. And now also in Cecina, on the Etruscan Coast, a stone’s throw from the Bolgheri of the world’s most famous wines, we have the amazing Ristopescheria Mery: here we reach the highest heights in the quality and freshness of the catch, the preparation of the dishes, the warmth and friendliness of the service, and, commendably, the proposal of the wine list.

La Mery Ristopescheria was founded in 2009 from a fishing business that has been in operation for more than 50 years. Three families, the Bientinesi, the Miserini and the Bacci have joined together with their boats and their labor to create a business that can cover the supply chain from catching to selling and then to serving. Mery Bientinesi is the progenitor and from the beginning has been selling fish every morning behind the marble counter of the fish market in Marina di Cecina, located a stone’s throw from the waterfront, hotels and the resort’s main stores.

At first they were rowboats, moved by the powerful arms of Benito, Mery’s husband, then came the fishing boat, the St. Gregory, a 16-meter boat still piloted by her son Roberto, second generation. The third generation, on the other hand, represented precisely by the grandchildren Andrew and Francis, is the architect of the family’s entry into the restaurant business.

Andrew and Francis, young people with clear plans

I manifest my concerns to Andrea: “Mery has been gone since 2021, and after Roberto who will keep the boat up, which is the heart of the business?” “It will be me and Francis.” answers Andrea “We are working to obtain the necessary qualifications. Currently we are category III hubs, then we will get the qualification of chief boat and eventually that of captain.” Therefore, they do not feel they are just restaurateurs. “Rather, we are discoverers and enhancers of a unique raw material, one that, despite climate change and increasing pollution, still exists. You just have to know how to search for it, knowing its life cycles, habits, adaptation with the environment and then place it on the market in the most appropriate ways, and catering is one of them. We also use, of course, the supports of technology to search for fish in the open sea and small boats for fast coastal fishing.”

Premature to say, but there is also a project for the fishing tourism, with customers participating in fishing and having their freshly caught fish cooked. Finally, in the kitchen, after Mery’s passing, management is in the hands of Moroccan Chef Said El Adib assisted by Ivorian Salima. A hint of internationality that completes the professional profile of the Ristopescheria.

The cuisine of Ristopescheria Mery

You can start (or begin and end) with an Aperipesce, aperitif held every evening from 6:30 p.m. outside the fish market in front of a real fishing boat adapted as a bar, with oysters, shrimp and scampi, mixed fried squid and glasses of bubbles, French and Italian, or cocktails, or local wines.

For those who want to sit comfortably at the table, the list of appetizers offers the Grand Crudo of the season, which everyone can compose to their liking and depending on the catch. Alternatively, a selection of cooked appetizers can be chosen.

Followed by the Primi Piatti Particolari, based on “poor” fish, dogfish, conger eel, moraine, squid ink, baby octopus, garlic and sage ray wings (the Livornese faux cèe) or the Primi Piatti Ricercati with noble fish, such as homemade pasta with juvenile fish, mullet and roe, red shrimp, sea urchin, and margherita, all the way to lobster and blue wolfcat. Just during the last meeting Andrea approached the tables with a monstrous “wolfcatcher,” a sight that has now become rare and fascinating because of the beast’s majesty.

For the seconds you start with tuna or palamita fillet, go through fried fish of all kinds, to the catch of the day to choose from the marble counter, and lobsters. You cannot miss Nonna Mery’s Cacciucco and Stoccafisso alla Livornese.

The wine list

La wine list, edited by Andrea, is quite a surprise and takes its time to read and choose, as the temptations are many. Obviously we start with the whites with Alto Adige in the lead, then we find Friuli, Veneto with Inama’s Soave, Valle d’Aosta with Les Crêtes, and on down Italy to Sicily, with a substantial stop in Bolgheri for its Vermentino. France is represented by a few labels including a Bourgogne from Leflaive and Droin’s Chablis, sharp as a blade. Then there are some excellent Rieslings including Bürklin-Wolf’s Trocken, then Napa and New Zealand.

There is no shortage of reds, Sassicaia included, increasingly in demand, if paired well, with fish. In the forefront are Pinot Noirs from Alto Adige, Etna Rosso also usually at ease with the sea, up to Piedmont and Sardinia. From abroad again Pinot Noirs from Burgundy and New Zealand. After a few rosé opens the vast list of bubbles where we travel from Franciacorta to Valdobbiadene with a few stops in Tuscany, to France with five Champagnes and a Crémant de Loire.

At this point you can only finish with an excellent Livorno punch and a long walk along the waterfront. The fish is easy to digest, but the abundance of Mery’s succulent and fragrant preparations can easily lead to some small but harmless gluttony.