Trattoria da Mirko ★ 4.3
A small Alghero seafood room on Via Gioberti, da Mirko sends out mixed grills and fish soups, then house tiramisu. Wednesday is the closing day.
Order: The mixed grill off the day's catch, then seadas with Sardinian honey.
History
Seadas began as a shepherd's dish rather than a restaurant one, built from the two things a pastoral household always had, semolina and young unaged sheep cheese, and originally eaten as a main course rather than a sweet. The name traces back to seu, the Sardinian word for the animal fat once worked into the dough, and the pastry is stretched thin and cut with a fluted wheel. The honey is usually corbezzolo, the bitter arbutus honey of the island's maquis, which pulls against the sourness of the cheese. In Alghero it closes almost every trattoria meal and is the one dessert visitors are told to order.
Common allergens: Gluten, Milk
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 300g fine semolina flour
- 60g lard or softened butter
- 150ml warm water
- A pinch of salt
- 400g fresh unaged pecorino or young acid-set sheep cheese
- Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
- Sunflower oil for frying
- 200g corbezzolo or mild wildflower honey
Method
- Work the semolina, fat, salt and warm water into a smooth firm dough, then rest it wrapped for 30 minutes.
- Melt the cheese slowly in a pan over low heat with the lemon zest until it forms a single elastic mass.
- Pour the cheese onto oiled baking paper, spread it 5mm thick and cool, then cut out 8 discs about 8cm across.
- Roll the dough as thin as you can and cut 16 discs about 10cm across.
- Sit a cheese disc on a pastry disc, cover with a second, and seal the edge firmly with a fluted cutter.
- Fry in oil at 170C, one or two at a time, turning once, until blistered and pale gold, about 2 minutes.
- Drain briefly and serve immediately under warmed honey.
Tip from the editors. If the cheese leaks in the pan the seal was too wide. Press the edge dry before crimping and chill the parcels for 10 minutes first.
Where to eat seadas
Seadas in Alghero
Trattoria Lo Romanì ★ 4.4
Under stone vaults on Via Lazzaretto in Alghero, Lo Romanì is run by Gigi and Vittoria and closes on Mondays, with porceddu on the meat side.
Order: Macarrones de busa from Tonara, followed by whatever Gigi bought that morning.
Seadas in Cagliari
Sa Schironada ★ 4.2
Sa Schironada on Via Baylle runs long hours for the Marina in Cagliari, Sardinian fish and roast plates and a crisp fritto misto from the Gulf.
Try: Culurgiones and fish
Order: Zuppa di cozze with pane carasau, then seadas.
Tip: Open every day and late, which makes it the fallback when the smaller trattorias in the Marina have shut their kitchens.
Su Cumbidu ★ 3.7
Su Cumbidu on Via Napoli feeds the Marina fixed-price Sardinian menus under brick arches, culurgiones and seadas at prices Cagliari students accept.
Try: Fixed-price Sardinian menus
Order: Culurgiones, potato and mint, in tomato sauce.
Tip: The set menus are the value play at around €20 to 30; go early, because groups book out the arched back room.
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