Fresh to the table
Freshly caught fish from Lake Maggiore
As a young man, Giovanni Palmieri sped down the track on his motorcycle in pursuit of Grand Prix points. Today he casts his nets on the water for a rich catch. His freshly caught whitefish, zander and brown trout from Lake Maggiore are a welcome delicacy in the kitchen of head chef Mattias Roock at the Castello del Sole.
Inside a Perfect Catch
The early bird catches the worm
It is three in the morning, and Brissago is still in a deep slumber. All of Brissago? Well, not all: Out in the middle of Lake Maggiore, a cone of light illuminates the water around a fishing boat.
Giovanni Palmieri (55) is at the winch, hauling in the nets from the depths. With a practiced hand, he plucks one whitefish after another from the mesh. Two hours later, 45 kilogrammes of the silver fish are packed on ice. It’s a good catch for the month of August. Not all are as rewarding as this one by any means.
Weather is a critical factor. “Whitefish are very particular”, the professional fisherman explains. After the storm in the Maggia Valley last summer, the Maggia River carried a lot of driftwood and dirty melt water into Lake Maggiore, prompting whitefish to move to greater depths or head towards Italy. It took several days before they reappeared off the shore of Brissago.
“It’s a hard job. But in calm weather, it’s simply wonderful to be out on the water, alone with the seagulls and the rising sun.”
No less than 1,500 metres of net have been left in the water overnight, two meters below the surface and ten metres deep in the middle of the lake. “This is where the whitefish are right now”, Palmieri explains.
Other edible fish like zander and perch prefer it closer to the shore. The same goes for the pike he found in his net yesterday, which weighed over seven kilogrammes. An unbelievable catch. Because of its bones, this predatory fish is not very popular with customers. “I guess it’s too much work”, he says with a laugh and shrugs. He finds that incomprehensible.
Night for night, in fog, rain and snow, he heads out onto Lake Maggiore to catch whitefish or brown trout. He works long and unusual hours with little free time, just a few hours a week with family and friends: But this has been the Palmieri family’s lifestyle for generations.
A craft passed down with pride
Giovanni Palmieri used to haul the nets in by hand, just like his grandfather and mother, who ran the family business before him. “When you use your hands, you can feel right away when you’ve caught a big one. It’s a magical moment.” Today the winch is wound by machine. That’s better for your back, but the excitement of pulling in the nets is gone, Palmieri says.
A glance at the clock tells him it’s time to head home. In two hours, it will be time to deliver the orders to the gourmet restaurants in the region, and he still has to gut, descale and load the fish. He starts the motor, the boat shoots over the smooth water. Palmieri sails close to the wind, a satisfied smile on his face.
- Giovanni Palmieri has not only fishing in his blood, but also racing, as a photo on the wall of his fish shop in Brissago shows: Giovanni Palmieri on an Aprilia motorcycle. In the early 1990s, he competed in 26 Grand Prix races in the 125-ccm category on the world’s most famous circuits – an exciting time that has left fond memories.
- Tempi passati. Today the Ticino native hunts fish instead of Grand Prix points and is a regular supplier to the fine restaurants of Ascona.
- Mattias Roock has been a customer of Giovanni Palmieri for many years.
“His whitefish, zander or brown trout are a fixed component of our Sapori del nostro orto menu, which is made exclusively from regional ingredients.”
And if the fisherman happens to hook a catfish, the chef at the Castello del Sole is also happy to buy it off him. Europe’s largest freshwater fish is not usually considered a delicacy. But the bed of Lake Maggiore is mostly sand and stone, he explains, which has a positive influence on the flavour. “Its white, firm flesh is perfect for cooking. With just one catfish that can weigh up to ten kilogrammes, we can offer a number of dishes and make a valuable contribution to sustainability.”
Anina Rether