Black Wave – squid ink pasta with seafood, our signature dish

Just as every wave carries the story of the sea, Black Wave brings together its finest flavours. Black pasta coloured with cuttlefish ink meets fresh seafood – mussels, razor clams, squid and prawns – in a dish that has become the signature specialty of Oli Mare in Poreč.

Cuttlefish ink is not just colour. It gives the dish a deep, slightly saline, iodine note that recalls the open sea and rounds off the flavour of shellfish and crustaceans. The pasta is cooked al dente and finished in the pan with the seafood, olive oil, garlic, parsley and a splash of white wine.

For guests visiting a seafood restaurant in Poreč for the first time, we often recommend Black Wave as an introduction to Adriatic cuisine. It is dramatic enough for a special occasion, yet easy to love – prepared for one person at €24.00.

A close relative from our kitchen is black risotto, made with homemade fish stock. The difference is texture: risotto is creamy and comforting, while pasta keeps a firmer bite and separates the flavours of each seafood more clearly.

We pair Black Wave with chilled Malvazija or Istrian sparkling wine. For the full experience, start with tuna tartare or a platter of fresh shellfish and finish with a homemade dessert as the evening settles over Poreč.