“It started out as a simple project, which grew and evolved over time, leading us to where we are today, where we’ve chosen to focus exclusively on the restaurant business.” That’s how a talented family transformed their fish market into the seafood restaurant that Ferrara had been missing.
La Saraghina was founded in 2015 but has its roots in the traditions of the valleys of the Po River Delta and in the ancient knowledge of fishing and processing the raw materials that have made these areas famous—areas once considered “depressed,” now rediscovered for their cultural and gastronomic identity. We are in Lagosanto, in the southern part of the Ferrara province, a region shaped by the great land reclamation of the 20th century that redefined its identity, transforming it into an agricultural hub that stretches toward the sea on one side and the plains on the other. It is here that Marisa Rolfini, together with her husband Fabio Finessi and her daughter Ilaria, has taken up the family legacy, transforming it into a project where traditional cuisine finds expression in new and sophisticated forms.
“My father was the first to go into the fish business: he had a stall at the public fish market and sold at local markets.” This was the era of the “fiocinini,” who, in the valley’s tradition, engaged in a form of banditry necessary for families’ survival, when fishing in the valleys was prohibited for most of the population. “He would go into the valleys to catch eels, and in 1964 we decided to open our own fish market. A few years later, we added a fry-up counter and began preparing some traditional valley dishes. In 2015, we opened a restaurant with an attached fish market that also offers takeout. At first, it was a simple project that developed and evolved over time, leading us to where we are today, where we’ve chosen to focus solely on the restaurant business,” says Marisa.
A REFINED ATMOSPHERE AND ATTENTIVE SERVICE TO HIGHLIGHT FISH FROM THE UPPER ADRIATIC
The atmosphere is refined, simple, and contemporary. The service is certainly attentive, but what truly stands out is the passion that Francesco Finessi, head of wine selection, and Nikolas Succi, head of spirits and distillates, bring to serving the customer. They are genuinely committed to guiding and intriguing the guest, accompanying them on a journey of discovery to find the beverage that best complements their chosen dishes. The menu offerings speak the language of the “traditional” ingredients that are the heritage of the Upper Adriatic: various varieties of bluefish, including the saraghina, from which the restaurant takes its name; mantis shrimp, baby squid, sole, red mullet, scallops, and mullet caught in the valleys, alongside more common species such as sea bass and sea bream. Eel, a symbol of the Po Delta, is a must. Whether from the sea or the valley, it is always wild-caught: a choice that underscores the great attention to sourcing and quality that underpins the Finessi family’s restaurant concept.
Let’s take a step back: just like the local area, Saraghina, too, is the result of an evolution. From a fish counter to a fry-up shop, then a restaurant with a fish market, until finally focusing exclusively on dining—a journey that has grown naturally over time, adapting to the needs and requests of our customers. The result has been a commitment to authentic cuisine, born in the home and refined over time, enriched by diverse influences. “Cooking has always been a passion of mine: my mother was a great cook, and I learned a lot from her. Over time, various colleagues have worked in the kitchen, passing on new knowledge and experiences to me. I’ve always loved eating and, in the same way, cooking,” adds Marisa Rolfini.
THE MENU
La Saraghina’s menu offers a selection of dishes that could be described as a true melting pot of diverse influences, especially among the off-menu items: from fregola served with robiola fondue, to Adriatic cuttlefish paired with chickpea hummus, to bluefin tuna that harmonizes with the Asian notes of yuzu and soy sauce. “We have a deep understanding of our ingredients, gained through diverse paths. Personally, I haven’t worked in kitchens outside our own, but I’ve treasured my father’s teachings, accompanying him to the markets to buy fish. Over time, we’ve always sought to highlight the quality of the product without resorting to complex techniques: we like to intervene as little as possible, letting what we serve express itself directly and authentically,” Marisa continues.
Specifically, the welcome appetizer consists of Carasau bread, house-made sea bass bottarga, cherry tomatoes, and celery: the dish is simple yet well-crafted, with the ingredients highlighted in perfect balance. Next up is the Raw Adriatic scampi and Argentario red shrimp: a dish whose freshness and quality of ingredients can truly only be appreciated by tasting it. The fried baby squid and mazzancolle, sourced locally, evokes the origins of La Saraghina and is an indispensable element of any seafood menu, no matter what. It pairs perfectly with the fine, naturally savory sparkling wine produced by Christoph Hock, “Kalkspitz”: a pétillant naturel made using traditional methods, primarily from Grüner Veltliner and Riesling.
The Tortelli stuffed with creamed salt cod, topped with raw red shrimp from Mazara del Vallo and served with a bisque is an off-menu special in which the distinct sweetnesses of the salt cod and the shrimp come together in perfect harmony. The dish is further enhanced by the bisque, where the sea and its natural umami play a decisive role, rounding out and balancing the entire dish. The Adriatic bluefin tuna parpatana with seasonal mixed greens is a concrete example of how the Finessi family’s cuisine, supported by Gilberto Zanella, Debora Lai, Mattia Turri, and Svetlana Ionascu, is dedicated to showcasing the fish in its entirety. An approach born from a desire to respect the raw ingredient and highlight every part of it, without waste.
The parpatana is the cut of tuna located between the head and the ventresca; long considered a “lesser” cut, but when roasted in the oven, it allows us to make the most of parts of the fish that are traditionally discarded. A simple preparation but one that is highly appealing to the palate, characterized by a soft, melt-in-the-mouth texture due to its high collagen content. Pair it with the Riesling from Aquila del Torre, which expresses a distinct minerality yet is perfectly capable of supporting the savory richness of the dish, complementing and balancing its structure.
DESSERTS BETWEEN TRADITION AND INFLUENCES
So far, the evolution that La Saraghina has undergone over time is evident, but it is the desserts that definitively seal this journey of change, and Ilaria Finessi is in charge of them, interpreting the sweet side as a further expression of her personal sensibility. “I learned this craft by watching my mother, even though initially it wasn’t the career I envisioned for myself: I studied languages, and at first, I didn’t have a very clear idea of my future. What was supposed to be a break of a year or two eventually turned into a much longer journey. Over time, however, I discovered that I love management and everything that revolves around the kitchen, finding in this world a dimension that I now feel is increasingly my own,” she says. A chocolate truffle filled with two-chocolate mousse, cocoa biscuit, and almond shortbread, followed by a puff pastry with diplomat cream, Domori 68% chocolate ganache with Tonka bean, and salted butter caramel are examples of his passion and his desire to reinterpret and revisit flavors encountered and tasted during his travels. With Sacher alla ferrarese -a chocolate tenerina from the Ivory Coast, strawberry and yuzu gel, and a crunchy dark chocolate coating—the tradition of European pastry meets that of the local area and its immediate surroundings, pairing with one of the region’s and spring season’s signature products: the strawberry.
A CUISINE BASED ON RESPECT AND COMMITMENT
The Finessi family’s commitment to upholding a cuisine rooted in respect and care for fish from the valley and the Upper Adriatic is a “conditio sine qua non” of their business. An approach that is reflected in the dishes and preparations, but also in the affection with which they share memories tied to these products: such as the tubs of eels that, ever since she was a child, Marisa was used to seeing at home—the fish she is most attached to. A concept of respect that extends to the staff and the customers who choose to sit at their tables, combined with a passion and innate integrity that allows them to pass on history without ever losing sight of the present.
La Saraghina
Via Don Minzoni 13 | Lagosanto (FE)
t. 0533948538 | info@lasaraghina.it
