The scirocco is the wind that comes from the sea. It carries salt, warmth and the scent of the coast. In Calabria people know it well: it warms the skin, scents the air and changes the taste of everything it touches. Sciroccu (Calabrian for scirocco) is a box that does the same for fish.
This is the box for people who cook seafood. Not for those who want fierce heat or Sunday ragù, but for those who want to give fish the right aromas – the ones that belong to the Calabrian coast and are found almost only here.
Bergamot extra virgin olive oil
Bergamot grows almost exclusively in Calabria, on the coast of the province of Reggio Calabria. It's the citrus that scents Earl Grey tea, a scent known across the Mediterranean, used by Calabrians for centuries without realising the rest of the world considers it rare. Extra virgin olive oil flavoured with bergamot transforms a fish dish with a single drop: fragrant, rounded, alive. On raw fish, carpaccio, or fish straight off the grill.
Lemon extra virgin olive oil
Calabrian lemon has a fuller acidity than the lemons you usually find in the supermarket. The lemon oil in this box captures that quality: fresh and citrusy, with a note that lingers without covering. Pour it over poached fish, octopus or langoustines. It also works on salmon, sea bass and anything from the sea that needs a scent to make it taste freshly caught.
Yellow tomato sauce
Calabrian yellow tomato is sweeter and less acidic than red, with a soft texture that pairs perfectly with fish. Where red passata tends to cover, yellow tomato accompanies. Use it as a base for fish soups, for pasta with clams or prawns, or cold as a dressing for carpaccio. An ingredient you fall in love with slowly.
Calabrian chilli
In this box chilli isn't the star: it's the finale. A light sprinkle on any seafood dish adds Calabrian warmth without taking anything away from the other aromas. It's what turns a good dish into one you remember.
How to use it
Cook the fish however you like: grilled, steamed, raw or stewed. Finish with a drizzle of bergamot or lemon oil, depending on your mood. Add the yellow tomato sauce as a base or on the side. Finish with a sprinkle of chilli. No other instructions needed.
Who it's for
For people who love cooking fish and want to do it with ingredients from the sea and the land of the same place. For those who know bergamot and have been waiting to find it in a useful form. For anyone who wants to give something refined and authentic – something you won't find in the supermarket that really changes the way you dress food.
Sciroccu comes from Altomonte, in the province of Cosenza. It's the most Mediterranean box Braalla has made: fragrant, bright, made for the sea. Like the wind that gave it its name.
