In times past, the only way of preserving fish was to salt it. Sardines, the most easily accessible fish, were salted by every family and kept in storage. Nowadays the sardine has been usurped by the smaller anchovy, which most people know from other Mediterranean cuisines. It’s a tasty ingredient in starters, pizzas, pastas and sauces.
Cod in Croatia is almost always salted; fresh cod is very little used. Salt cod features in many traditional dishes but it comes from the cold northern waters. The tradition of eating salt cod was imported to Catholic southern Europe centuries ago since it could be stored for meatless Fridays.
If your travels take you to Kali on the island of Dugi Otok, keep an eye out for salt tuna which isn’t made anywhere else in Croatia. Kali is the centre of Croatia’s fishing industry and most tuna is landed here.