Lampuki Pie

Lampuki is the Maltese name for the dolphin fish or dorado, and Visit Gozo calls it perhaps the most renowned of all local seafood. It is a seasonal catch. The FAO's 2005 fishery profile of Malta records that lampuki landings come mainly between August and December, and can run into January when the weather holds. Visit Gozo puts the start of lampuki fishing in August, with fresh catches associated with late summer and autumn.

The fishery itself is traditional. Licensed boats lay lines of kannizzati, small anchored floating rafts with palm fronds tied on, which give the fish shade and draw them together, and the catch is then netted. When the boats come in, lampuki fill the fish counters, and lampuki pie appears on menus. Visit Gozo describes the pie, made with fresh fish, as a staple on the menu during the season. The fish is baked in pastry with a filling that varies from family to family, commonly with tomato, black olives, capers, mint and spinach, sometimes with rice.

Where to try it

• In Marsaxlokk, the fishing village where the Sunday fish market shows off the local catch.
• At restaurants and bakeries across Malta and Gozo from late summer through the autumn.
• As fried lampuki fillets with a caper or tomato sauce, the other way the fish is served in season.

Timing matters. Look for fresh lampuki in late summer and autumn, and check what is available that day. Outside the season, ask whether the fish is fresh. Our guide to the best time to visit Malta covers what else the autumn months offer.