When it comes to Italy’s most beloved seafood chefs, Gianfranco Pascucci is always one of the first names that comes to mind. And it’s no coincidence.
When was the last time you went for a winter walk by the sea? Perhaps somewhere in central Italy? What sensations stayed with you? The smell of the sea. The hint of seaweed. The crunch of broken shells under your shoes as you walk along the shore after a storm. The resinous scent of maritime pine forests. That’s it. Visiting Pascucci al Porticciolo in Fiumicino, just 30 km from Rome, on a January Sunday for lunch, is exactly stepping into that sensory dimension.
From appetizer to dessert, it’s a slow and meditative immersion into the Tyrrhenian Sea, without the hassle of having to dive into icy waters in winter (sorry, fans of cold plunges, I know it’s becoming a popular sport in Northern Europe, but not my cup of tea).
His is the cuisine of a true samurai of the culinary world, and it’s no wonder he has been awarded a Michelin star since 2012. It reflects an endless dedication to the marine world (he is also a passionate windsurfer), a commitment to showcasing fish, seafood, aromatic herbs, and plants from the brackish areas along this stretch of coastline south of Rome that falls under the municipality of Fiumicino. A boundless love for this territory, which he describes as a iodine periphery, highlighting an environment often overlooked and mistreated but rich in charm and value.
Such a deep-rooted affection led him, after gaining experience in various other restaurants, to take over his grandfather’s old restaurant, long closed.
A family business was reborn, also thanks to the collaboration with his wife, Vanessa Melis, the dining room manager, and naturally located just a few meters from the water in the small port of Fiumicino. A coastal town whose history and economy are tied to the mouth of the Tiber River, now also one of Europe’s main air hubs thanks to its airport.
Let’s look in detail at what the menu offered. The options included à la carte, a classic tasting menu with the chef’s most iconic dishes, and the Come è profondo il mare menu, (“How Deep is the Sea” from the song of Italian songwriter Lucio Dalla) showcasing his latest creations.
Since it was our first time at Pascucci’s table, my companions and I chose the classic tasting menu to get a comprehensive overview of his cuisine.
We started with hand-stretched grissini (breadsticks), long and delicately crisp. The flavor of excellent olive oil and butter is perceptible, yet there’s no greasiness.
While waiting for the starters, we chose a wine: Lù, Catarratto Terre Siciliane IGP from Gaetano Di Carlo winery. A fresh, mineral, and savory Mediterranean white that perfectly expresses the Catarratto grape grown on high-altitude calcareous soils in inland Western Sicily. It seemed an ideal companion to the seafood-focused cuisine.
The fun continued with a starfish-shaped potato wafer filled with tuna, capers, and mayonnaise. Then came a crispy cannolo with hummus, shrimp, and seaweed, plump, sweet, and savory all at once.
Unusual and intense was the passion fruit and bluefish sphere.
After the small starters, we moved on to a surprising course: a green cloud of water and flour, soft like a sea sponge, topped with a decoration of mayonnaise, anchovies, and horseradish. With this sponge, one “collects” the powder forming the word mare (sea), made from a mix of sea salt, dried shrimp, and seaweed. A true explosion of iodine flavour, perfectly balanced without ever overwhelming.
A pleasant interlude followed with bread made from type 0 flour and potato focaccia, a collaboration with a local bakery, served with oregano and anchovy butter.
The amberjack ceviche with curly seaweed and hybrid Kaluga Amur caviar was fantastic: tender, firm, slightly sweet, and delicately savory, perfectly elevated by the umami of the seaweed and caviar.
The roasted squid rose was visually enchanting. The char of the squid enhances flavor, balanced by the sweetness preserved in the innermost part of the bud, accompanied by the vegetal notes of escarole and ginger at the base of the dish.
The tempura of battered squid, prepared with a siphon, was ultra-light, almost ethereal.
The spaghettini with lupin clams, maritime pine resin, and tuna were indulgent. The pasta had excellent texture, unsurprising from a prestigious producer like Pastificio Mancini, a “farm pasta” brand growing its own wheat in the Marche region. The pairing of lupin clams with the pine resin was poetic (the resin’s lightly balsamic note transporting you to a seaside pine forest). The tuna added a savoury richness that rounded the dish off.
If you’ve never liked cod, perhaps thinking it ordinary or traumatized by the overcooked cod of too many childhoods, the cod from Pascucci’s classic menu will make peace with the “enemy.” Poché to perfection, respecting the delicate flesh, served with a cacciatora-style sauce with artichokes, lemon, and almonds. Note: the cacciatora here is Roman style, cooked “in bianco” (no tomato) with olive oil, garlic, anchovy melted into the sauce, white wine, a sprig of rosemary, and a final touch of vinegar to cleanse the palate. The sauce paired perfectly with the cod and artichokes. So good that you almost wish you could take a jar home.
(Anyway, Mr. Pascucci if you ever want to start a business about a new line of jarred sauces, I will be your first customer).
Moving to dessert, we started with a pre-dessert, intended to refresh the palate from all the previous rich flavors. A magnificent herbal sorbet (I think mint and basil) on a crunchy almond base, topped with Italian-style meringue.
Not only the palate but the sense of smell was refreshed: after clearing the table, we were given a clean napkin spritzed with a rejuvenating essence of juniper, verbena, and lemon balm.
Dessert proper: baby choux buns with créme patissiere (a hint of orange, I think), hazelnuts, and milk cream, with a chocolate disk, served with slightly salted hot chocolate sauce. A perfect summary of what a true end-of-lunch dessert should be: visual beauty, complex aromas and textures, indulgence, attention to form, and a touch of theatricality.
The meal concluded with petit fours: soft nougat and raspberry choux buns. Perhaps the only element I found slightly less convincing. I understand the intent—to end a rich meal with a sour note—but it may have been pushed a bit too far here.
Overall, a wonderful menu executed to perfection, with orchestrated timing, precise cooking, and attention to temperature, ensuring each carefully chosen ingredient shone.
We paid €120 per person for the classic menu, excluding wine, drinks, and coffee. A price fully justified by the long research and meticulous service behind such a meal.
I’m already eager to return, especially to try the mixed pasta with grouper reduction, roots, and seaweed that caught my eye on the à la carte menu.
It has now firmly lodged itself in my imagination.
Pascucci al Porticciolo
Viale Traiano, 85
00054 Fiumicino, Roma
Phone: 06 650 29 204
Website: www.pascuccialporticciolo.it
Email: pascuccialporticciolo@gmail.com
