My adventures in northern Albania continued in the village of Shiroka on my fourth day in the country. Join me as I enjoy fresh Albanian fish on Lake Shkodër, including a salt-baked fish and a tava fish in Shiroka, Albania!
My afternoon began with a 10-minute drive from Shkodër to the small village of Shiroka! It’s located on the shores of Lake Shkodër, the largest lake in the Balkans. It’s close to many significant locations, including the neighboring country of Montenegro across the lake, the Albanian Alps, and Shkodër, which is the cultural capital of northern Albania.
My guide Andy from Travel Albanian Alps and I arrived at a row of lakeside restaurants. We’d be having lunch at Sunset Restaurant, which is one of the best eateries in the area. They make fish from both the lake and the Adriatic Sea, which is just on the other side of the mountains.
We dined al fresco, at a table on the terrace right by the water. They also have an outdoor terrace higher up, as well as an indoor dining hall with huge windows, which give you stunning views of the lake. We’d start with some white wine and then enjoy a few plates. They even have pasta, which is big in Albania due to the Italian influences in their cuisine and culture. The wine was delicious and perfect for the weather!
Our meal started with a Greek salad with lettuce, olives, feta, cucumbers, and tomatoes. The salad was so fresh, and everything is farm-to-table. The feta cheese was so nice, and the Albanian olives were super tasty. The food and wine with the view of the water was the best!
Next was bruschetta, which was basically flatbread with tomatoes, oil, and cheese on top. It’s almost like a pizza. The bread is soft but has a crispy exterior, and the fresh tomatoes and fresh cheese were excellent!
Then, we got two types of fish, including a fish from the Adriatic Sea that had been baked in salt and some lake trout cooked in a tava with a nice tomato sauce. The Adriatic Sea fish was caked with salt. You have to dig it out!
The salt-baked fish was nice and buttery and had a nice salt level. It was a lot less salty than I thought it would be and was super fresh! I had to dig through it a bit to make sure there were no bones or spines. They also give you a nice amount of fish! They give you so much that I was already getting full.
Next was the lake trout in the tava from the lake. It was so buttery and fell apart in my mouth! I also got a bit of a trout organ, which was really nice. I had to be careful because of possible bones, but it was so fantastic. It was some of the best trout I’ve ever had! It was also nice and hot. I liked it better than the salted fish even though it had lots of bones.
What a great experience! It was super relaxing to enjoy our food by the water. Then, I headed inside to the kitchen to see how they made everything! Inside, I watched them make lots of dishes, including fish, meat, and cheese tavas in a super hot oven!
Afterward, we hopped in the car and rode back to Shkodër. Along the way, my friend Andy from Travel Albanian Alps told me that Shiroka is known for its fish, so no one goes there for anything else. You can also swim in the lake there. It’s a great place to visit with your family!
We crossed the river and passed by Rozafa Castle, where you can get incredible views of Montenegro, the Alps, Shkodër, the rivers, and more. We made it back to Shkodër, and I learned that here, the people take a siesta in the middle of the day like the Spanish and Italians do!
What an afternoon having fresh Albanian fish on Lake Shkodër in Albania! Huge thanks to my friends at Travel Albanian Alps, Balkan Pearls Tour Operator, and Rental Car Albania for making my time in Albania so special and memorable.
I hope you enjoyed coming with me to have fresh Albanian fish on Lake Shkodër in Shiroka, Albania! If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and leave a comment below. Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell so you don’t miss any of my travel/food adventures around the world!
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