Glass Noodles in Vietnam with Vegetables and Seafood

Glass noodles in Vietnam

Glass Noodles in Vietnam with Vegetables and Seafood.
Some of my favourite dishes in Asian cuisine are undoubtedly those made with noodles. I enjoy the wide variety available, their different textures and the many ways they can be combined with vegetables, meat, fish or seafood. During a trip to Vietnam, I tried this dish made with glass noodles, named for their distinctive transparent appearance.
Glass noodles have a texture and look that make them easy to distinguish from ordinary pasta. Once cooked, they become glossy and almost see-through, which explains their name. They are popular in several Asian cuisines and can be prepared with a wide range of ingredients and seasonings, depending on the country and recipe. They are often made from starches such as mung bean, sweet potato or other tubers, although the exact ingredients vary from one type of noodle to another.
The dish in this photograph was served with vegetables and seafood. It sounds like a promising combination: the soft, slightly chewy noodles work well with fresh vegetables and the savoury flavours of ingredients from the sea. This is exactly the kind of food I enjoy trying when travelling in Asia. It offers a chance to discover familiar ingredients prepared in different ways and to get a little closer to local food traditions.
There was, however, one small detail that becomes quite obvious when you look at the photograph: there was very little seafood! The noodles and vegetables filled most of the plate, while the seafood seemed to be hiding among the other ingredients. Sometimes a menu description creates the impression that a particular ingredient will be served in generous quantities, only for the finished dish to turn out rather differently. It is not necessarily a major problem, but when you choose a meal specifically because it contains seafood, you naturally hope to find a more satisfying portion.
Despite this small disappointment, I still love glass noodles and the many variations available in Asian restaurants. They are versatile, pair easily with different ingredients and can form the basis of both simple meals and more elaborate dishes. Their delicate appearance also makes them interesting to photograph, especially when they are mixed with colourful vegetables and other toppings.
For me, food is an important part of travelling. Trying local dishes is a way to explore a destination beyond its famous sights, even when a meal does not completely live up to expectations. Every new dish becomes part of the travel experience, and sometimes the little surprises are what make a food memory particularly memorable.

Have you ever tried glass noodles? Do you prefer them with vegetables, meat, or a generous helping of fish and seafood? Add a comment or go to the bottom of the site to read what other visitors have written.

A Vietnamese dish of transparent glass noodles with vegetables and a small amount of seafood, photographed during a trip

Photo taken with a Canon EOS M100 camera and Canon EF-M 22 lens.

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Octopus Casserole in Monterosso

Polpo in casseruola a Monterosso

Octopus Casserole in Monterosso.
During a visit to Monterosso al Mare, Liguria, Italy, I enjoyed a good dish of octopus casserole at L’Osteria in Monterosso. It was a pleasant meal worth remembering, although I have to admit that the photograph does not do the dish justice. I can assure you that the food itself was much better than the picture might suggest!
Octopus is a popular ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine and features in many traditional Ligurian recipes. It can be served cold in a salad, paired with potatoes, or slowly cooked in a sauce until tender and full of flavour. Preparing octopus in a casserole is a simple, home-style way of cooking that makes the most of the ingredient without necessarily relying on elaborate techniques. It is a dish that fits naturally into the culinary traditions of a coastal region where seafood has long been part of everyday life.
Whenever I visit a seaside town, I enjoy taking the opportunity to try local seafood specialities. These meals become part of the travel experience, alongside walks through historic streets, picturesque corners and views of the coastline. Sometimes, a dish enjoyed in a small restaurant in the town centre becomes one of the pleasant memories of a visit, together with the photographs taken along the way.
Monterosso al Mare is one of the villages of the Cinque Terre, on the eastern Ligurian Riviera. It is known for its coastal scenery, beaches, colourful houses and historic centre, as well as for the restaurants where visitors can sample seafood and regional specialities. Walking through its streets, it is easy to find places to stop for a meal during a day spent exploring the village. Local food is an important part of the experience, especially for those who enjoy discovering a destination through its flavours as well as its scenery.
L’Osteria, located in the centre of Monterosso, is where I tried this dish. I decided to dedicate a photograph and a short post to it, even though the image is not among my best shots. It happens: the conditions are not always ideal for photographing food, and sometimes a picture simply fails to capture how appealing a dish looks in real life. When that happens, all that remains is the memory of the meal and an honest account of the experience.
After all, this blog is about photographs and travel memories, but also about the little moments along the way that are worth sharing. A good octopus dish enjoyed during a day in Monterosso certainly belongs among those memories, even if the photograph does not fully reflect the quality of the food.

How do you prefer your octopus: cooked in a casserole, served in a salad with potatoes, or prepared in another way? Add a comment or go to the bottom of the site to read what other visitors have written.

Octopus casserole enjoyed at L'Osteria in Monterosso, a seafood dish during a visit to the Cinque Terre

Photo taken with iPhone 6.

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Some Typical Seafood Tasted in Spain

Frutti di mare in Spagna

Some Typical Seafood Tasted in Spain.
In Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, the local food scene offers plenty of seafood specialties that catch the eye even before you get to taste them. During a visit to the famous La Boqueria Market, I stopped to look at these unusual-looking shellfish, displayed among many other delicacies from the sea. Their curious shapes, distinctive shells and natural colours immediately caught my attention. It was one of those market discoveries that makes you pause, take a closer look and want to know more.
In Italy, seafood is an important part of our culinary tradition. Mussels, clams, razor clams and many other varieties are familiar ingredients, especially in the cooking of coastal regions. Spain shares this strong connection with the sea, and its markets offer an impressive range of seafood. Some products are well known, while others may be less familiar to visitors from abroad. Exploring these market stalls is a lovely way to discover different ingredients and learn a little about the local food culture.
Looking at these shellfish, I found myself wondering what their correct name might be. Could they be razor clams, known in Spanish as *navajas* and in Catalan as *navalles*, or might they be date mussels, called *dátiles de mar* in Spanish? These are actually two different kinds of molluscs. Razor clams have long, narrow shells, while date mussels are more cylindrical and live inside rocks. Without a closer view or confirmation from the stallholder, I would rather leave the identification open than give you the wrong answer.
La Boqueria is one of Barcelona’s liveliest places, with stalls selling fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, cured products and all kinds of local specialities. I enjoy photographing details like these because they preserve more than just the memory of a trip. They also capture the small discoveries that make travelling interesting: unfamiliar ingredients, colourful displays and the chance to see everyday food traditions from another perspective. This photograph is a little reminder of the seafood variety waiting to be discovered in Spain.

Would you be able to identify these shellfish? Are they razor clams, date mussels or perhaps another local seafood delicacy? Add a comment or go to the bottom of the site to read what other visitors have written.

Unusual shellfish displayed at La Boqueria Market in Barcelona, Spain, during a visit to the city's famous food market

Unusual shellfish displayed at La Boqueria Market in Barcelona, Spain, during a visit to the city's famous food market

Photos taken with a Canon EOS M100 camera and a Tamron 16-300 lens.

Squid skewers enjoyed on Costa Toscana

Spiedini di calamari al Ferrai bar sulla Costa Toscana, un piatto di mare fotografato durante una pausa in crociera.

Squid skewers enjoyed on Costa Toscana.
In this photograph I wanted to preserve a simple moment connected to the pleasure of tasting a seafood dish during a cruise experience, where even a small detail can become part of a personal travel memory. These squid skewers on Costa Toscana represent a meeting between Mediterranean flavors and the emotions created by discovering something new while travelling.
I chose to capture this dish because food often becomes one of the strongest connections to a place and a moment. A carefully presented meal can tell a story without needing many words, bringing back memories through its appearance, its flavors, and the atmosphere surrounding it. At the Ferrai bar on Costa Toscana, this small seafood experience became a moment worth remembering.
For me, food photography is not only about showing what is on the plate. It is also about capturing the feeling connected to it: the pause during the journey, the curiosity before tasting something, and the memory that remains afterward. These squid skewers became a small symbol of a cruise moment, a detail that could easily pass unnoticed but deserved to be preserved.
Squid is a common ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine and has always been appreciated for its ability to adapt to many different preparations. Grilled, cooked in simple recipes, or served as skewers, it remains a familiar flavor connected with coastal traditions and the relationship between people and the sea.
When I look at this image, I think about how travel memories are often created by unexpected details. A large landscape can be impressive, but sometimes a simple dish can bring back the atmosphere of a journey even years later. Like other stories I have shared on my photoblog about small discoveries along the way, this photograph focuses on a personal experience rather than a famous view.
Costa Toscana becomes the setting for this memory, a place where moments of relaxation, taste, and curiosity come together naturally. If you are visiting a cruise ship, sometimes the most interesting memories are found in the quiet moments between the main experiences, when you simply stop and enjoy what is in front of you.

Have you ever photographed a meal during a trip because it represented something more than just food? Add a comment or go to the bottom of the site to read what other visitors have written.

Photos taken with Oppo Reno 12.

Malaysian Street Food at a Stall in Langkawi

Street food malese

Malaysian Street Food at a Stall in Langkawi.
One of the interesting things about Malaysian street food is how much there is to look at before you even decide whether to try anything. These photographs were taken at a food stall along the main road in Langkawi, Malaysia, where a colourful selection of dishes was on display for people passing by.
At first glance, there seems to be a little bit of everything: fish, shellfish, chicken and perhaps other preparations that I cannot confidently identify from the pictures alone. The food is presented openly, making it easy to see the different shapes, colours and textures. What really stands out is the generous use of sauces. They cover the dishes in thick, shiny layers, giving everything a rich and rather indulgent appearance. If you enjoy food with plenty of seasoning and sauce, this stall might look particularly tempting.
Street food is often associated with small roadside stalls, although the expression is sometimes used more loosely for food served in restaurants as well. Here, the setting is unmistakably informal: a stall beside one of Langkawi’s main roads, offering a glimpse of the food available to local customers and visitors. For me, these encounters are part of the pleasure of travelling. Even when I do not sit down to eat, I enjoy looking at the displays and photographing the details that catch my eye.
There is one important detail, though: I did not actually try any of the food. I stopped to take pictures and then continued on my way, so I cannot tell you whether the dishes tasted as good as they looked. I can only imagine that anyone fond of rich sauces might have found plenty to choose from. And while the display certainly makes an impression, photographs cannot tell us everything about the freshness of the ingredients or how the food has been handled. It is always sensible to use your judgement when choosing where and what to eat while travelling.
These pictures are therefore not a restaurant review or a recommendation based on personal tasting. They are simply a record of a roadside food stall I came across on Langkawi, an island in Malaysia. Sometimes travel photography is about documenting exactly these small, everyday scenes rather than visiting a famous landmark.

I would love to know what you would have done: would you have chosen a dish to try, or would you also have taken a few photographs and carried on exploring? Add an comment or go to the bottom of the site to read what other visitors have written.

Malaysian street food stall in Langkawi displaying fish, shellfish and chicken covered with generous amounts of sauce

Malaysian street food stall in Langkawi displaying fish, shellfish and chicken covered with generous amounts of sauce

Photos taken with the Canon EOS M100 camera and Canon EF-M 22 lens.

Small seafood at a Da Nang market stall

Piccoli frutti di mare in un mercato di Da Nang con conchiglie miste, erbe e colori naturali tipici della cucina vietnamita

Small seafood at a Da Nang market stall.
As I stepped closer to the stall in Da Nang, the small seafood immediately drew me in, a perfect glimpse of what to eat in Da Nang without needing any explanation. These tiny shells, part of the everyday seafood Vietnam culture, tell a story that goes far beyond food.
There was a natural chaos in the pile, a mix of shapes, textures, and subtle colors, all glistening under the market lights. If you are visiting Da Nang, this is one of the most interesting places to understand local life, because food here isn’t just prepared, it’s displayed in its raw, honest form. Wondering what to eat in Vietnam often starts exactly here, in places like this.
I was in Da Nang, central Vietnam, Vietnam, surrounded by the sounds of vendors and the constant movement of people passing by. It reminded me of another market scene I once shared on the site, but this felt more intimate, more focused on detail.
One interesting detail is that these tiny shellfish are often quickly stir-fried with lemongrass and chili, becoming a popular street food dish across the region. It’s a simple preparation that highlights the freshness of the ingredients.
I leaned in closer with my camera, trying to capture not just the image but the texture and density of the moment. It wasn’t about composition alone, but about preserving a feeling.
A place worth seeing in Da Nang is not always a landmark, sometimes it’s a market stall that quietly reveals the soul of the city.

Have you ever been fascinated by something so simple yet so rich in meaning? Add a comment or go to the bottom of the site to read what other visitors have written.

Piccoli frutti di mare in un mercato di Da Nang con conchiglie miste, erbe e colori naturali tipici della cucina vietnamita

Photo taken with Canon EOS R50 V and lens Canon RF 28.

Galician Octopus in Ibiza, Spain

Galician octopus in Ibiza is a dish I am always happy to order when I eat out in Spain. Known as pulpo a la gallega or pulpo á feira, this traditional Spanish preparation is one of my favourite seafood dishes. Whenever I am in Spain and looking at a menu, it is often one of the first things I look for. The ingredients are straightforward, but when they are prepared well, the result is full of flavour.
The dish consists of boiled octopus served over a bed of boiled potatoes. Olive oil is poured generously over the top, followed by paprika and salt. That is essentially the magic of it: tender octopus, soft potatoes and a seasoning that brings everything together without hiding the taste of the seafood. I particularly enjoy a generous amount of olive oil and paprika, because they add richness, aroma and the distinctive flavour that makes this dish so memorable.
This serving is associated with Ibiza, one of Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is famous for its beaches, clear water and lively nightlife, but food is another enjoyable part of spending time there. When travelling, I like discovering local places to eat while returning to familiar dishes that I already know I love. Finding Galician-style octopus on a Spanish menu is always a welcome choice, whether I am having a relaxed lunch or sitting down for dinner after a day out.
Although the dish is now enjoyed throughout Spain, it has its roots in Galicia, in the country’s northwest. One interesting detail is that pulpo á feira has long been connected with traditional fairs and local celebrations. It is commonly served in simple portions, often on wooden plates, with olive oil, salt and paprika. Its popularity shows how a few carefully chosen ingredients can become an enduring part of a region’s food culture.
I love this dish almost as much as the Ligurian-style octopus and potato salad that I have shared on Lucadea.com. The two preparations have a lot in common, especially the combination of octopus and potatoes, but their seasonings give them different personalities. One brings the characteristic warmth of paprika, while the other recalls the flavours of Ligurian cooking. Both are excellent examples of how seafood can be enjoyed without complicated recipes.

Have you tried Galician octopus in Spain, and would you choose it over the Ligurian version with potatoes? Add a comment or go to the bottom of the site to read what other visitors have written.

Galician-style octopus served over boiled potatoes with olive oil, paprika and salt in Ibiza, Spain

Photo taken with a Canon 600D camera and Tamron 16-300 lens.

Trofie with pesto and shrimp, the recipe

Piatto di trofie al pesto con gamberi servito in un ristorante, con pasta verde cremosa e crostacei visibili

Trofie with pesto and shrimp, the recipe.
Sitting in front of this plate of trofie with pesto and shrimp, I immediately felt that mix of curiosity and surprise, especially coming from a region where trofie with pesto are considered almost untouchable. This version of trofie with pesto and shrimp adds a creative twist, and if you are wondering what to try in Liguria beyond tradition, this dish might be exactly what you are looking for.
The aroma was familiar at first: fresh basil, olive oil, and that unmistakable richness of a well-made pesto. Then the shrimp came into play, bringing a softer, slightly sweet flavor that blended in a way I didn’t expect. Walking through Genoa, Liguria, Italy, you usually imagine the classic version, but dishes like this show how cuisine can evolve without losing its roots.
It reminded me of another dish I shared on the site, a more traditional take on trofie with pesto, and the contrast is fascinating. Here, there’s a modern touch that doesn’t feel forced but rather like a natural extension of the original idea. One interesting fact is that trofie were originally shaped by hand in Liguria, designed specifically to hold pesto sauce perfectly, which makes them ideal even in creative variations like this one.
If you are visiting this region and thinking about what to eat, this is a place worth seeing through taste rather than sight. It answers that subtle question many travelers have: what makes a dish unique here? Sometimes it’s exactly this balance between tradition and experimentation.

Ingredients

– 200 g trofie pasta;
– 150 g peeled shrimp;
– 50 g fresh basil;
– 30 g pine nuts;
– 50 g grated parmesan;
– 20 g grated pecorino;
– 1 garlic clove;
– extra virgin olive oil;
– salt.

Preparation

Start by preparing the pesto: in a mortar (or blender), crush the basil with garlic, pine nuts, and a pinch of salt, slowly adding olive oil until you get a smooth cream. Then mix in the grated cheeses.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the trofie. In a pan, quickly sauté the shrimp with a drizzle of olive oil for a few minutes until they turn pink.
Drain the pasta, keeping a bit of the cooking water. Mix the trofie with the pesto, adding a spoon of cooking water if needed to make it creamier. Finally, add the shrimp and gently combine everything.

Have you ever tried a creative variation like this on a traditional pesto pasta? Add a comment or go to the bottom of the site to read what other visitors have written.

Photos taken with Oppo Reno 12.

Oven-baked sea bream with potatoes and mussels

Orata al forno

Oven-baked sea bream with potatoes and mussels.
When I cook sea bream at home, I like to keep things simple and let the fish remain the main character of the dish. In this photograph, there are a few sea bream fillets served with potatoes and some mussels, a combination I find particularly satisfying.
Oven-baked sea bream is one of those dishes that reminds me how rewarding simple cooking can be. The flesh is delicate but full of flavour, and once cooked it works beautifully with uncomplicated side dishes. The potatoes provide a natural accompaniment, while the mussels bring an extra taste of the sea that fits perfectly with the fish.
I took this photograph at home, capturing what was actually served at the table. There was no intention of turning it into an elaborate restaurant-style presentation. It is simply one of those meals I enjoy preparing, and, at least according to the chef at home, it can easily compete with something served in a restaurant.
Food photography has a different rhythm from photographing streets, landscapes or buildings. With a plate like this, the photograph is tied to a very specific moment: the meal is ready, everything is on the table, and there is usually not much time to think about the composition before somebody starts eating.
I like that spontaneity. A photograph of food can preserve the memory of an ordinary lunch or dinner just as effectively as a photograph from a journey. Sometimes the most familiar moments are precisely the ones that are worth keeping.
Sea bream with potatoes is also a wonderfully flexible preparation. It can remain very simple, allowing the natural flavour of the fish to stand out, or it can be enhanced with a few herbs and seasonings. Baking is particularly convenient because the fish and the side dish can be prepared together without requiring complicated cooking techniques.
There is a small detail behind the name of sea bream itself. The fish is easily recognised by the distinctive golden band between its eyes, which becomes especially noticeable when the fish is whole. It has long been appreciated around the Mediterranean and is commonly prepared baked, grilled or with other straightforward methods that preserve its delicate flavour.
In this image, however, what catches my attention is simply the finished plate: the sea bream fillets, the potatoes beside them and the mussels completing the meal. It is quite different from the photographs of Ligurian villages, streets and seaside views that usually appear on my blog, but food is also part of the places and memories I want to record.
And yes, I have to admit it: at my house we cook like a restaurant. Actually, better!

How do you like to cook sea bream? Add a comment or go to the bottom of the site to read what other visitors have written.

Oven-baked sea bream fillets with potatoes and mussels, a simple homemade seafood dish

Photo taken with Canon 600D and Canon EF 40.

Stewed squid at Montevideo’s Mercado del Puerto

Totanetti in umido a Montevideo

Stewed squid at Montevideo’s Mercado del Puerto.
Among the dishes I photographed during a visit to the Mercado del Puerto in Montevideo, this plate of stewed squid caught my attention with its simple and hearty appearance. Montevideo, Uruguay, is a city where food is closely connected with markets and shared meals, and this dish felt like a small but memorable part of that experience.
The Mercado del Puerto is best known for grilled meat and for the atmosphere surrounding Uruguay’s traditional food culture. Yet seafood also has its place among the many dishes served there. That contrast is exactly what made these stewed squid pieces worth photographing when I came across them.
The dish contains squid cooked slowly with onion, potatoes and mushrooms, with a few spices adding flavour to the preparation. Visually, it is not an elaborate composition, but perhaps that is what makes the photograph work for me. The ingredients are easy to recognise and the whole plate immediately suggests something warm, substantial and comforting.
When I photograph food, I am mostly interested in preserving the impression I had when I saw the dish in front of me. Here I wanted to capture something slightly different from the more predictable images associated with the Mercado del Puerto. Meat is naturally one of the main attractions of the market, but this plate shows that seafood can also find its place in such a strongly meat-oriented setting.
What I like about this photograph is its connection with an actual moment from the trip. I am not trying to present a traditional recipe or explain how to cook stewed squid. It is simply a dish I encountered while travelling and thought was worth remembering through a photograph.
The Mercado del Puerto is located in Montevideo’s Ciudad Vieja and is one of the city’s best-known places for experiencing local food. Its history goes back to the nineteenth century, when the building was inaugurated for market activities. Over time, the space developed into an important gastronomic landmark, while retaining much of the character that makes it so recognisable.
If you are wondering what to eat in Montevideo, the market is interesting precisely because of the variety of dishes available there. For me, though, the strongest memory comes from the individual plates I encountered, because each one is connected with a particular moment of the journey.
This stewed squid with onion, potatoes and mushrooms is the kind of dish that could easily be overlooked beside the market’s more famous grilled meats. Yet these unexpected culinary encounters are often what make a trip feel personal when I look back at the photographs later.
I have also photographed other dishes and markets during my travels, always trying to keep the focus on the food as I actually encountered it rather than turning the photograph into a formal restaurant review. In this case, the memory is especially connected with the surprise of finding a seafood dish in a place so strongly associated with meat.

Have you ever tried stewed squid while travelling in Uruguay? Add a comment or go to the bottom of the site to read what other visitors have written.

Stewed squid with onion, potatoes and mushrooms served at the Mercado del Puerto in Montevideo, Uruguay

Stewed squid with onion, potatoes and mushrooms served at the Mercado del Puerto in Montevideo, Uruguay

Photos taken with Canon EOS M100 and lens Canon EF-M 22.

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