Polenta e Missoltini at Ristorante Nicolin
Missoltini — agoni fish caught in Lake Como, salted, pressed and sun-dried for months — are Lecco's most distinctive culinary relic, and Ristorante Nicolin in the hamlet of Maggianico is the most respected address in the province for eating them properly, grilled and served with butter-soft polenta taragna.
The dish and its backstory
The technique of drying agoni in tins (missolte) dates to at least the 16th century, when it was the primary way lakeside communities preserved their catch through winter. The result is intensely savoury, almost anchovy-like in depth, and utterly unlike anything you will find on a tourist-trail menu.
At Nicolin, chef Stefano Magni sources missoltini from a handful of remaining artisan producers around Lake Como and serves them grilled over charcoal with a drizzle of local olive oil and a wedge of lemon — simple, unfussy and completely right.
The rest of the menu
Beyond missoltini, the kitchen excels at lavarello in carpione (whitefish in sweet-sour marinade), risotto al Barolo, and a dessert trolley that leans heavily on local pastry traditions including tortelli di Lecco filled with chestnuts and mostarda.
The wine list is Lombard-heavy, with excellent Valtellina Superiore Sassella and Sforzato di Valtellina by the glass — both worth ordering alongside the lake fish.
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