The Mediterranean is the deep, blue heart that gives life to the countries that surround her. Traditionally prepared in an attractive way, always bursting with taste and colour, its seafood remains at the core of its cooking heritage - flavours that have spread their tentacles in homes and kitchens around the world.

So, with a little imagination and a dash of ingenuity, you can make as dramatic a production as you desire out of a piping hot bouillabaisse, a crisply grilled lobster or spicy squid...accompanied of course, by a cool glass of wine.

Seafood - one of the most well documented sources of protein - is the best way to complement warm sunshine and the tangy smell of the sea air. Take it from the experts and who would know better than the foodies from Nice, the capital city of the sparkling Cote D'Azur. Verve recreates the tender tastes of the fresh catch of the Mediterranean....

Crossover actor, Perizaad Zorabian, who put Bandra's sea-facing promenade on the national map with the little big film, Joggers' Park, among other notables, such as Morning Raga and Bollywood Calling, says,
Though primarily a meat and chicken eater, I do also enjoy my plate of fish. There was a time when I had turned vegan but continued to consume fish for its latent qualities of nurturing the skin and hair. I relish crab and pomfret, predominantly in their Indian flavoursome avatars. And, while I was growing up, I used to love my tuna sandwiches...."

Tartellette Riviera With Tuna Cream And Smoked Anchovies From Galice

TUNA CREAM:
Ingredients: Tuna in olive oil, 400 gms; Mayonnaise, 2 spoons; Capers, 1 coffee spoon; Chopped shallot, 1 unit; Chopped chives, 1 pinch; Chopped celery, 1 branch; Chopped scallion, 1 pinch; Chopped lettuce, 1 pinch.
Main ingredients: Candied roma tomatoes, 4 halves; Roma tomatoes, 8 slices; Cucumber, 8 slices; Chopped chives, 4 pinches; Smoked anchovy fillets, 4 units; Thin slices of radish, 12 units (cut lengthwise); Candied red peppers, 8 slices; Black olives from Nice, 12 units; Lettuce leaves, 12 units; Tender celery, 4 branches; Soft quail eggs, 4 units.

LEMON VINAIGRETTE:
Ingredients: Juice of lemon, 1/2 unit; Olive oil from Nice, 5 spoons; Salt and pepper to taste.
Method: Filter the tuna of its oil and mash it with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, capers, scallions, chives and herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste.
For the dressing, at the bottom of a dish, place the cream of tuna and harmoniously add the remaining ingredients, always being careful of alternating the colours and trying to give a maximum of volume.
Add a pinch of flower salt and freshly ground pepper, generously sprinkle olive oil and serve the lemon vinaigrette separately.