South-East Sicily has the kind of food culture that doesn't need a guidebook — but a couple of pointers help you skip the tourist menus and land directly on the good stuff.
Markets
Start with the Ortigia market on a weekday morning: red Mazara prawns, tuna bottarga, cherry tomatoes, ricotta, capers from Salina. Eat a tuna panino from Caseificio Borderi standing up.
Dishes to order
Spaghetti ai ricci (sea-urchin pasta) in season; pasta alla Norma; grilled pesce spada or tonno; raw red prawns; arancino (it's masculine here); cassata, cannoli, and granita di mandorla with brioche for breakfast.
Wines
Nero d'Avola for the classics, Frappato for something lighter, Etna Rosso (Nerello Mascalese) for the elegant option, and a chilled Carricante or Grillo with seafood.
Where we send our guests
In Augusta and Brucoli we have a short list of family-run trattorias we share personally on arrival — better that way than a public ranking that changes every season.