David Skoko

David Skoko was born on January 10, 1976, in Pula, as the middle child and only son of the Skoko family, which has been engaged in fishing for four generations. He completed primary school in Pula and secondary agricultural school in Poreč. After military service, he worked in fishing with his father. The story of Batelina began in 2000, when David, his mother Alda, and father Danilo opened a modest family tavern to sell fish they caught and prepared in the traditional family way. Alda, an excellent cook of traditional fishermen’s dishes, always had the final say in the kitchen. Their cuisine relies on family recipes and a long tradition of preparing their own catch. Batelina’s menu differs from most local restaurants, as it aims to showcase the entire catch—from premium fish to small blue fish, dried fish roe (bottarga), edible offal, bone marrow of large predators, and tiny crustaceans that help keep the sea clean. The Skoko family believes in valuing the entire catch for sustainable fishing and ecological balance, rather than consuming only selected species. Dishes like shark liver pâté and monkfish tripe were inspired by uncles, relatives, and old fishermen who ate them to prove their masculinity or fish expertise.