Since Italy is a peninsula surrounded by three seas, it is no surprise that seafood makes its appearance on plates all over the country. Fishing fleets bring in all manner of catch, and cold-water fish like cod and salmon are imported and readily available. Dining outside on a warm day overlooking the water can be a great pleasure. It can also sometimes bring a bit of a surprise.
Seafood, as it is served in Italy, may require a little more work than you’re accustomed to. Most fish –- from shrimp to bass -- are brought to the table whole: head, tail, scales, and shells intact. Even in pasta dishes, the shrimp are usually left whole. Cooking it this way renders the fish moister and more flavorful. It also challenges the diner to successfully clean the critters without making a mess. If you’re not accustomed to maneuvering with fork and knife to behead and debone a fish, ask the waiter to have the chef clean it for you; most are happy to oblige. Shellfish are your responsibility, though. You may find it easier to ask for an additional small plate to rest the shrimp on for leverage while you work with your fork and knife to extricate the delicacy from its shell.
Pesce on menus refers to fish, those with scales and fins. Frutti di mare refers to shellfish and other sea creatures such as squid, octopus and cuttlefish.
Seafood restaurants generally offer a wide array of antipasti, delicate plates of various fish-based concoctions. You may need to establish how many plates you’re willing to receive, otherwise they’ll keep rolling out until you say, “enough” (or “basta,” in Italian). Many restaurants also offer a fixed-price menu which includes several of the antipasti choices, a pesce-based pasta dish, a whole-fish main course and vegetable, along with vino bianco (white wine), of course. It is a great way to try many varieties of the best from Italy’s seas. Of course, meals a la carte can also be ordered.
With so much coastline offering spectacular views and delicious dishes, you’ll want to give the fish a try during your Italian vacation.
The villages scattered all around the Cilento coast maintain a very ancient fishing technique, but non so closely tied to it than the pretty town of Pisciotta.
If you have searched the web looking for activities to do while vacationing on the Amalfi Coast, there is no doubt that you have already read about Mamma Agata and her incredible cooking school in Ravello.
Once you have peeled your eyes away from the stupendous scenery of the Amalfi Coast, one of the first things you’re bound to notice is the large lemons hanging from the trees.
The hills that surround the city of Salerno and stretch from the Amalfi Coast to the Cilento National Park give an extra-virgin olive oil with an intense colour and a unique fruity taste.
Agerola is known as "Città del Pane" - city of bread – nationwide popular brand that recognizes some Italian towns where this product assumes a special value due to the peculiar characteristics.
At Summer in Italy we do care about our guests, and this is why, in order to help you making your food shopping in Italy just perfect, we would like to share a few tips about high-quality local products.
Its unique and special characteristics, very much appreciated even abroad, gives the name to "Fico Bianco del Cilento": once dried, the sweet peel gets light yellow coloured rather than chestnut brown if oven-cooked.
Amalfi Coast
Sorrento Coast
Tuscany
Cilento National Park
Lake Como
Rome and Latium
Umbria
Capri and Ischia
Venice
Puglia (Apulia)
Liguria
Sicily
Lake Maggiore
Lombardy
Sardinia
Lake Garda
Abruzzo and Marche
Calabria
Been there? Done that? Share your experience and tips!
Haven't visited yet? Have questions? Ask them here!