Regional Italian Seafood

[docsconz]

Of course throughout Italy and the mediterranean there are a number of ubiquitous species, such as calamari, octopus, branzino, etc to delight the palate. Howeverr, various areas have their own unique or uniquely special seafood products, whether they be a particular species, extra special quality or method of production/preparation that set them apart. A few that come to mind are moleche (tiny soft shell crabs) from the Venetian lagoon and a tiny, fantastically delicious shrimp, the name of which I have no idea, from the Straits of Messina. There are certainly places taht are particularly known for their products, whether they be anchovies, bottarga or clams. Wherre are they and what are your favorites?

[Boris_A]

When in Liguria, I could die for "Moscardini alla Ligure" (squids). But frankly I have no idea how typical the Ligurian squids are, and I must confess I never acquired knowledge about the terroir of squids. However, the recipe seems extremely simple, so I have no other explanation why I like them so much there.

[albiston]

Where do I start? It's quite hard to pick favourites but here's a few:

- Alici di Cetara: salted anchovies from the little town of Cetara on the costiera Amalfitana. I'd advise anyone who thinks salted anchovies are leathery salty stuff to try these. Huge, fat and never too salty. Delicious plain on buttered bread. Cetara is also home of the colatura d'alici, according to many a distant relative to the Roman garum. Quite nice for pasta sauces.

- Sicilian preserved tuna offal: heart, lung and more. I've tried these only once but I fell in love. A unique taste.

- Bottarga di muggine from the salty "lakes" of Cabras, Sardinia. There are many bottargas around but I never found one which compares to the taste of this one. It reminds me of the smell of sea early in the morning (clean unpolluted sea!) and still manages to have an incredible nutty taste.

- Sea urchins in Puglia. I've seldom seen sea urchins on sale elsewhere in Italy but this might as well not be that typical. The taste: incredible. After eating about 10 sea urchins I understood what the whole fuss is about.

I'm sure I'd have a few others if I think about it.

[Adam Balic]

Mosciame from Sicily, as well as swordfish with mint.

Fresh anchovies from Liguria, as well as batti batti (eh, and date shells)

Venice and soft shelled crabs, plus once there I had some great Murex shells

Various salt cod/stockfish preparations (is this seafood?)

[Kevin72]

I have very limited experience with Italian seafood but in Venice last fall I was just blown away by the regional variation in seafood. I couldn't get enough of cannoche aka mantis shrimp, the flat critter that looks like a cross between a shrimp and a centipede. I also dug the brown shrimp they had there. I'm dying to try sea dates though I know there's some, ahem, legal concerns there. Even the clams were different with thin, glasslike shells. And the shellfish all tasted much sweeter than here (America).

Is it that American waters are less plentiful in variety or are American fishmongers and/or customers more . . . mundane? in their tastes. I don't know the right word for it . . . but basically everyone's idea of a shrimp is a little curled pink thing and that's was seafood providers cater to. Keep in mind I live in Dallas, I know New York and the West Coast are very regional as well in their preferences. But again from my experience when the best seafood providers in Dallas, Central Market, first arrived they had a wealth of different types of seafood: langoustines, razor clams, geoducks, abalone, etc., but shortly all that vanished under the explanation that none of it sold.

[docsconz]

- Sea urchins in Puglia. I've seldom seen sea urchins on sale elsewhere in Italy but this might as well not be that typical. The taste: incredible. After eating about 10 sea urchins I understood what the whole fuss is about.

My (then 12yo) son and I had sea urchin like this in Sicily that really made us understand what they are all about.