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The Italian peninsula is bordered by
five seas, the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian on the west, the Adriatic and
Ionian on the east, and the Mediterranean on the south. It is
surrounded by water, with the exception of the North, which has
large lakes and rivers. It is only natural, with over 5300 miles of
coastline, that seafood is a major part of the Italian diet.
Italians, like most Mediterranean
people, consume fish 2 - 3 times a week. Towns along the coast
depend on the sea to fulfill their diet. Fishermen rise early to ply
the coastal waters and return to port with their catch of the day.
The fish are sold in open air markets, where local people, merchants
and restaurant owners bargain for the best deals. Pesce (fish) and frutti di mare (fruits of the sea) make up a large section of
restaurant menus throughout the country.
 Freshness is the main element in cooking
seafood "Italian style". Italians traditionally prefer to cook all
their seafood in the "whole state", the less hands touch the fish,
the fresher it remains. Shrimp , as an example, are cooked head,
tail and shell intact. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule
depending on the cooking habits of the different regions of Italy.
Many of the provinces and
areas have their own names and separate preparations for the
varieties of fish. Recipes will differ from one restaurant to
another according to a chef's creativity or preferences.
Although freshness is very desirable in
cooking seafood. It is most often a luxury and not practical. A
seafood restaurant that is located in a land locked state or country
cannot be expected to provide freshly caught seafood daily. These
restaurant owners have to rely on frozen products which can be
shipped from all over the world. Upscale restaurants can have seafood flown in fresh, but your
average eating establishment cannot afford to do this without a
hefty price tag. However, brand name frozen seafood does not
necessarily compromise quality and this is the case in most Italian
restaurants offering seafood. It is the knowledge and experience of
their chefs using the right ingredients and techniques to create
dishes that are essentially Italian.
What is
meant when we claim that seafood is done in the "Italian Style"?
Three words best describe it:
"Freshness,
Simplicity, Imagination"
The fresher the
better, add a few basic ingredients (garlic, olive oil, herbs, etc.)
and a touch of the Italian ingenuity for cooking seafood. The result
is the greatest innovation in culinary history......SAPORE!
(FLAVOR!)
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