25 Italian Seafood Recipes to Transport You to Italy (2024)

FAQs

What kind of seafood do they eat in Italy? ›

Seafood in the Regions of Italy

Due to its proximity to the Adriatic Sea, the Veneto region features fresh seafood such as shrimp, eel, clam, and fish. Liguria, along the western side, has offerings of swordfish, sea bass, tuna, and sardines.

One of Italy's all-time favorites, linguine allo scoglio, often also dubbed linguine ai frutti di mare is a typical southern Italian seafood dish or piatto di mare.

In Northern Italy, larger fish, especially cod, are very popular ingredients in traditional dishes. Traditional central Italian seafood tends to come from anchovies, sardines, and tuna.

Pizza. Besides pasta, pizza is perhaps the most popular and recognized Italian food. Pizza is considered a national symbol representing Italy to the rest of the world, so much so that UNESCO has acknowledged pizza as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Tagliatelle with ragù

Saying it's one of the best Italian dishes ever is an understatement! Picture this: hand-rolled ribbons of long, flat pasta tossed in a ragù sauce made with meat, wine, and tomatoes. Swoon.

Typical feast

The meal's components may include some combination of anchovies, whiting, lobster, sardines, baccalà (dried salt cod), smelts, eels, squid, octopus, shrimp, mussels and clams. The menu may also include pasta, vegetables, baked goods and wine.

Most of Italy's regions border the coast and each region has its own specialty seafood stew or seafood pasta. Tuna (tonno) and Codfish (merluzzo) are the favorite common seafood in Italy.

This pasta involves seven fish: clams, mussels, halibut, shrimp, anchovy, calamari and scallops.

A common dish in the Lunigiana region and historical territory of Italy, it is an ancient pasta originating from the Etruscan civilization of Italy. Testaroli has been described as "the earliest recorded pasta".

Pizza. A list of the most iconic foods to eat in Italy wouldn't be complete without the humble pizza. Easy, cheap, and filling, pizza has long been a common snack or meal, especially in Naples where tomato sauce was first added.

What is true Italian food? ›

Italian food, as in the Italian cuisine you'll find in Italy, is a little different. It varies from region to region and generally involves more beans, greens, fresh veggies, and stews; less meat and mozzarella cheese. That doesn't mean you can't love both!

Since Italy is a Mediterranean country, seafood of all kinds is extremely popular.

Similar to pizza and pasta, Italians are obsessed with eating seafood. According to a survey, 68% of Italians have seafood-related items at least once a week. And they mainly order fresh online seafood from different stores.

There's no doubt about it – Italians love their fish! And there are plenty of good reasons why this aquatic fare is so popular in the Boot-shaped country. From coastal towns to the best Italian restaurants in the heart of the country, you can find restaurants serving up some of the world's best seafood dishes.

Now Italians are turning the killer crustaceans into a culinary delicacy, introducing them into risotto, pasta dishes and even salads. Italian farmers' group Coldiretti suggests serving the blue crab with rosemary in a salad, or with sauteed garlic over spaghetti.