Piatti di Pesce

Italy is water-bound, with thousands of miles of beaches, bays, and inlets. Almost everything that lives in the sea, from swordfish, which the fishermen still harpoon from the bows of their boats in the Straights of Messina, to arselle, little clams that live in the sand below the swash zone and are gathered with strainers, finds its way to the table.

The role of fish in the Italian diet was, in the past, even more important than it is now: Up until the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church required that the faithful eat fish on both Fridays and days of penitence, for example during lent; all large cities had fishmongers to meet the demand, and there were traveling fishmongers who made the rounds of the towns too small to support a specialized store.

With the increasing availability of high quality, relatively inexpensive frozen fish, the Italian per capita consumption of seafood has increased considerably, especially in inland areas. Of course, going to the fish stalls of the market is much more fun than staring into a freezer bin. In choosing a fresh fish, begin by looking it in the eye. It should stare back, looking as if it's thinking about darting away. If its eyes are instead cloudy, it's not fresh. Its gills should be bright red, though Artusi warns us to touch them and then sniff our fingers to make sure the fishmonger hasn't painted them with ox blood. Its flesh should be elastic, and spring up when pressed down. Finally, it shouldn't smell fishy.

A word on cooking times: To calculate the cooking time for a fish, measure it at its thickest point and cook it for ten minutes per inch, turning it once. This method was developed by Evelene Spencer and improved upon by the Canadian Department of Fisheries; according to James Beard, it can be employed with any cooking technique. For example, he suggests you poach a four-inch thick fish for forty minutes, and you grill a two-and-a-half-inch thick fish for twenty five minutes, twelve per side. When grilling a fish, you should set it about four inches above the coals. A more empiric test is to stick a toothpick into the thickest part of the fish, near the backbone. If the flesh is no longer translucent and flakes easily, it is done.

COOKING TECNIQUES

Pesce Lesso
It's easy to boil a fish, and the results can be delightful.

Pesce alla Griglia
A good grill and a fine fish are a marriage made in heaven.

On Baking Fish
A procedure more than a recipe, a good baked fish is one of the finest dishes you could want. And simple to do too.

On Frying Fish
Preparing fish for frying, making batters, breading, and other basics.
Difficulty: Moderate-Intermediate.

Mixed Fried Fish
More on frying fish: How to prepare cuttlefish, squid, and the like, and what order to cook the fish in.
Difficulty: Moderate -- Intermediate

Orata al Cartoccio
Sea Bass baked in a paper packet and opened at table. The technique works with any fish, and can be extraordinarily tasty (and romantic too).

Pagello al Sale
Pandora roasted in salt. You can also do this with sea bass, or other delicate fish, with delightful results.

The fish recipes on site are divided by category:

Got more sites / recipes to suggest? Let me know.

Buon appetito!
Kyle Phillips

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Photo by Kyle Phillips.