Top 19 Venetian Seafood Dishes

Capesante alla veneziana is a traditional dish originating from Venice. The dish is usually made with a combination of scallops, garlic, breadcrumbs, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, salt, and pepper. The scallops are cleaned and dredged in breadcrumbs. The garlic and parsley are sautéed in olive oil, and the scallops are then added to the pan and cooked until golden on both sides. The dish is drizzled with lemon juice and seasoned with salt and pepper, then served in half shells.Expand

This traditional Italian dish is usually associated with the Veneto region. It consists of salted cod that is primarily boiled in a mixture of water and milk. It is then thoroughly deboned, and finally mashed until it reaches a creamy but firm consistency. At the final stage, the fish is usually enriched with olive oil, garlic, and optionally parsley. The dish is considered to be a true delicacy that is light, packed with flavor and can vary from chunky to creamy in texture. It is usually served accompanied by grilled pieces of polenta or toasted, crispy bread.Expand

Spaghetti alla busara is a traditional dish originating from Venice and the surrounding area. The dish is usually made with a combination of scampi (langoustines or large prawns), spaghetti, olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, white wine, salt, and pepper. The garlic is sautéed in olive oil and removed from the pan. The scampi are added to the pan, seasoned with salt and pepper, and covered with white wine. The mixture is cooked until the alcohol evaporates and the dish is completed by adding chopped tomatoes and lowering the heat until the sauce thickens. The spaghetti are cooked until al dente, sautéed briefly in the sauce, and the dish is then garnished with chopped parsley before serving. It is believed that fresh langoustines from the nearby Croatian port city of Rijeka arrived to Venice daily and that the busara (buzara) sauce inspired Venetian cooks because there is a Croatian dish called scampi buzara that's the same as this one, but without the addition of spaghetti.Expand

Typically served as a light lunch and a staple of many Dalmatian taverns (called konoba) and restaurants, crni rižot is a unique black risotto made with fresh squid or cuttlefish. Squid or cuttlefish ink gives the risotto its intimidating black color, while other seafood such as mussels, clams, and other shellfish are also commonly added to the dish. Just watch your smile as your teeth and lips will most probably turn black while eating it. Although the origins are still somewhat murky, it is believed that the dish was invented while Croatia was under Venetian rule, and that's the reason why it spread first in Veneto (where it's known as risotto nero di seppia) and then throughout the Mediterranean.Expand

Seppie in umido is a traditional dish originating from Venice. The dish is usually made with a combination of sliced cuttlefish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, rosemary, oil, salt, and black pepper. The onions and garlic are sautéed in oil until soft, and then mixed with the rosemary and cuttlefish. The mixture is covered with water and simmered for more than half an hour, and the tomatoes, tomato paste, spices, salt, and pepper are then added to the pan. The dish is slowly cooked until the sauce becomes thick and the cuttlefish is tender. Seppie in umido is typically served over polenta.Expand

Gamberetti alla crema is a traditional dish originating from Venice. The dish is usually made with a combination of shrimps, butter, heavy cream, garlic, minced parsley, salt, and pepper. The shrimps are shelled, deveined, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cooked over high heat in butter. A mixture of cream, garlic, and parsley is brought to a boiling point before it's poured over the shrimps. The dish is cooked for a minute or two more while shaking the pan, and it's then ready to be enjoyed.Expand

Folpetti is a traditional dish originating from Veneto. The dish is prepared with a combination of baby octopus, lemon juice, parsley, salt, black pepper, and extra-virgin olive oil. This simple preparation of Venetian-style baby octopus starts by boiling the octopus for about half an hour. It is then seasoned with salt, black pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice. Before serving, this traditional appetizer is sprinkled with chopped parsley. It's recommended to pair folpetti with a glass of wine or prosecco on the side. For a more filling meal, serve the folpetti with boiled potatoes on the side.Expand

One of Venice's most traditional dishes, this delicious appetizer of marinated sardines originated among the fishermen and seafarers of La Serenissima as a way to preserve fish during their long voyages. Sarde in saor are made by frying fresh sardines and then marinating them either in white wine or vinegar with softly cooked onions, pine nuts, and raisins. The dish is preferably prepared the day before serving, and it can keep well over the course of a week. In Venice, this ultimate antipasto agrodolce is found on every corner and is typically served alongside grilled polenta.Expand

Capelonghe veneziane is a traditional Venetian way of preparing razor clams. The dish is made with a combination of razor clams (capelonghe or cannolicchi), olive oil, parsley, salt, and black pepper. The razor clams are washed, soaked in cold salted water in order to remove the sand, and then cooked in olive oil until they open. When they open, the razor clams are removed from the pan, while the cooking juices are strained to remove leftover sand. The strained liquid is mixed with olive oil, pepper, and parsley, and the dressing is then poured over the razor clams before serving. Razor clams can also be baked in the oven and dressed the same way. Just be careful not to overcook them as the texture will become rubbery.Expand

The famed signature dish of Vicenza, baccalà alla Vicentina is made with stoccafisso (lit. stockfish), which refers to a cod that is not salted but air-dried until almost rock-hard, and requires several days of soaking before being cooked. Stockfish was first introduced to the region back in 1432 by Pietro Querini, a Venetian merchant whose ship wrecked off the coast of Norway. The crew was saved, reaching the island of Røst where stockfish was very common, so the merchants brought some of this peculiar dried fish back home to Vicenza. The Venetians embraced this new ingredient as an alternative to the expensive and easily perishable fresh fish and eventually came up with their own recipe: codfish Vicenza-style, slowly simmered in milk flavored with a savory soffritto base of garlic, onions, and anchovies. Over the long cooking hours, stockfish meat becomes amazingly tender, while milk tends to soften the typical strong taste and aroma of dried cod. Baccalà alla Vicentina is traditionally served over soft polenta and it is recommended to pair it with local white wines such as Soave.Expand