Italian Seafood Recipes to Savor all Summer

“Pisci cottu e carni cruda.”

“Fish

should be well cooked and meat has more flavor when it’s cooked less.” - Calabrian proverb

The Italian peninsula is bordered by the Adriatic, Tyrrhenian, Ionian, and Mediterranean seas, and is dotted with numerous lakes, streams, and rivers. So it’s no surprise that seafood has been appreciated in Italy since antiquity. In the United States, June is National Seafood Month, so it's a great time to add a few more "fruits of the sea into your diet. 

Did you know that consuming fish as little as one time a week promotes total body wellness
and can have positive health benefits?  Plus,  a 2011 study found that a single
extra serving of fish per week can reduce heart disease risk by 50 percent. According
to Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association, women who didn’t eat fish regularly had 50 percent more heart problems, had three times greater risk for disease, and had higher blood fat levels than those who ate it once a week.   

Purchasing the freshest, best-quality seafood will make a huge difference in the finished product of your dishes. Here are a few of my favorite fish recipes: 

Italian Fishermen Kabobs

Tuscan Seafood Stew
(Cacciucco Livornese)

Serves: 8 | Serving Size: Approximately 1 cup

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 1 hour

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon minced parsley

1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves

1/2 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes

5 cloves garlic, minced

12 ounces calamari, cleaned and cut into

1-inch pieces

12 ounces baby octopus, cleaned, and cut into

1-inch pieces, if desired

1 tablespoon unsalted tomato paste

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes, juice reserved

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup Homemade Seafood Stock (page 288) or

water

1 (1-pound) monkfish fillet, cut into 2-inch

pieces

1 (1-pound) mullet or other white fish fillet, cut into 2-inch
pieces

12 ounces large shell-on shrimp

12 ounces mussels, scrubbed and debearded


1. Heat oil in a 6-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add parsley,

sage, chile flakes, and minced garlic, and cook until fragrant, about
1 minute. Add calamari and octopus and cook, stirring occasionally, until
seafood is opaque, about 4 minutes. Add tomato paste, stir well, and cook
until paste has darkened slightly, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook,
stirring often, until the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes along with their juice, season with pepper, and

cook, stirring occasionally, until seafood is tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in stock, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Add monkfish and cook, covered, until fish is just firm, about

5 minutes. Add mullet and shrimp to the pot, and scatter mussels over top.
Cook, covered, without stirring (so as not to break up the seafood), until the
mullet is just cooked through and the mussels have just opened, about
10 minutes.

4. Ladle stew into bowls and serve.

Italian Living Tradition:

While variations of this soup abound, the common denominators to
an authentic cacciucco are octopus, squid, tomatoes, wine, garlic,
sage, and dried red chilies. Other types of fish can be added. In Italy, the
soup must be served over toasted or grilled garlic-rubbed bread.

Wine:

Montecarlo bianco 

Italian Halibut 

with Grapes and 

Olive Oil/Pesce al forno con l’uva

 

Creative chefs in Italian coastal regions sometimes replace grapes for the tomatoes in a dish called  pesce in acqua pazza  or “fish in crazy water.” It’s called crazy water because crushed red chilies give the cooking water a kick. Typically,

freshly caught sea bream is used, although I have substituted halibut for its easy access and high omega-3 content in this recipe. It’s said that this dish can transport someone from a rainy day in London to the sunny Italian Riviera!

cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

4 boneless halibut fillets, 4 ounces each

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 small red chili, finely chopped

2 cups (300 g) seedless green grapes

a handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly torn

½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt or salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the halibut, followed by the garlic, chili, grapes, basil and the salt. Pour in 13/4 cups (410 ml) of water, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and cook the fish until opaque, or for 7 minutes on each side.

Remove the fish from the pan and place on a large serving dish. Raise the heat, cook the sauce for 30 seconds to

concentrate the flavors slightly. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Pour sauce over the fish.

Yield: 4 servings

Mediterranean Tradition

Phytonutrients in grapes are believed to contribute to longevity. Try incorporating them into recipes for  surprising fresh, sweet and sour flavor.

Photo Credit: James M. Thrasher The Washington Post

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