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Fritto misto is one of those dishes that differs widely across the country. Along the Italian seaside, it will always include crustaceans and mollusks, typically shrimp and squid, and often paranza, which is a collective name for very small whole fish such as fresh anchovies, sardines, baby mackerel, or mullet.
In northern parts of the country, particularly in Piedmont, fritto misto is mostly made with vegetables and, depending on the season, includes semolina, veal brain, brochettes of cheese and prosciutto, sometimes even apples and amaretti biscuits.
VARIATIONS OF Fritto misto
MOST ICONIC Fritto misto
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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. Back in the 1980s in the wider Neapolitan area, as well as along the entire southern Italian coast, there was reportedly not a single restaurant that didn't offer some version of such a timeless classic on its menu.
This pasta entrée is made with either linguine or spaghetti, and a combination of seafood and shellfish, preferably coming from fresh local catch of the day. Considering seafood seasonality, what Neapolitan and any other scoglio (lit. reef; rock) has to offer varies from month to month, so there is no precise recipe for this dish, and there are countless variations in existence, but the most traditional ones always include clams, mussels, shrimps, and sometimes even calamaretti or baby squids.
Serve with
MOST ICONIC Linguine allo scoglio
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Assorted fried seafood known as fritto misto di pesce is hugely popular in Campania, but it is also found all over Italy. However, fritto misto is one of those dishes that differs widely across the country. Along the Italian seaside, it will always include crustaceans and mollusks, typically shrimp and squid, and often paranza, which is a collective name for very small whole fish such as fresh anchovies, sardines, baby mackerel, or mullet.
Depending on the region, fritto misto is sometimes batter-fried, but the simplest method of preparing it is lightly coating the food in flour and quickly deep-frying it in hot oil until it forms a nice golden brown crust.
MOST ICONIC Fritto misto di pesce
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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.
Quick and easy to prepare, yet packing some serious flavor, spaghetti alle vongole is a traditional Neapolitan dish consisting of only two key ingredients: vongole clams and pasta. However, there is a heated debate considering secondary ingredients, primarily the tomatoes.
Purists adore the original dish, made without tomatoes, known as bianco version, while the others prefer a version with crushed tomatoes, or a version with a tomato sauce, known as spaghetti alle vongole con la salsa di pomodoro.
Similar issues arise regarding the addition or omission of peperoncino and pepper in the dish.
MOST ICONIC Spaghetti alle vongole
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This Italian classic couples linguine pasta with tender lobster meat. The dish starts with a sauce that combines lobster meat and sautéed shallots, garlic, or onions, which are usually deglazed with white wine and finished off with tomatoes.
The sauce is served over fresh linguine, and the whole plate is traditionally decorated with shelled lobster.
MOST ICONIC Linguine all'astice
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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.
This Italian classic couples rice with various seafood ingredients. Clams, shrimps, lobster meat, squid, and mussels are commonly used, while other ingredients include short-grain rice, butter, garlic, onions, white wine, parsley, and fish or vegetable stock.
Since it is a popular dish throughout the country, it appears in numerous varieties that are occasionally enriched with saffron or tomato-based sauces. Like other types of risotto, this seafood classic is also traditionally enjoyed as a starter and should always be freshly prepared and served warm.
MOST ICONIC Risotto ai frutti di mare
View moreSeppie in umido is a traditional dish originating from Venice. The dish is usually made with a combination of sliced squid, 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 squid.
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 squid is tender. Seppie in umido is typically served over polenta.
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Cozze alla Tarantina is a delicious seafood appetizer consisting of delicate, meaty mussels served in a spicy tomato sauce. It is important that the mussels are as fresh as possible. The tomato sauce is typically flavored with garlic, parsley, chiles, olive oil, white wine, and pepper.
For the best experience, it is recommended to serve the dish with toasted bread or croutons, which can be used to mop up all of the flavorful juices. Pair it with Pinot Grigio, Vermentino, Chardonnay, or Riesling.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 100 Italian Seafood Dishes” list until March 21, 2025, 2,251 ratings were recorded, of which 1,674 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.