The Atlas · Italy's Deepest Seafood Bench

Italian Seafood

59 of Italy's 1,382 ranked dishes are seafood, more than any other nation fields. By our raters the best is Fritto misto, the coast's fried platter of shrimp, squid and tiny whole fish, Nº 792 worldwide.

59 dishes ranked·4.3% of the cuisine·339 diner ratings·Top rank Nº 792

No country lands more seafood on our board than Italy. Its 59 ranked dishes edge out Spain's 39 and the 28 of coast-hugging Croatia, and they read like a tour of the peninsula: Venetian scallops and cuttlefish, Sicilian swordfish, Neapolitan octopus, the fried fritto misto every seaside town claims as its own.

Yet depth stops short of the summit. Italy fields the widest seafood bench anywhere, but its best-rated dish, fritto misto, reaches only Nº 792, and the top-rated seafood on earth is Greek, the grilled octopus of the Aegean, not Italian. Fame and rank do line up at the very top here: fritto misto is both the best-scored and the most-reviewed, on 339 ratings, before the trail scatters into single-region specialities. Read them below: the signature dishes, by region, or the complete list of all 59.

The Signature Catch

Twelve signature seafood dishes in rank order, four told in full, then eight more off the boat.

Fritto misto, seafood from Italy
Plate ISeafood · Italy

1Nº 792 worldwide

Fritto misto

Seafood · Italy

The Italian coast's fried seafood platter: shrimp and squid tumbled with paranza, the tiny whole fish like anchovies, sardines and baby mullet, floured and dropped into hot oil, then served with nothing more than lemon. Inland, in Piedmont, the mix turns to vegetables and even veal brain.

★ 4.1|106 ratings

Fritto misto di pesce, seafood from Italy

2Fritto misto di pesceNº 983

Seafood · Italy

The all-seafood reading of fritto misto, at its most beloved in Campania but eaten up and down the peninsula. Shrimp, squid rings and small whole fish are dusted in flour or semolina, fried until crisp and gold, and rushed to the table hot with a wedge of lemon.

★ 4.0|53 ratings

Capesante alla veneziana, seafood from Italy

3Capesante alla venezianaNº 1,763

Seafood · Metropolitan City of Venice

A Venetian scallop dish: the scallops are dredged in breadcrumbs and browned in olive oil with garlic and parsley, then finished with lemon and served back in their half shells. A brief, elegant antipasto that lets the sweetness of the scallop lead.

★ 3.9|10 ratings

Seppie in umido, squid dish from Italy

4Seppie in umidoNº 1,888

Squid Dish · Venice

Venetian braised cuttlefish, simmered soft in a tomato base sharpened with onion, garlic and rosemary and warmed by a whisper of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. More than half an hour on low heat turns the squid tender; it is spooned out over polenta.

★ 3.9|5 ratings

  1. Folpetti, octopus dish from Italy5

    Folpetti

    Nº 2,145

    Octopus Dish · Veneto★ 3.8

  2. Cozze ripiene, mussel dish from Italy6

    Cozze ripiene

    Nº 2,234

    Mussel Dish · Apulia★ 3.8

  3. Pesce spada alla siciliana, saltwater fish dish from Italy7

    Pesce spada alla siciliana

    Nº 2,339

    Saltwater Fish Dish · Sicily★ 3.8

  4. Brodetto alla recanatese, seafood from Italy8

    Brodetto alla recanatese

    Nº 2,579

    Seafood · Porto Recanati★ 3.8

  5. Gamberetti alla crema, shrimp/prawn dish from Italy9

    Gamberetti alla crema

    Nº 2,673

    Shrimp/Prawn Dish · Venice★ 3.8

  6. P10

    Pesci in carpione

    Nº 2,704

    Freshwater Fish Dish · Italy★ 3.8

  7. Polpo alla luciana, octopus dish from Italy11

    Polpo alla luciana

    Nº 2,770

    Octopus Dish · Metropolitan City of Naples★ 3.8

  8. Sarde a beccafico, saltwater fish dish from Italy12

    Sarde a beccafico

    Nº 2,984

    Saltwater Fish Dish · Sicily★ 3.8

The Gazetteer

Where Italy's seafood comes ashore

The regions of Italy with the deepest seafood traditions. Choose one to filter the complete ledger below.

Placed dishes only · top 6 regions

  7. Another 13 ranked dishes are logged simply as pan-Italian, with no single regional home.

The Complete Ledger

All 59 Italian seafood dishes in the world ranking, every entry.

59 entries
  1. 792 Fritto misto Seafood Italy ★ 4.1
  2. 983 Fritto misto di pesce Seafood Italy ★ 4.0
  3. 1,763 Capesante alla veneziana Seafood Metropolitan City of Venice ★ 3.9
  4. 1,888 Seppie in umido Squid Dish Venice ★ 3.9
  5. 2,145 Folpetti Octopus Dish Veneto ★ 3.8
  6. 2,234 Cozze ripiene Mussel Dish Apulia ★ 3.8
  7. 2,339 Pesce spada alla siciliana Saltwater Fish Dish Sicily ★ 3.8
  8. 2,579 Brodetto alla recanatese Seafood Porto Recanati ★ 3.8
  9. 2,673 Gamberetti alla crema Shrimp/Prawn Dish Venice ★ 3.8
  10. 2,704 P Pesci in carpione Freshwater Fish Dish Italy ★ 3.8
  11. 2,770 Polpo alla luciana Octopus Dish Metropolitan City of Naples ★ 3.8
  12. 2,984 Sarde a beccafico Saltwater Fish Dish Sicily ★ 3.8
  13. 3,289 Spigola al forno Saltwater Fish Dish Italy ★ 3.8
  14. 3,653 P Polpi in purgatorio Octopus Dish Molise ★ 3.7
  15. 4,084 Cozze alla Tarantina Mussel Dish Taranto ★ 3.7
  16. 4,215 Venetian-Style Razor Clams (Capelonghe veneziane) Clam Dish Venice ★ 3.7
  17. 4,417 Frittelle di baccalà Saltwater Fish Dish Liguria ★ 3.7
  18. 4,984 Aragosta alla Catalana Lobster Dish Sardinia ★ 3.7
  19. 5,005 Venetian-Style Spider Crab (Granseola alla veneziana) Crab Dish Metropolitan City of Venice ★ 3.7
  20. 5,100 Gratinated Mussels (Cozze gratinate) Mussel Dish Italy ★ 3.6
  21. 5,257 Triglie alla Livornese Saltwater Fish Dish Province of Livorno ★ 3.6
  22. 5,625 Totani e patate Squid Dish Campania ★ 3.6
  23. 6,149 Acqua pazza Saltwater Fish Dish Naples ★ 3.6
  24. 7,092 Involtini di pesce spada Saltwater Fish Dish Sicily ★ 3.4
  25. 7,128 Missoltini Freshwater Fish Dish Province of Como ★ 0.0
  26. 7,375 Moeche Crab Dish Metropolitan City of Venice ★ 3.4
  27. 7,463 Calamari ripieni Squid Dish Italy ★ 3.4
  28. 7,487 Impepata di cozze Mussel Dish Metropolitan City of Naples ★ 3.4
  29. 7,776 Baccalà alla Vicentina Saltwater Fish Dish Vicenza ★ 3.3
  30. 7,808 Boreto alla graisana Saltwater Fish Dish Grado ★ 0.0
  31. 8,398 Seppie ripiene Cuttlefish Dish Italy ★ 0.0
  32. 8,412 B Brodetto alla termolese Seafood Termoli ★ 0.0
  33. 8,664 Branzino al sale Saltwater Fish Dish Italy ★ 0.0
  34. 9,461 B Brodetto fanese Seafood Fano ★ 0.0
  35. 9,693 P Pesce alla pizzaiola Saltwater Fish Dish Italy ★ 0.0
  36. 9,844 C Calamari alla marchigiana Squid Dish Marche ★ 0.0
  37. 9,845 C Calamari in zimino Squid Dish Tuscany ★ 0.0
  38. 9,860 T Tonno alla genovese Saltwater Fish Dish Metropolitan City of Genoa ★ 0.0
  39. 9,943 T Tonno alla ghiotta Saltwater Fish Dish Sicily ★ 0.0
  40. 9,944 S Spigola alla pitarillara Saltwater Fish Dish Molise ★ 0.0
  41. 9,945 A Anguilla alla giovese Saltwater Fish Dish Giovi ★ 0.0
  42. 9,956 T Trotelle al vino rosso Freshwater Fish Dish Piedmont ★ 0.0
  43. 9,960 Trota in cartoccio Freshwater Fish Dish Umbria ★ 0.0
  44. 9,961 T Trota in bianco Freshwater Fish Dish Umbria ★ 0.0
  45. 10,034 S Spigola in agrodolce Saltwater Fish Dish Italy ★ 0.0
  46. 10,035 Anchovy Skewers (Spiedini di alici) Saltwater Fish Dish Italy ★ 0.0
  47. 10,043 O Orata alla pugliese Saltwater Fish Dish Apulia ★ 0.0
  48. 10,076 B Bianchetti al limone Saltwater Fish Dish Liguria ★ 0.0
  49. 10,114 S Sogliole alla parmigiana Saltwater Fish Dish Sardinia ★ 0.0
  50. 10,148 S Sardine ripiene alla pugliese Saltwater Fish Dish Apulia ★ 0.0
  51. 10,152 Cuttlefish with Peas (Seppioline con piselli) Cuttlefish Dish Italy ★ 0.0
  52. 10,171 T Tonno alla stemperata Saltwater Fish Dish Sicily ★ 0.0
  53. 10,189 A Anguilla alla Bisentina Saltwater Fish Dish Isola Bisentina ★ 0.0
  54. 10,267 N Nasello alla palermitana Saltwater Fish Dish Palermo ★ 0.0
  55. 10,400 S Sgombri con le cipolle Fish Dish Liguria ★ 0.0
  56. 10,530 S Sardines with Oregano and Breadcrumbs (Sarde con origano e pane) Saltwater Fish Dish Basilicata ★ 0.0
  57. 10,625 S Scallops in Saffron Sauce (Capesante in salsa di zafferano) Seafood Italy ★ 0.0
  58. 10,751 G Glassmakers' Eels (Anguilla alla muranese) Saltwater Fish Dish Murano ★ 0.0
  59. 10,812 Luccio alla gardesana Fish Dish Province of Verona ★ 0.0

Questions, Answered

Italian seafood, frequently asked, answered from 339 ratings.

What is the best Italian seafood dish?
By our diners' ratings it's fritto misto, the coast's fried mix of shrimp, squid and small whole fish, at Nº 792 worldwide. Behind it come the all-seafood fritto misto di pesce, Venice's breadcrumbed capesante alla veneziana, and the braised cuttlefish seppie in umido.
What is Italy known for in seafood?
Breadth, and frying more than grilling. Italy fields 59 ranked seafood dishes, more than any nation, ahead of Spain (39) and France (31). They run from the golden fritto misto to Sicily's caper-and-olive pesce spada alla siciliana and Naples' octopus polpo alla luciana, each region cooking its own catch.
What is the most famous Italian seafood dish?
Fritto misto, on both counts. Unlike most cuisines, where fame and rank diverge, Italy's fried platter is at once the best-scored and, at 106 ratings, the most-reviewed Italian seafood dish, well ahead of the next, fritto misto di pesce, on 53.
What is fritto misto?
Fritto misto is Italy's mixed fry. On the coast it means shrimp, squid and paranza, the tiny whole fish, floured and dropped in hot oil, then served with lemon. Inland, in Piedmont, the same idea turns to vegetables and even veal brain. It's Nº 792 worldwide.
Which region of Italy has the best seafood?
By our data Sicily has the deepest seafood tradition, with 5 ranked dishes like swordfish pesce spada alla siciliana and stuffed sardines. Venice matches it across its city and province, and Apulia and Liguria field 3 apiece.
Where else should I look for great seafood?
Along the whole Mediterranean and beyond: worldwide the department runs to 535 dishes from 110 countries, topped not by Italy but by the grilled octopus of Greece. Nearer home, Spain fields 39 ranked seafood dishes and France 31. See Seafood worldwide.

This Department, Elsewhere

Seafood from Italy's neighbours, ranked the same way.

SpanishSeafood39CroatianSeafood28PortugueseSeafood19GreekSeafood10MalteseSeafood5MacedonianSeafood1
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