The Italian Approach to Fish

Origin

Italy's coastline is long and its seas are varied, running from the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian waters in the west to the Adriatic in the east and the Ionian and Sicilian seas in the south, and the approach to fish grew along these shores. Waverley Root — The Food of Italy describes a cooking that differs from region to region, and the treatment of fish follows the same pattern, with each coast working from what its own waters supply. Marcella Hazan — Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking gives the common principle beneath the regional variety: the fish is cooked briefly and simply, so that its own character remains the centre of the dish.

Description

The Italian approach to fish is defined by restraint: the shortest possible cooking time, the simplest possible preparation, the highest possible quality of ingredient. Hazan writes that Italian cooking's greatest service to fish is getting out of the way — providing the minimum necessary to express the fish's own character. This manifests as a specific set of principles applied consistently across species.

III

The Thread

—Japanese cooking places the same weight on the quality and freshness of the fish, and asks of the cook as little intervention as possible. Where the Italian cook applies brief heat, oil and lemon, the Japanese cook sends the fish to the table raw, yet in both traditions the ingredient carries the dish. Japanese

—Sole meunière cooks a good fish quickly in butter and finishes it with lemon and parsley, which is close in spirit to the Italian grilled or pan-cooked fish dressed with oil and lemon. The French classical kitchen is generally richer in its sauces, but this dish shares the Italian aim of a short cooking time and a plain finish. French

—Along the Spanish coasts whole fish are grilled over fire and served with little more than olive oil, salt and lemon. The method mirrors the Italian grigliata, in which the fish is cooked briefly and left to speak for itself. Spanish

Flavour Context

The taste at the centre of the Italian approach to fish is the fish itself: its sweetness, its natural salinity and the clean flavour of its flesh. Oil, lemon, salt and a little parsley or garlic are used to support that flavour and never to cover it. Marcella Hazan — Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking points the cook towards brief grilling, pan-cooking or poaching, since a fish cooked only until the flesh turns opaque keeps its moisture and its delicacy. At table, the fish is usually dressed at the last moment with good olive oil and a little lemon, so that the dish arrives tasting of the sea it came from.

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