Fritto misto di mare is Italy's mixed fried seafood, the coast's answer to a feast — squid, prawns and small fish floured and flash-fried, eaten with lemon. From Liguria to Sicily, every fishing town fries its own catch this way.
Light, crackly batter shatters to reveal sweet, tender seafood within, brightened by a squeeze of lemon. Salty and crisp, it is impossible to stop eating while hot.
A thin flour coating and very hot oil flash-seal the seafood, driving off surface moisture for crunch while the brief cooking keeps the delicate flesh juicy.
Variations
Fritto misto all'italiana with meat and vegetables, with a light beer batter, with whitebait, served with fried zucchini
On the Palate
Where Fritto Misto di Mare sits in the Italian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 15 min
Clean the seafood and pat it thoroughly dry.
Watch outPat the seafood bone-dry before flouring — surface water makes the oil spit and steams the coating soft instead of crisp.
- 23 min
Cut the squid into rings and leave the prawns whole.
- 33 min
Toss everything in seasoned flour or semolina.
- 41 min
Shake off the excess coating in a sieve.
- 53 min
Heat plenty of oil to a high frying temperature.
Watch outBring the oil to a shimmer where a pinch of flour sizzles on contact — too cool and the seafood soaks up grease and goes limp.
- 64 min
Fry the seafood in small batches until golden and crisp.
Watch outFry in small batches so the oil stays hot and the pieces come out pale gold and crisp in a couple of minutes — crowding drops the temp and steams them.
- 71 min
Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
- 81 min
Pile high and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
