Fritto Misto di
Mare
Mixed fried seafood from the coastal table
Squid, shrimp and small fish get a light flour coating and a brief fry, served hot with salt and lemon.
Mixed fried seafood, shell-on shrimp & lemonA light crisp coating,
a familiar coastal seafood plate.
Fritto misto di mare is a mixed seafood fry, with the selection changing along Italy’s coasts. Squid, shrimp and small fish give different textures under a thin coating. The aim is seafood cooked through inside a crisp exterior, without a heavy layer of batter.
Veneto has its own well-established fried-fish tradition, including the scartosso de pesse sold in paper for eating on the move. Similar mixed fries appear along other Italian coasts, with the seafood changing locally. The home recipe chooses cleaned squid, peeled shrimp and butterflied anchovies, fried separately in small batches. The photograph includes shell-on shrimp and larger fish pieces.
Explore by food: Fish & seafood
At the table: Antipasti · Secondi.
Let’s make fritto misto di mare.
Four main portions from 1 kg cleaned seafood. This home mix uses peeled shrimp and boneless anchovy butterflies; the photograph includes shells and other fish cuts.
Four main portions from 1 kg cleaned fish and seafood; use a deep heavy pan and a frying thermometer.
What you’ll need
- 400 gcleaned squid, bodies in 1 cm rings and tentacles in small clusters
- 300 graw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 300 gsmall anchovies, cleaned and butterflied with heads, guts and backbones removed
- 180 gplain flour
- 1.5 lsunflower oil, for deep frying
- 1lemon, cut into wedges
- to tastefine salt
The cooking allowance includes heating oil and several small batches. Extra seafood cleaning or thawing is separate. Do not mix frozen or wet seafood directly into hot oil. Serve promptly rather than covering the crisp coating and trapping steam.
How to make it
- 01
Dry and organize
Pat all seafood thoroughly dry with kitchen paper and keep the three types separate. Refrigerate until the oil is ready. Put flour in a shallow dish and set a rack over a tray for draining.
- 02
Heat the oil
Pour oil into a deep heavy pan, choosing a pan in which it comes no more than one-third of the way up. Heat to 180°C/355°F. Keep the pan stable and have a lid nearby to smother any flare-up; never add water to hot oil.
- 03
Fry the small fish
Coat a small handful of anchovy butterflies lightly in flour and shake off excess. Lower carefully into oil and fry for about 2–3 minutes, until crisp and cooked through. Lift onto the rack and salt lightly. Repeat, letting oil return to 180°C/355°F between batches.
- 04
Fry squid and shrimp separately
Flour squid just before frying and cook in small batches for about 3–4 minutes, until lightly golden and opaque. Then flour shrimp and fry for about 2–3 minutes, until opaque and pearly throughout. The thickest fish or seafood should reach 63°C/145°F. Do not crowd the pan; timing depends on size and the oil returning to temperature.
- 05
Serve promptly
Drain briefly on the rack, salt and serve immediately with lemon wedges. Divide the different seafood types among four plates. Discard flour that touched raw seafood.
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