🦐 Venetian Seafood & Lagoon Specialties

The Unique Flavours of the Venetian seafood specialties

Venice’s lagoon is one of the most unusual ecosystems in Europe — a mix of saltwater, freshwater, tides, mudflats, and sandbanks.
Because of this, Venice developed seafood traditions you won’t find anywhere else in Italy.

Many lagoon species are tiny, seasonal, or difficult to source, which makes these specialties rare and deeply tied to local life.

Below is the complete guide to authentic Venetian lagoon and seafood specialties, without repeating dishes from the Traditional Venetian Dishes page.

🦐 Lagoon Species & Rare Local Seafood

🦪 Caparossoli

Lagoon clams sautéed with garlic, parsley, and white wine.
More delicate than typical Italian vongole, and deeply tied to the lagoon’s shallow waters.

🐚 Peoci

Sautéed black mussels cooked quickly at high heat.
A rustic, flavourful dish often eaten in traditional osterie.

🐚 Canestrelli

Small sweet scallops, usually pan-seared or baked.
Soft, elegant, and typical of lagoon sandbanks.

🦀 Granseola (Spider Crab)

A prized lagoon crab, served cold with lemon and olive oil.
Its meat is sweet, delicate, and one of Venice’s finest winter specialties.

🦀 Masanete

Female lagoon crabs filled with soft, flavourful roe (“corallo”).
Traditionally eaten boiled and served warm during the colder months.

🐙 Folpi

Small octopuses slowly stewed with tomatoes, wine, and herbs.
A warm, comforting dish once common in local bacari.

🐟 Branzino (Sea Bass)

A classic Adriatic fish appreciated for its delicate, clean flavour.
In Venice it is often baked whole with herbs or grilled simply with olive oil and lemon.
Not exclusive to the lagoon, but widely eaten in Venetian homes and restaurants.

🐟 Orata (Gilt-head Bream)

Another staple of Adriatic seafood cuisine.
Traditionally cooked baked with potatoes or grilled whole.
Mild, tender, and one of the most common fish Venetians eat at home.

🦐 Canòcie (Cicale di Mare)

Slipper lobsters typical of the northern Adriatic Sea.
Delicate, sweet, and extremely tender — usually boiled or quickly sautéed and served warm.
A favourite winter specialty in Venice, prized for its soft meat.

🌊 Seasonal & Hard-to-Find Venetian Seafood Specialties

🦐 Schie

Tiny grey lagoon shrimp harvested in shallow waters.
Often eaten boiled with olive oil, lemon, and garlic.
A true Venetian rarity.

🦀 Moeche

Soft-shell crabs eaten only during two short seasons a year.
Lightly fried, incredibly delicate, and one of Venice’s most legendary foods.

🦑 Seppioline Fritte

Small lagoon cuttlefish lightly coated and fried until crisp and golden.
Tender inside and crunchy outside — a simple, traditional Adriatic preparation loved in Venice.

🦑 Seppioline alla Griglia

Baby cuttlefish grilled whole with olive oil, lemon, and parsley.
Smoky, soft, and naturally sweet, often served in the summer months along the Venetian coastline.

🐟 Traditional Venetian Fish

🐟 Sgombro in Saor

A variation of saor using mackerel instead of sardines.
Sweet-and-sour onions pair perfectly with this richer fish.

🦑 Calamari Ripieni

Stuffed squid filled with bread, herbs, garlic, and sometimes chopped tentacles.
Slow-cooked until soft and full of flavour.

🐟 Anguilla alla Griglia

Grilled eel, a classic lagoon dish eaten especially around the Christmas period.

🐟 Bisato su l’Ara

Eel roasted on bay-leaf branches — one of the oldest lagoon recipes.
A speciality from the island of Murano.

🐚 Island-Specific Lagoon Foods

🐟 Nisoi (Tiny Lagoon Fish)

Fried whole — crispy, salty, and usually eaten as a quick snack with wine.

🐚 Garusoli (Sea Whelks)

Large sea snails boiled and served cold with lemon and salt.
Their firm texture and briny flavour make them a classic Venetian lagoon snack, often enjoyed with a small glass of wine.

🦪 Capelonghe (Razor Clams)

Long, narrow clams typical of the sandy lagoon shallows.
Usually cooked quickly with garlic, parsley, and white wine.
Sweet, clean-tasting, and a favourite among Venetian seafood lovers.

Back to the 🍽️ Traditional Venetian Food Guide: What to Eat in Venice

More Venetian Food Guides:

Official Venice info → https://www.veneziaunica.it/en

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