"SEPPIA"
cuttlefish
No guide to Venice is complete without mention of “seppia”. “Seppia” are cuttlefish. It’s often served in its black ink – the famous “nero di seppia”.
It’s a similar fish to calamari but bigger and it has a slightly different flavour. It looks weird but it is unexpectedly delicious.
Kids will have great fun getting black teeth and lips with this dish. And even more fun when they see the colour of their poo the next day!
You can eat “nero di seppia” in pasta or more often with polenta. Cuttlefish eggs also make a regular appearance on the antipasto fish starter menu.
At home we like to cook seppia with peas. Or boil them (in a pressure cooker they maintain a good texture) and turn them into a seafood salad with chopped carrots, celery, parsley, lemon and prawns.
FISHING
My husband loves fishing seppia. When it’s the right season you might see lots of small local boats congregating in one part of the lagoon. They are usually fishing seppia and all group together in spots where the seppia are passing. My husband also like to catch them when he’s spearfishing – but he often comes home with so many that I end up giving most of them to my neighbour.
