The best seafood recipes of Neapolitan cuisine

Naples has a large culinary tradition that has its roots in Neapolitan history. In Naples, recipes have been handed down from parents to children for many centuries now and an essential thing is the sea, which, as in every aspect of Neapolitan history, has also influenced the culinary tradition. In fact, in the city of Partenope seafood recipes take on a privileged role, they are among the most important in the Neapolitan kitchens during any period of the year.

But what are the Neapolitan seafood recipes that you cannot miss? Let's discover together the most delicious recipes of Neapolitan seafood.

Scialatielli allo scoglio, scialatielli alla Posillipo or, simply, scialatielli with seafood are one of the masterpieces of Neapolitan cuisine and provide for very fast but extremely tasty preparation. The ingredients are simple and include three types of seafood such as clams, lupins and cockles, which can be alternated with mussels or other types of molluscs. All this is often accompanied by a sprinkling of cherry tomatoes which can be piennolo or simple date, to give the recipe even sweet and sour taste.

As for pasta, scialatiello is often chosen, which is a typical pasta from Campania and above all from the Amalfi coast, which unlike other kinds of pasta does not contain egg, making it light and tasty.

Rooted in the Neapolitan culinary tradition, spaghetti with clams is one of the most popular seafood recipes in Italy, but especially in Naples. Extremely linked to the city of Vesuvius, so much so that they are present on the Neapolitan tables all year round and in particular during special occasions such as on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. The preparation is very simple but it includes severe rules you must follow to obtain an excellent result. The first thing is to choose fresh and genuine clams, the second is to leave the clams for half a day in the water and salt to clean them of the sand they often hide inside.

The spaghetti must be al dente to preserve the flavour that the clams release during cooking. Usually, cherry tomatoes or various spices can also be added if you want to accentuate the flavour of the sauce.

The paccheri al coccio is a typical fish-based Neapolitan Sunday recipe. The coccio is a very fleshy and tasty fish which, together with the date tomatoes, is combined in a delicious sauce.

The coccio must be cleaned of the head, skin and bones and cut into cubes which, once fried, are left to cook together with the cherry tomatoes and the result is a tasty Sunday recipe. Paccheri is usually associated with the earthenware, a large Neapolitan pasta shape that can be seasoned with any type of recipe. It is both smooth and striped to better preserve the sauce on its surface.

After the first courses, the second courses cannot be missing. Among these, a protagonist of Italian cuisine from north to south can certainly not miss, is cod, which in Naples takes on a particular flavour thanks to the wit and ingredients that are added by the Neapolitan culinary tradition.

The cod is an unmistakable type of fish and that in Naples is best known for its fried Christmas variant, while today the Neapolitan recipe tied to the cod requires the addition of some typical ingredients of our land. In fact, after filleting the cod, it is lightly breaded and fried to make it slightly golden, after which it is immersed in a sauce, previously prepared, with cherry tomatoes, black olives and capers. It is left to cook and mix and the dish is ready to be served.

Octopus alla Luciana is a second dish linked to one of the most famous villages in Naples, the village of Santa Lucia. The recipe was born from the need of the humble fishermen of the village to cook their catch in an alternative way. Often everything that was brought to the ground was drowned in the sauce, which in this case is seasoned with black olives.

The octopus has cooked very slowly in the sauce which makes it soft and juicy. The recipe is very simple and cheap, but it needs all the ingredients to be the fresh and first choice to make it perfect. The recipe can also be made with toasted bread or croutons that take on the flavour of the sauce.

Squid frying is a recipe that likes to everyone, even those who do not like fish. Present every day of the year on the Neapolitan tables, it is also linked to the Neapolitan street food and in particular to the tradition of fried cuoppo.

The origins of the fried squid go back to the Roman Empire which imported it to the south from Spain. The preparation is extremely simple, involves cutting the squid into small rings after cleaning it, dipping them in flour and then in oil to fry them until they reach a beautiful golden colour and you're done.

These are just some of the most popular fish recipes in Naples, but many others can meet your taste or that you can try at certain times of the year, such as during the Christmas or Easter period with the fried capitone and the mussel soup with croutons.