Fritto misto + vino bianco

One of the real treats of our trip to Venice is fritto misto which used to refer to the assorted small fish that were too small to be sold from the fishermens’ catch but nowadays takes all manner of shapes and forms including vegetables and polenta (usually to keep the price down).

I suppose it’s the Venetian version of fish and chips but it’s much lighter with a crisp thin batter and (generally) no chips. When the fish is fresh - as it usually is here - it’s utterly delicious. My husband is so addicted he orders it in virtually every restaurant we go to that has it on the menu.

I have to admit it’s hard to recreate anywhere else unless you live right on the sea and have access to the day’s catch but if you do go to Venice the two drinks to have with it are a simple, crisp, fruity house white (vino della casa) or - less traditionally - a class of Prosecco, the local fizz. The house whites are really very good here particularly in the top restaurants so don’t feel embarrassed to order them. The best seem to come from the Friuli region although I’ve had some excellent house Soave.

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