Seasonal favorites to taste in Italy this summer

As the warm sun graces the Italian landscape, summer unveils a culinary tapestry that showcases the nation’s vibrant produce and time-honored traditions. This season, marked by outdoor dining and joyful gatherings of family and friends, invites food lovers to indulge in iconic dishes that celebrate the essence of Italian cuisine. Embracing these seasonal specialties allows you to experience Italy in an authentic way, making every meal a celebration of life and flavor. Here is our selection of delights to try this summer:

Couscous alla Trapanese

The ancient dish of couscous alla Trapanese, which has centuries of history influenced by the culinary exchanges between Tunisian and Trapani fishermen, continues to captivate the palates of Italians today. The fish couscous from Trapani is a vibrant and refreshing dish that perfectly embodies the flavors of summer in Sicily.

This dish highlights the versatility of couscous, which, despite its North African origins, has firmly established itself in Italian cuisine, particularly in coastal areas like Trapani. Here, couscous is traditionally served with freshly caught fish and shellfish from the Mediterranean. Unlike its North African counterpart, which is often prepared with meat, a significant difference lies in the technique of "incocciare" the couscous, which means to work the semolina and water by hand to achieve a coarser texture. This process is performed using the fingertips: the semolina grains are placed in a traditional terracotta container and lightly moistened with water. The grains are then separated through circular motions of the fingers, resulting in a distinctively textured couscous.

Furthermore, this year, chef Andrea Pellegrino from Campobello di Mazara (Trapani) won the Italian Couscous Championship, a national competition, held as part of the Cous Cous Fest—an international festival of cultural integration taking place until September 29 in San Vito Lo Capo.

Tartare of Gambero Rosso di Mazara
The Gambero Rosso di Mazara, a prized variety of prawn from the waters near Mazara del Vallo in Sicily, is celebrated for its distinctive flavor and exceptional quality. During summer, these prawns are especially sought after for their sweetness and delicate taste. Mauro Uliassi, a three-star Michelin chef from the Marche region, combines gambero rosso with yellow tomato béarnaise and yellow plums.

Panzanella
Panzanella is a refreshing cold salad made from stale bread softened in a mixture of equal parts water and vinegar, mixed with tomatoes, red onions, basil, salt, pepper, vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil. This dish is a staple of Tuscan cuisine.

Acquasale
Another dish based on bread and tomatoes, acquasale is a simple, rustic preparation traditionally enjoyed by farmers and fishermen in southern Italy. It consists of stale bread, often friselle, softened with a quick soak in water and combined with onions, ripe tomatoes, salt, oregano, and sometimes cucumbers and basil. Though similar to panzanella, acquasale has its own distinct heritage, originating in Puglia and also enjoyed in neighboring regions like Campania and Calabria​.

Caprese
A timeless dish from Campania, Caprese salad features fresh mozzarella and ripe tomatoes, all drizzled with high-quality extra virgin olive oil and seasoned with salt, often enhanced with oregano or basil. This beloved dish not only retains its classic appeal but has also inspired contemporary chefs to create innovative adaptations. One notable example is Pino Cuttaia’s Nuvola di Caprese, a signature dish at La Madia. This reimagining of the traditional Caprese salad presents a delicate foam that mimics mozzarella, served alongside a vibrant tomato purée.

Parmigiana di Melanzane
A quintessential Italian summer dish, Parmigiana di Melanzane consists of layers of fried eggplant, mozzarella, and tomato sauce, topped with Parmesan and baked to perfection. The dish can be traced back to Naples, particularly in the book Cuoco Galante, written in 1733 by Vincenzo Corrado, although that early recipe called for zucchini instead of eggplant, seasoned with butter and Parmesan cheese. In the 1980s, chef Alfonso Iaccarino reinterpreted this classic with a minimalist, visionary twist, capturing the essence of Mediterranean simplicity. His version, served at the two-Michelin-starred Don Alfonso 1890, elevates the dish to new heights. Meanwhile, Gennaro Esposito's take at Marina di Seiano features parmigiana with pesce bandiera (ribbonfish), adding a coastal flair to this beloved recipe.

Fritto Misto
Fritto misto stands as a beloved emblem of Italy’s culinary heritage, particularly along its coastlines where seafood has been a staple of daily life for centuries. Traditionally composed of a variety of seafood and sometimes seasonal vegetables, it is delicately fried to maintain the integrity and natural flavors of its ingredients. Though its precise origins remain elusive, fritto misto became popular in both coastal towns and inland regions, where fresh ingredients and the simplicity of frying made it an accessible, adaptable dish cherished throughout Italy.

Regional variations of fritto misto reveal the richness of Italy’s local culinary traditions. In Veneto, the dish leans heavily on seafood, featuring shrimp, calamari, and small fish that reflect the region’s deep connection to the Adriatic Sea. Liguria brings its own twist with anchovies and fried herbs such as sage, enhancing the dish with aromatic notes. In Tuscany, fritto misto often incorporates seasonal vegetables like zucchini and eggplant, highlighting the region’s rich agricultural produce, though it may sometimes include fried meats. Campania, particularly Naples, offers a unique variation known as O’ cuopp (or cuoppo), a popular street food served in a paper cone. This version may include potato croquettes, fried mozzarella balls, and arancini. The seafood variation features fried anchovies, battered squid, small octopus (moscardini), and baccalà fritto (fried salted cod), along with zeppole seasoned with seaweed.

Sicily, with its strong Mediterranean roots, celebrates fritto misto through the use of small hake (merluzzetti), shrimp (often fried with their shells), anchovies (alici), mullet (triglie), small octopus (moscardini), and squid (calamari). The recipe is versatile and varies depending on the availability of ingredients and personal preferences, showcasing the adaptability of fritto misto across Italy’s diverse regions.

These regional distinctions not only highlight Italy’s extraordinary culinary diversity but also reflect its profound relationship with both land and sea. As a timeless celebration of Italian flavors, fritto misto embodies the country’s passion for fresh, simple, and flavorful food, making it an enduring favorite from the northern coasts to the southern shores.

Pasta Fredda
The long-standing Japanese tradition of eating cold noodles, has recently been reinterpreted by Italian chef Luca Fantin, who moved to Tokyo to lead the Michelin-starred Il Ristorante – Luca Fantin, located in the Bulgari Ginza Tower. He has adapted these Japanese techniques to the Italian culinary context, offering dishes like pasta fredda with clams and charred lemon or creamy cold pasta with caviar.

Similarly, at Gucci Osteria in Florence, chefs Karime Lopez and Takahiko Kondo have a cold pasta dish prosciutto e melone. This dish is a tribute to the iconic Italian duo of prosciutto e melone, first being published by Pellegrino Artusi in his seminal 1891 cookbook La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene where\he recommends “Popone [melon] with ham and generous wine because it fits the proverb: Quando sole est in leone, pone muliem in cantone, bibe vinum cum sifone.” (“When the sun is in Leo, put a woman in a canton, drink wine with a siphon.”)the pairing surged in popularity around the 1960s, and had its place as a summertime antipasto on italian table. The contrast between the delicate, salty San Daniele ham and the juicy, sweet Mantovano melon creates a perfect harmony of flavors, which the chefs reinterpret in a modern, savory context.

In their version, the dish features spaghetti, gently cooked in tomato water, which adds an extra layer of subtle flavor without overpowering the star ingredients. The temperature of the pasta, neither hot nor cold, enhances the balance between the sweetness of the melon and the saltiness of the prosciutto, allowing the flavors to meld together smoothly for an updated yet nostalgic take on the classic combination.