The 'Weird' But Tasty Italian Food Recommendation Rick Steves Suggests To Eat Like A Local In Venice

Tourists typically come to Venice for St. Mark's Square, gondola rides on the canals, and Venetian happy hour featuring Bellinis and cicchetti. What should also be on your Venice agenda, Rick Steves suggests on his website, are "weird sea creatures pulled from the lagoon."

The 173,000-acre lagoon is one of the jewels in Venice's UNESCO World Heritage crown, the reason for the city's very existence and an expansive natural haven for a plethora of wild fish native and specific to these waters. Schie (tiny gray shrimp), moeche (soft-shell crab), dark-spotted yellowish-green goby, and mantis shrimp that have cartoonish eyes on their bottoms are just some of the lagoon residents that seem like "weird sea creatures" to the world beyond, but are quintessential ingredients for eating like a local in Venice. For intrepid travelers, these traditional lagoon-to-table acquired tastes delectably complement the experience of exploring the underrated parts of Venice Steves calls the "most intriguing" in the whole city.

Savoring these Venetian recommendations, with a distinct style of their own in the tasty Italian food canon, is also a small antidote to the city's persistent over-tourism problems. Feasting on exceptionally fresh, zero-mile seafood reduces carbon footprint, supports local fishermen, and intimately immerses you in Venice's marine and mercantile history. If you're noshing on street food favorites like scartosso de pesse frito, a mix of crispy fishes with polenta, be careful not to eat and drink near Italy's iconic landmarks and in other public areas, a tourist mistake that can cost you a hefty fine.

Before indulging in Venice's seafood, take a deep dive into the Mercato di Rialto, the Neo-Gothic, 800-year-old fish market by the Grand Canal, and meet the reel fish of Venice face-to-fin. As you meander through the labyrinths of stalls, look out for "nostrano" signs designating fish sourced from surrounding waters.

Next, stop in one of the city's beloved bacari, cozy watering holes serving cavalcades of cicchetti. These little plates are perfect for sampling the lagoon's weird and tasty denizens the way Venetians do — look for tangy deep-fried sardines, crostini with anchovies, and thinly sliced pesce crudo from scampi and scallops to sea bass and spider-crab roe, dressed lightly in extra virgin olive oil, lemon, and basil. Locals hang out at Cà D'oro alla Vedova, All'Arco, Do Spade, Cantine del Vino già Schiavi, and other typically family-run bacari.

Then, really reel in all the lagoon's flavors at restaurants dedicated to upholding Venice's gastronomic heritage, such as Trattoria Antiche Carampane, Osteria Antico Giardinetto, Al Mascaron, and the Michelin-starred Da Fiore. Each chef has their own epicurean flourish on the islands' trademark delicacies of boiled giant spider crab, moeche fried or simmered in white wine, polenta with schie, and stewed eel, so even if you're ordering the same meal from different kitchens, it's always a new tasting with intriguing nuances. The top trattorias only use ingredients at their freshest, so Italian food connoisseurs must plan visits accordingly: spring for moeche, summer for baby cuttlefish, and late fall for mantis shrimp. Smaller specialists like the acclaimed 10-table Osteria alle Testiere even take requests with your reservation and may work with a Rialto fishmonger to fulfill your gourmet dreams. If you're feeling adventurous, less than an hour away is Chioggia, Italy's "other Venice" with romantic canals and cassopipa, a fishermen's recipe of lagoon squid, mussels, and clams steeped in white wine and infused with cinnamon and nutmeg.