Verified in Venice.
Moeche fritte is a signature dish of Italy; we have verified places to eat it in Venice. Lagoon soft-shell crabs caught during their April-May molt, dredged in flour and deep-fried whole. Start with where to eat Moeche fritte in Venice.
Lagoon soft-shell crabs caught during their April-May molt, dredged in flour and deep-fried whole. The most prized seasonal Venetian dish, eaten head-and-all from October through December.
Moeche are the male lagoon shore crabs caught during the few weeks each spring when they shed their hard shell and grow a new one, leaving them entirely soft-shelled and edible whole. The fishermen of Burano and Chioggia spend April and May watching for the moeca window, which lasts roughly 6 weeks; the crabs are sold the same day at Rialto Pescheria. The canonical preparation soaks the live crabs in beaten egg for 30 minutes (they eat the egg before being killed), then deep-fries them whole. The result is a sweet-fleshed nugget eaten whole, shell and all.
Where to eat in Venice:
Where to eat Moeche fritte in Venice: the editor picks
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