Moeche Fritte appears as a signature dish in 1 Italy cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Moeche fritte · Venice
Lagoon soft-shell crabs caught during their April-May molt, dredged in flour and deep-fried whole. The most prized seasonal Venetian dish.
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:
- Osteria All'Arco
- Antiche Carampane
- Cantina Do Spade
- Trattoria al Gatto Nero
- Vini da Gigio