In all the regions around the coastlines of Italy, from the Gulf of Trieste to the Lagoon of Venice and then round towards the Marche, Abruzzi and Puglia, fish can be found on the daily menu in a multitude of recipes – often basically the same one, but with subtle changes from village to village. Italy also has many rivers and lakes which produce wonderful freshwater fish like tench, trout, carp and eel.
Eating fish is becoming more popular in Italy, but it is expensive because of dwindling stocks. There is a brilliant law in Italy whereby restaurants have to declare on the menu if the fish offered is fresh or frozen, the latter naturally being much cheaper.