The Seafood Dish At Italian Restaurants That You May Want To Skip

There is so much more to Italian food beyond spaghetti and meatballs, but often we're reluctant to try something new in fear that it will turn out to be a dud. To give you the best chance at a great meal, we asked experts in Italian cuisine which dishes to skip at Italian restaurants. Dario Monni, owner of award-winning pasta shop and restaurant Tortello, cautions against gambling on seafood bolognese.

You may not often see it at Italian chain restaurants, but seafood bolognese is indeed a thing. Monni personally likes scampi ala busara, a version featuring tomato sauce made with seafood broth, tossed with scampi (aka langoustines, a special type of lobster). Shrimp bolognese is another popular variation, but you can also find versions with fish, mussels, and more. While this all sounds delectable, Monni warns that "it takes a lot of time to cook down the broth and get a really rich busara." Restaurants that don't want to spend hours on their sauce will take shortcuts, leading to a dish that isn't nearly as rich or complex as it should be.

Additionally, with scampi ala busara, Monni points out that scampi can be difficult to source, so restaurants may serve you a less-than-authentic version. This dish is really meant to be slowly cooked and savored in a home setting, so rushed restaurant versions will likely end up disappointing you. There's also another big factor that can make or break this dish: the freshness of the seafood.

You may want to dodge restaurant seafood bolognese for the same reason you should avoid ordering seafood carbonara: Some eateries use mixed seafood pastas to get rid of old fish that's on its way out. In fact, acidic sauces present the largest risk, as the tangy tomatoes are effective at hiding "off" flavors and odors. You might have luck ordering these pastas at a seafood-focused spot, but at more generic restaurants, we recommend you steer clear.

If the thought of seafood bolognese makes your mouth water, you don't have to search for a restaurant that might do it justice — just make it yourself. The simplest approach is to use your favorite bolognese recipe while leaving out the meat and using seafood stock as the base. You may also want to skip using dairy ingredients like cream, as the unctuous richness can mask the seafood's flavor.

For an easy base, simply stop throwing away shrimp shells and create a flavorful stock by boiling them. Once you assemble your bolognese, let the sauce cook low and slow for complexity, then add your seafood a few minutes before serving so it doesn't overcook. If you're using a mix of ingredients, add them in stages from longest-cooking to quickest, so each piece of seafood reaches the perfect doneness by the end. From there, enjoy your bolognese with pasta, crusty bread, or polenta and prepare to be amazed.