Salmon, which is found on nearly every kind of restaurant in this country above a certain price point, also makes onto the menus at Italian-themed restaurants. This might come as a surprise. It is not a native Italian fish, after all, or even part of the Italian-American tradition. But, this easy-to-procure and well-liked aquatic protein makes it a natural choice for restaurants when designing the seafood portion of the menu. And, salmon here means salmon featured as an entrée. Smoked salmon is also seen on menu as a starter at Italian restaurants, and salmon sometimes gets mixed with pasta.
Until about fifteen years ago or so salmon was found mostly in restaurants on the west coast. Before that, it was in places like Seattle, Anchorage and occasionally San Francisco, relatively close to where salmon were caught in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. As salmon farming has become a big business, salmon is available affordably throughout the country.
Some of the preparations at Italian restaurants today include ones like Filetto di Salmome Ripieno, a salmon filet stuffed with something, at the old school Tommaso’s in Brooklyn; the smart trattoria Sotto Sotto in Atlanta has served pan-seared salmon with roasted asparagus and potatoes; the upscale Sardinian Arcorodo in Houston roasts salmon in a wood-burning oven with lemongrass and topped with a saba glaze; Chicago’s acclaimed Spiaggia has also roasted it in a wood-burning oven, if sourcing it from Washington rather than Scotland as does Arcodoro; while the far-less-interesting Maggiano’s chain serves a filet of salmon with garlic and white wine sauce.
Befitting its non-Italian origins – and is lack of similarity to any traditional Italian fish – salmon dishes usually seem less Italian than the rest of the menu. No matter, they still can be quite enjoyable if done well.
Like the previous articles this data is from over 300 current and recent Italian restaurants in thirty-five states in a wide variety of price ranges.
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