I planned to cook fish tonight, but wasn't sure what type of fish is local to the Mediterranean in general and around these parts in particular (Adriatic fish types, anyone?). So, I thought I had better do a bit of research before I went to the fish market this morning.
This research revealed that sole, flounder and sea perch were commonly eaten in this area. My next task was to discover the Italian words for each of those, so that I would recognise them by their name tags at the market. Easy? No.
The Google translator does not know what I mean by sole, of course, and thinks I am looking for the word which is a synonym of "only" - it brings up "unico" which I recognise straight away as not being the word I am seeking. Several frustrating web pages later and I am none the wiser, so I decide that I should go shopping for flounder instead. Ah hah, you say. There's a problem right there. You're right. I am not looking for the word which is a synonym for "struggle or thrash about" and I am worried that the word that Google throws up (passera) might be the one I don't want and the fishmonger might think (quite rightly) that I am an imbecile. So my last option is to find the Italian word for "sea perch". Forget it. I do not wish to perch by the sea. Not at all.
I walk to the market, thinking I will just point to the salmon and be done with it, because at least I am sure that I know what a salmon fillet looks like. Trouble is that I was planning on getting a white fish because I want to bake it in the oven with a piquant sauce. Never mind; plans are made to be broken.
When I saw the display of fish, I knew straight away that I wanted the one with the tag saying "pescatrice" because it looked just right. Having purchased it, I came home and looked it up to discover that it was monk fish. He's an ugly fellow, that's for sure, but he tasted great.
D1
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