No Parmesan Cheese With Fish Dishes

Chillout

Chillout

Community Member
Sep 10, 2007
1,044
60
48
Mantova, Italy
The saying goes in Italy that you should not add #Parmesan cheese to fish dishes.

I must admit I don't eat that much fish or seafood but its got me thinking about why you should not add Parmesan to a pasta dishes that include fish.

Is it because Parmesan is strong in taste and conflicts with the fish?

Ideas?
 
Last edited:
I have no idea. To be honest, I'm pretty sure I've eaten Parmesan with fish dishes before (not in Italy though) and I don't think they were bad or anything like that. Then again, I'm not an expert when it comes to food... But they tasted good!
 
They say it most fish have a delicate flavor and the rich saltiness of the cheese can overpower it. It's just a tradition, to enjoy fish and taste it and overpower it with cheese. I know plenty of exceptions to the rule though, how about a tuna melt, creamy cheese sauces topped over fish, tuna boats topped with cheddar cheese, etc. I'm getting hungry :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chillout
Come to think of it, I've never had Parmesan with fish dishes. There was a delicious fish ravioli I once had that was cooked by a Genoese chef at a restaurant in London I went to near Piccadilly Circus. The ravioli was stuffed with boiled hake and grano padano cheese, no Parmesan in sight. I guess the lighter taste of the grano padano would go better with the hake than a robust Parmesan.
 
Yep, like everyone say you have never to put the #parmesan on a dish of pasta with fish or seafood, perhaps because Parmasan Cheese is an aged cheese with salt in it. because sea food comes from the sea it is already salted and the parmasan will over power it.
 
What about Feta cheese? Or, the first salt cheeses? (they're just called "primo sale", I don't know what exactly they are, but they taste good)

I'm no chef but I think that everyone has their own taste when it comes to food :D
I mean, Americans put pineapple on pizza, for Pete's sake!
Italians eat prosciutto with melon! What's up with that?
Oh, and a friend of mine eats salted cheese as a side dish for fruit cake!

Talk about rules in the kitchen! :rolleyes:
 
Natalie Hernandez said:
They say it most fish have a delicate flavor and the rich saltiness of the cheese jcan overpower it. It's just a tradition, to enjoy fish and taste it and overpower it with cheese. I know plenty of exceptions to the rule though, how about a tuna melt, creamy cheese sauces topped over fish, tuna boats topped with cheddar cheese, etc. I'm getting hungry :)
Click to expand...

I have never tried Parmesan cheese with fish before but this quote has really given me something to think about. I have always noticed that in Italian recipes, Parmesan cheese is used in dishes containing red meat; but in other non-Italian dishes, if I have seen cheeses used in fish dishes.
 
Top Bottom