With the exception of the northern border, Italy is surrounded by water so it is not surprising that almost all regions—even regions not actually on the various coasts—have special fish dishes. Fish and seafood is glorified in Italian cuisine, and one of the most sensual sights in the world is visiting the famed Mercato del Pesce, or the Fish Market, in Venice. Located along the Grand Canal just behind the Rialto Bridge, it is dubbed as Cuore della Città, or the heart of the city. Through the arched entrances is an array of fish and seafood in all shapes, colors, and sizes.

Certainly Italian cuisine offers a wonderful collection of fish stews, but there are braised dishes too. When I first started writing slow cooker cookbooks more than a decade ago I was stymied by using fish, until I realized that to create successful fish dishes with the slow cooker I had to reverse the order of when ingredients were added. While chicken and meats are placed in the slow cooker at the onset of cooking, or soon thereafter, fish and seafood is the last ingredient to be added to these recipes due to its relatively short cooking time. Cubes of fish cook in mere minutes, while it can take cubes of beef up to 8 hours to reach tenderness. In fact, overcooking is a common mistake cooks make when handling seafood.