Parmesan on fish. And who said you can't?

And who said you can't put cheese on fish? In the war which was established in London between owner of the Maximo Italian Bistrot, Massimo Donato, and a customer who had asked for a fish dish to be seasoned with parmesan, obtaining a clear refusal in the name of respect for the Italian culinary tradition for which the customer, returning to the hotel, had harshly attacked the chef on Tripadvisor, joined today , trying a mediation, Luca Marchini starred chef of the restaurant "L'erba del Re" in Modena as well as president of JRE Italy (Jeunes Restaurateurs) and the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium.

“I ordered some crab raviolior – the customer had complained on Tripadvisor – and I felt that something was missing, I asked for parmesan and the waiter, instead of serving it to me, gave me a strange look and despite my insistence he refused to bring it to me because according to him, cheese shouldn't be put on the fish". Hence a negative judgment on the portal.

The lesson of the Italian-London Chef on the rules of Italian cuisine

Massimo Donato was not exactly light in his response. The negative customer rating in contrast to the majority of opinions expressed in general about his restaurant it drove him into a rage. “Yours – he replied – was a silly request. Now I'll explain them fundamental rules of Italian cuisine you don't know: don't ask never pineapple on pizza; do not put never cream in the carbonara; never ask for a pasta Alfredo (who is this Alfredo?); do not put never chicken in Arrabbiata sauce; and last but not least, never, never, never ask for cheese on a fish plate. Simple rules, you should thank me for not letting you spoil the dish you were eating". Which was followed by a heavy lunge: “There are a lot of fake Italian restaurants run by greedy people who allow this kind of abomination. Try Parmesan on cow dung, it should taste good to you.

Obviously, the public of visitors to Tripadvisor, the largest travel site in the world which boasts more than 600 million hotel and restaurant reviews, was unleashed in conflicting and sometimes ferocious judgments, a real storm, among those who side with the Italian chef and whoever defends the customer's freedom to eat as they please.

But the starred Chef from Modena recalls many classic dishes in which Parmesan goes very well with fish

Now he intervenes in the Italian-London gastronomic dispute Luca Marchini and is anything but severe compared to his London colleague: “Parmigiano Reggiano is not only an excellence, but also and above all an extremely versatile product” says the starred chef from Modena – “If we think about it, some of the most classic dishes of Italian cuisine combine fish and cheese, I mention only one: stuffed squid can have a filling made with parsley, garlic, ricotta, Parmigiano Reggiano and, of course, minced squid. Moving towards a creative use, imagining my kamado-cooked squid, I could think of adding a light layer of crumble prepared with Parmigiano Reggiano, flour, butter and licorice. In the kitchen, then, every risotto with fish could be creamed with Parmigiano Reggiano. For example, one of my historic dishes, which I had on the menu until recently, was Risotto with oven-cooked leek extract, rocket, 24-month-old Parmigiano Reggiano cream, oysters and raw rhubarb.  Today, at L'Erba del Re, Parmigiano Reggiano has also become a pre-dessert: “Scaglia di Parmigiano”, i.e. white chocolate shell, heart of 30-month Parmigiano Reggiano, black cherry jam (no added sugar), Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. In this dish, the choice of maturing for 30 months is given by the need to obtain greater consistency and structure in the mouth” concludes Luca Marchini.

There is Parmesan and Parmesan, a versatile product that also goes well with desserts

Also the Consortium of Parmigiano Reggiano breaks a spear in favor of the customer of "Maximo": "The key to the success of Parmigiano Reggiano is precisely versatility. Parmigiano Reggiano is used in the kitchen, not only for the classic "sprinkling" on first courses, but also for give a touch of character to meat, fish and even desserts.  Thus, if it is true that "good taste" is always needed in the kitchen, it is equally true that the different ages give different aromatic sensations and make it versatile in the kitchen, adapting to many preparations and combinations. If a Parmigiano Reggiano "young" of 12 months – delicate, with hints of milk, yoghurt and fresh fruit – it is perfect for enriching salads and goes very well with a sparkling white wine, a 36 month old instead it has a strong flavor – with notes of spices, dried fruit and meat broth – and it is the ingredient ideal for stuffed pasta, or to be enjoyed at the end of a meal with fruit and honey, accompanied by a structured wine or a good Marsala or even with a Trentino grappa. Parmigiano Reggiano is an eclectic ingredient: Japanese cooks use it to give a touch of umami to dishes, just as Alfredo alla Scrofa enhances it in the original Alfredo fettuccine which have become famous all over the world, thanks to the perfect creaming that blends the goodness fettuccine, Parmigiano Reggiano and butter in such a simple and amazing dish”. To conclude the combination with Parmigiano Reggiano does not seem daring at all. Let's think, for example, of the Mornay sauce that our French cousins ​​use to accompany shellfish, or of the custom in northern European countries of grating Parmigiano Reggiano on pasta with seafood. It's simply a matter of taste! The combination of fish and cheese is a consolidated tradition, just think of Middle Eastern cuisine which often offers the acidic notes of dairy products (such as yoghurt) to balance the rich and fatty taste of some fish.