Red or blackspot sea bream (similar to US pandora). In Campania, pezzogna is often claimed to be a fish peculiar to the Gulf of Gaeta and is frequently translated as 'blue-spotted bream'. In fact, the young of the red bream bear distinctive blue spots. Increasingly it is thought that pezzogna are likely to be simply red bream. Because the flesh of this fish is rather dry it is often cooked 'in acqua pazza' (in crazy water) to lend moisture to the fish. We ate pezzzogna in Campania and found it delicious. I should like to thank Maureen Fant and others who helped out when I enquired about this fish on Chowhound.
