Cannocchia, Pannocchia

This most Mediterranean of shellfish, which vaguely resembles a langoustine, is very much an Italian affair. Especially common in the Adriatic, it lives in the sand and mud on the seabed. It can reach 20 cm (8 in) in length and has a sort of fortified shell on its back and tail that has two black marks on it which look like a pair of eyes. This crustacean has many different names and uses, depending on where it is fished. In Venice it is called canoci, in Puglia caratiedde, spanocchio in Naples and cicala in Tuscany.