Christmas Eve Tradition Feast of the Seven Fishes Recipes

All across the world, everyone has their unique ways of celebrating the holiday season but one tradition we all seem to share is a celebratory holiday feast. In America, the traditional Christmas dinner commonly consists of a spread of turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, and greens; however, in many Italian-American households, the traditional holiday menu is a bit more extravagant.

What is The Feast of the Seven Fishes?

The Feast of the Seven Fishes (also known as Festa dei Sette Pesci or La Vigilia) is an Italian-American Christmas Eve celebration where families gather to share a seven-course dinner featuring various fish and seafood dishes prepared in seven different ways. The tradition dates back to the Roman Catholic custom of abstaining from eating meat on the eve of holidays like Christmas. Instead, Italians would celebrate Christmas Eve with a large dinner consisting of fish. While the significance of the number seven in the tradition is still somewhat unknown, it’s most commonly attributed to important symbols from the Roman Catholic faith such as the seven sacraments, the seven days of the Creation, and the seven deadly sins.

In the early 1900s, Italian immigrants brought this Christmas Eve tradition from the Old Country to America, preparing a seven-course seafood dinner that would become the Feast of the Seven Fishes celebrated today.

This Christmas Eve dinner is often considered to be one of the oldest Italian traditions however this delicious celebration is one that can be enjoyed by all heritages any and alike. If you’d like to celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes this holiday season, we’ve gathered some traditional Italian recipes for fish and seafood dishes that will help bring a taste of Italy to your home. Buone Feste!

Acciughe Marinate alla Ligure (Ligurian Marinated Anchovies) Recipe

(Recipe courtesy of Eataly)

Ingredients:

• 2½ pounds small to medium fresh anchovies, cleaned & scaled*
• Juice of 4 lemons
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4-5 fresh basil leaves
• Fine sea salt, to taste

Method:

1. Remove the heads from the anchovies. Rinse the fish, and transfer to a nonreactive flat-bottom container. Season generously with salt.
2. Pour the lemon juice over the anchovies. Cover, and refrigerate until the fish is opaque, 5 to 6 hours. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, though the anchovies will become more acidic as they sit in the lemon juice.
3. To serve, remove the anchovies from the lemon juice. Serve these anchovies on the bone, or fillet them before serving. Transfer to a serving dish, and drizzle on the olive oil. Tear the basil leaves, and scatter over the fish.

Fritto Misto di Mare Recipe

(Recipe courtesy of Serious Eats)

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound medium to large head-on shrimp or 12 ounces medium shell-on shrimp
• 2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
• 2 cups fine semolina flour or 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound  cleaned squid, tubes sliced crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick rings, tentacles left whole
• 12 ounces smelt, cleaned
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Method:

1. Using kitchen shears or a sharp paring knife, cut through shrimp shells and devein shrimp without removing the shells. Pat dry with paper towels and set aside.
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 200°F (95°C). Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and place a colander on top of the rack. Set a second wire rack in another rimmed baking sheet and line rack with paper towels. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat to 375°F (190°C).
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and baking powder until thoroughly combined. Pat squid dry with paper towels and transfer to dredge mixture. Toss to evenly coat, then gently shake off excess flour and transfer squid to colander set over wire rack. Shake colander to sift out any excess flour, then transfer squid in a single layer to wire rack. Repeat process with the smelt, followed by the shrimp.
4. Add shrimp to oil and fry until light golden brown, stirring occasionally to prevent shrimp from sticking together, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to prepared paper towel–lined rack, season lightly with salt, then transfer to oven to keep warm.
5. Return oil to 375°F (190°C) and add half the squid. Fry until golden brown, stirring occasionally to prevent pieces from sticking to each other, about 3 minutes. Transfer squid to rack with shrimp, season lightly with salt, and return to oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining squid.
6. Return oil to 375°F (190°C) and add the smelt. Fry until smelt are pale golden and just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to rack with fried seafood and season lightly with salt. Transfer seafood to a serving platter lined with parchment or butcher paper and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Paccheri al sugo di pesce Recipe

(Recipe courtesy of Pelle di Pollo)

Ingredients:

• 1/2  pound Paccheri or calamarata
• 1/2 pound  Fresh Squid
• 1/2 pound Shrimp
• 2 6 ounce sea bream fillets or sea bass or grouper
• 2 tablespoons Tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon Salted capers
• 1 onion
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Parsley
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• 1 pinch Chilli
• 1 pinch black pepper

Method:

1. Cut the bags of squid into strips, and cut the fillets and prawns into small pieces.
2. Take a large pan, and fry the finely chopped onion with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of red pepper.
3. Add the squid, brown them for a few moments, then blend with the white wine. Add salt and cook for about ten minutes over medium-low heat.
4. Then add the prawns and sea bream. Finally add the tomato sauce and capers, rinsed with salt. Season with salt and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, boil the paccheri in plenty of salted water. Drain them a little al dente, and pour them into the pan with the sauce.
6. Add the chopped parsley, mix and finish cooking for one or two minutes, so that the starch of the pasta forms a nice cream with the sauce.
7. Your paccheri with fish sauce are ready, serve them hot and enjoy your meal.

Pasta Con Le Sarde Recipe

(Recipe courtesy of The Kitchen with Great Italian Chefs)

Ingredients:

• 14 1/8 oz of linguine, or other long pasta
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1/4 fennel, finely diced (fennel tops reserved)
• 5 anchovies, chopped
• 1 2/3 fl oz of white wine
• 1 pinch of saffron
• 1 1/2 oz of pine nuts
• 1 1/2 oz of raisins
• 4 sardines, prepared into 8 fillets
• 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• breadcrumbs, toasted

Method:

1. Cook the pasta in a pan of heavily salted boiling water for 8–10 minutes, or as per packet instructions.
2. Add the onion, fennel and anchovies to a frying pan set over a low-medium heat with the olive oil and fry until soft, but not coloured. The anchovies will melt into the sauce. Once soft, add the white wine with a pinch of saffron and turn up the heat. Reduce until the pan is nearly dry then stir in the pine nuts and raisins.
3. Slice the sardine fillets into 3 or 4 pieces then add to the pan. Cook for 1 minute, being careful not to stir too much or the fish will fall apart.
4. Drain the pasta then add to the pan and gently toss to coat the pasta. Season with a little lemon zest and a squeeze of the juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning if required.
5. Divide between bowls and garnish with toasted breadcrumbs and the fennel tops.

Whole Roast Fish with Lemon and Herbs Recipe

(Recipe courtesy of Athena Calderone)

Ingredients:

• 1 2 1/2 pound whole fish, such as red snapper, cleaned and scaled
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped mixed herbs, such as thyme, oregano, parsley and rosemary
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1/4 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed

Salsa Verde

• 1/2 cup minced parsley
• 1/4 cup minced basil
• 1/4 cup minced mint
• 1 tablespoon minced capers
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 jalapeño (optional)
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt
• Pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. Put the fish on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Make 3 crosswise slashes down to the bone on each side of the fish. Rub with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stuff each slash with 1 lemon slice and some herbs. Stuff the cavity with the shallot, fennel, garlic and remaining lemon slices and herbs. Roast for about 20 minutes, until the flesh is opaque.
2. Make the Salsa Verde: In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients. Serve the fish with the salsa verde.

Pesce in Umido (Fish with Roasted Fennel and Taggiasca Olives) Recipe

(Recipe courtesy of Chef Barbara Lynch)

Ingredients:

• 2 (6-ounce) pieces of firm white fish, such as wild halibut or cod
• 1 fennel bulb
• 1 cup fish brodo
• ¼ cup Taggiasca olives
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 tablespoons Taggiasca olive oil, for finishing

Method: 

1. Cut the fennel in half from top to bottom, and then divide each half into quarters by also cutting top to bottom. Reserve the fronds for a garnish. In a hot sauté pan, sear the fennel pieces on both sides until they become golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the fennel from the pan, and set aside.
2. Season the fish with salt. In the same pan as the fennel, sear the fish on one side until it is golden brown, approximately  4-5 minutes. When the fish is nicely seared and gives up easily from the pan, use a spatula to turn it over.
3. Add the fennel back to the pan, along with the fish brodo and bay leaves. Cover the pan, and gently simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until the fish is cooked entirely through. Remove the fish, and place each piece in a shallow bowl.
4. With the broth still simmering, add the olives and remaining olive oil, simmer all together briefly, and taste the broth for seasoning. Adjust with salt to taste.
5. Spoon the fennel, olives, and broth over the fish in the bowls. Garnish with a few of the green fronds from the fennel.

Brodetto di Branzino (Wild Sea Bass Soup) Recipe

(Recipe courtesy of Eataly)

Ingredients:

For the Fish Stock:

• Fish bones from 1 large fish, rinsed in cold water
• 4 fennel stalks, cut in large pieces
• 1 head garlic, cut in half
• 1 onion, cut in large pieces
• ½ cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns
• Kosher salt, to taste

For the Brodetto:

• 3 cups wild striped bass fillet, cubed
• 1 (14-ounce) can cherry tomatoes
• 10 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 lemon
• 10 sprigs parsley, leaves removed & chopped
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil, to taste

Method:

1. To make the fish stock: Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, fennel, and a pinch of salt. Sweat the vegetables until they have released some of their liquid and have become soft. Add the fish bones and the wine, and cook until the alcohol evaporates.
2. Add the peppercorns and enough water to cover the fish bones. Bring the pot to a boil, and then reduce it to a simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the bones out of the broth.
3. To prepare the brodetto: Place enough olive oil in a large stockpot to cover its bottom and place it over medium heat.  Add the garlic and a pinch of salt, and cook until it is soft. Add the tomatoes and the fish stock.  Let the pot simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and add the fish. Cover the pot, and allow the fish to just cook through. Season the brodetto with salt and the pepper flakes to taste.
5. Finish the dish with a squeeze of lemon and chopped parsley, and serve.

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