Feast of the Seven Fishes

[southernitalian]

I'm hosting this year and am looking for ideas on how best to incorporate seven different kinds of seafood. Anything but baccala. No one ever eats it. I've got shrimp cocktail and caesar salad as definites but am open to suggestions for th eother five. Thanks in advance e buon Natale!

[Samurai Sam]

I love cooking fish for Christmas Eve.
Last year i did five, this year I will do six. 7 next year - baby steps The challenge is always to pick things that can be semi make ahead - tough with fish. Last year I did a crab cocktail (so easy and people love it) a shrimp puttanesca, seafood salad, lemon sole (the Rao's version) and linguine with clam sauce. People were swooning. This year, I adapted Giada's Calamari, Tomato and Caper Salad. It was easy and I made it chilled because that is my preference. recipe here and for the full threads of last years meal and the progress on this year you can go here: http://www.neurotickitchen.com/2012/12/christmas-eve-prep-italian-style-2-of-7.html
and here:
http://www.neurotickitchen.com/2011/1...

Calamari, Tomato, and Caper Salad
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis
Serves 6 as an appetizer
Make Ahead ~You can prepare this the evening before and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

Salad Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 Cloves of minced Garlic
10 whole, peeled Tomatoes from can, chopped, sauce & seeds rinsed away in colander
1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Sea Salt and freshly Ground Pepper to taste
2 pounds Calamari (mostly tubes and some tentacles), cleaned, and sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices

Dressing Ingredients:
5 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Tablespoons Capers, rinsed and drained
2 whole Lemons, zested
Sea Salt and freshly Ground Pepper
5-6 Tablespoons chopped Italian Parsley
2 Tablespoon White Wine (optional)

Method:
In a very large skillet, warm the 4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil over medium-high heat. Add the Garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.

Next, add the chopped Tomatoes and Red Pepper Flakes and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Season the Calamari liberally with Salt and Pepper, then add to the skillet.

Cook, stirring frequently, until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes.

Drain the mixture into a colander and discard juices.

To prepare the dressing, combine Lemon Juice, Lemon Zest, Oil, Capers and optional Wine. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.

Place the Calamari into the a bowl and pour the dressing over it. Toss gently until all is incorporated.

Chill Mixture for at least an hour. Allow to rest outside fridge for a minutes prior to serving in case the oils have solidified. The salad should be slightly chilled.

When ready to serve, garnish with Parsley. Mangia!

[scunge]

I notice that I participated last in 2009 in regard to the "Seven Fishes" question . I now realize that what ever is brought to the table it has to have appeal to most ,now that is the challenge .So more than likely No baccala .No eel , Scungilli O.K. Linguine with clam sauce , Flounder (Fluke) ,Shrimp fra diavalo, Broiled fresh sardines,Calamari with the fra diavalo( again most only want it fried ) , Swordfish ,Tuna or Striped Bass , and maybe maybe whiting filets broiled with breadcrumbs

[coll]

My husband's family will never vary from the feast they have celebrated for at least four generations. Antipasta with anchovies before, sometimes served with fried calamari or cardoon; then a combo of fried plus baked fish (always flounder, scallops, shrimp and then maybe something else like tuna or swordfish), the finale being everyone got a whole lobster that was baked with crabmeat stuffing. The pasta was always spaghetti with mushroom sauce. I have taken over and try to change it up a bit, like making seafood fra diablo or blackened catfish, but the only time I get oohs and aahs is when I follow the old traditions.

[Bacardi1]

This won't help you, but I just want to say that back in the early '80's, I was visiting a former boss/friend of mine - Sicilian back & forth/true & true. While there, his brother showed up with two HUGE garbage bags full to the brim with fin fish & shellfish all meant for the following night's feast. I kid you not when I say that SEVEN FISHES? - this had to be enough for dozens of different dishes thanks to the dozens of different fish & shellfish in those bags.

[prima]

Is anyone preparing a Feast of the Seven Fishes this Christmas? What's on your menu?

[pinehurst]

(Sheepish, conspiratorial voice) I'm doing four and maybe five fishes this year.

Linguine with Mussels
Spicy calamari (probably fried, though I've done them cold in salad)
Cocktail shrimp
Stuffed clams
Fried smelts (though I'm the only one who'll eat them, prob).

[prima]

Ha ha.
I always serve seafood Xmas eve, but rarely more than 3 dishes, but maybe this will be the year I make 7.
I usually make a Cioppino or fish/shrimp/scallop stew of some sort, fried oysters, and marinated octopus.

[italia84]

my favorite meal of the year! Here is this years menu:

frutta di mare (shrimp and calamari; some years I add scungilli or polpo)
baked mussels
stuffed mushrooms, cheeses, olives, roasted peppers, breads, etc

linguine and red clam sauce (crowd favorite, can't escape it)

swordfish with onions and vinegar
stuffed calamari
baccala with orange, lemon and olives (I don't make too much of it because some people won't eat it)
baked seabass (or halibut, dunno, I'll see what looks good)
potato croquettes and escarole on the side

I cook every bit of it myself except for the potato croquettes (my mother makes those).n For 12 people it's a lot of work and a lot of seafood, but it's a meal I truly love preparing. Other dishes I occasionally make for this meal are: baked clams, stuffed sardines, fried calamari/shrimps/scallops, shrimp scampi, lobster ravioli, shrimp risotto, stuffed filet of sole...

[MNLisaB]

My SIL/BIL hosts this on Christmas Eve, everyone brings a dish to share, and we all chip in for the cost. Since no one is very adventurous, they stick with the shrimp and lobster tails. Their typical menu:
cold shrimp
cold seafood salad w/ octopus, squid, shrimp
shrimp scampi
lobster tails
pasta/meatballs
my very substantial meat, cheese and roasted veggie salad

[Patsybelle2]

Wow, Lisa! My ex's nana made a cold seafood salad with octopus, squid, and shrimp. I've been trying to find a recipe, but all I can find are either warm salads or octopus only. Any chance of getting their recipe?

Thanks so much!

[bushwickgirl]

Of all the seafood salad recipes I've seen, this one is the closest to what I've made and had in Italian restaurants and street fairs in NYC, just without the scallions, carrots and scallops. I would just dice the celery and peppers. This can be a guide for you and the lemon/herb dressing is classic:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/fo...

[Philly Ray]

Here is a simple cold calamari salad that you could add shrimp and octopus to.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ra...

[hotoynoodle]

great suggestions here, but i'd skip the caesar salad -- it originated in mexico, ya know? if you want anchovies, try anchovy puffs. instead of shrimp with cocktail sauce, maybe a citrus or garlic aioli, or a scampi presentation.

tuna meatballs was something we always had too.

[southernitalian]

My family loves Caesar salad and recognizes that it is not Italian in origin. But we're also huge fans of anchovies so the puffs sound wonderful.

[Emme]

Shrimp Marsala
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/christmas/batalisevenfishes/recipes/food/views/Jumbo-Shrimp-Marsala-House-wife-Style-em-Gamberoni-Casalinga-Siciliana-em-350682

Marinated Anchovy Antipasto
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesgui...

[fourunder]

Some past comments and ideas I have made on the subject....

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/580309#4249101
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5643...

These following items have been on past menus from different Christmas Eve Dinners I have be fortunate enough to have been invited to over the years, Usually, the evenings start out with many different hors doeuvres first before the more formal sit down meal:

Seafood Cheese Dips
Clams and Oysters on the Half Shell
Fried Calamari
Fried Oysters
Fried Fish
Fried Shrimp
Fried Smelts, Anchovies or Sardines
Baked Clams
Clams Casino
Seafood Salad... Calamari, Pulpo, Scungelli, Mussels and Shrimp
Crab Cakes
Grilled Scallops
Grilled Calamari or Pulpo

Stuffed Sole
Stuffed Calamari
Whole Baked Fish
Pasta with Clam Sauce
Lobster Tails
Pan Fried Fillets of Fish
Fish Cakes...Baccala made with mashed potatoes and a panko crust
Zuppa de Pesce
Zuppa de Clams

[Gio]

That's absolutely wonderful! Seems like I've had more than a few of those dishes over the years. It's a compliment to the cook, or cooks, that although so many of the same ingredients are used to prepare this meal not one tastes like the other, even though many of the same ingredients are used dish to dish. It's always the seafood that takes center stage.

[fourunder]

gio,

Between family and friends, I've been to my share of Christmas Eve Fish Dinners.....it's always a highly anticipated evening where everyone does their best to make some incredible dishes everyone will remember....Lobsters, King Crab, Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes and 8 count Shrimp cocktails......

But the best party I go to is at my best friend's house.....where the pre party has all the elaborate stuff to nosh on, but for the formal dinner the dishes are actually very meager by comparision...based on family traditions of his parents and relatives....who were, as described by Tom Brokaw, *The Greatest Generation*.... here the formal dinner has items from times when resources were not as plentiful...but thankful for what they had. A few of the dishes they always have are:

Stuffed Escarole with anchovies, olives and breadcrumbs
Barley Soup with Ceci's
Stuffed Calamari (breadcrumbs)
Pasta with the Red Sauce used to cook the Stuffed Calamari

Between the family war stories and the trash talk....it's a fun and enjoyable evening

[Gio]

Oh yes... I know exactly what you mean. In our house, growing up, mother and her brother and perhaps a sister or two would come in the afternoon and work their magic. We had 2 kitchens so there was plenty of room. 1 of the aunts would make fresh pasta right on the table, Uncle Frank was in charge of killing, prepping and cooking the eels. My mother's stuffed calamari was delicate, light and so flavorful.
And, although I didn't mention it above there was an enourmous seafood-based antipasto, and wines galore. We children were allowed a glass of red wine cut with orange soda. After dinner we all poured out of the house to Midnight Mass...Happy, happy times!
Buon Natale, fourunder!

[hotoynoodle]

we had wine cut with cream soda, lol.

[fourunder]

Gio and southernitalian,

For the past year, I have generally stopped watching the Food Network.....but just flipping stations through on cable television, Throwdown with Bobby Flay is on with Frank Pellegrino of Rao's.....and the dishes are both over the top and rustic. Give it a look for some nice ideas. I like the Striped Bass BF made and the Seafood Salad from Rao's team.

[scunge]

I've replaced large pasta shells (not jumbo) for the linguine when I prepare any fish stews ,marinara's etc. the shell fish at times gets stuck in te pasta so you may get a shrimp , bay scallop,calamari or what ever else is in the mix .I'm considering stuffing jumbo shells with various fish prepared separately covered with a sauce and briefly baked (no cheese).Don't forget the fennel both added to the fish as well as to the table to aide with digestion and oranges as well

[toodie jane]

what a great idea with the shells!

[coll]

Campanelle is a really nice pasta for shellfish, like shells but much fancier for special occasions. Hard to find unfortunately.
http://comps.fotosearch.com/comp/UNE/...

[fourunder]

Campanelle pasta by Barilla is readily available here in Northern NJ and often goes on sale. Last week one of the markets had it for .88/box......I believe at Pathmark stores.

[coll]

Silly me, I'm always looking in Fairway and Italian groceries, I'll have to keep my eye out for it. I'll even try Pathmark next time I'm up island, thanks!

[coll]

I stopped at Stop and Shop before, looking for Tony Chachere seasoning, my secret ingredient in dirty rice: no go, but I passed the Barilla display and not only did they have campanelle, it was on sale for $1. I am now stocked up.

[Gio]

I have the Rao's restaurant cookbook and will have to look to see if that recipe is there. But, I have a feeling that the Seafood Salad is pretty much generic. We'll see. It's be something I'd consider making this year.

[fourunder]

Gio,

If I recall correctly, the Seafood salad in Rao's cookbook includes Lobster and is served warm....the same way I prefer it to be served freshly made and not served chilled and with any acid. Here's how I make mine based loosely on the Rao's recipe

First I pre-cut all my celery and red onions.......the celery, I use only the tender inner portions with leaves cut in a diamond pattern. The diamond pattern is achieved by making one slice down the middle of celery rib/stalk and then cutting on a bias. Second, I uses small red onions, and slice slivers from top to bottom. I like the way both vegetables present themselves with the sea food. Not always and I know it's not traditional, but on occasion, I've been known to throw in olives into the vegetables mix as well/

For the sea foods, I cook the cleaned Squid and Pulpo separately for a few minutes in a separate pot of water, removed from water and shocked briefly to stop the cooking process. Scungilli is cooked longer....10-15 minutes, again in separate pot of water. Lobster is par-boiled for 4-5 minutes so the meat can be removed. Shrimp is sauteed in olive oil....and the Lobster is finished in the olive oil as well. All seafoods are then mixed together with the vegetables.....but my recipe does not call for any lemon or vinegar to added. I do not like to further cook any of the ingredients...instead, I have lemon wraps available on the side. Here are a couple of helpful links for those who do not have the Rao's Cookbook:

http://www.raosrecipes.com/

http://almostitalian.com/scungilli/

[coll]

I like to put hot pepper rings in mine, rather than olive. If you like it spicy, that is. Stole this idea from my old fish market.

[Gio]

OMGoodness... your recipe does sound lovely but I'm curious....no salt or pepper or EVOO? Or parsley either? Iike that you serve it warm, though. I'm almost ashamed to say I've never cooked squid, octopus or scumgilli, but you and those two blogs you pointed us to make me want to try this year. Love the blogs, BTW! Thanks.

[fourunder]

Actually, yes to Kosher or Sea Salt....whatever is on hand, fresh cracked black pepper, pinch of red chili flakes and fresh flat leaf parsley....unless I know someone has an aversion to parsley. Then I keep a small batch parsley free.

For the record, EVOO is used to cook shell fish in the pan. just before serving I drizzle more EVOO.....The salt and pepper is always a given in any recipe so sometimes I forget to add in details or I simply say season to taste......thanks for pointing out i omitted both this time for anyone with interest.

For a twist, I like to add fresh Little Neck Clams, and or, Mussels steamed with a 7 ounce nip of beer....shallots and garlic. Here's the recipe on another past thread:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5726...

[Gio]

Ah, well that makes more sense. S & P, RPF, EVOO are a given here too. And, Parsley is Always Italian flat leaf. Love the thought of adding Little Necks and/or Mussels. We love Mussels. I saved your recipe for future reference. The addition of Andouille or Chorizo is a wonderful thought. Kinda makes it Portugese??? And beer inseasd of white wine. Great.

[jacquelines]

Our family has done all this every Christmas eve for the 24 years I've been alive and probably 100 years before me:
Antipasto
Seafood Salad
Stuffed Artichokes
Baked clams
Fried Calamari
Fried Smelts
Mussels in a wine broth
Batter Fried cauliflower
Shrimp Cocktail
linguini aglio olio with alliches
Spaghetti with clam sauce
Broiled eel (since my Nana passed away this fell out of favor because she used to kill them, skin them and cook them herself)

Not everything is fried now but I had 6 Italian great Aunts and a Grandma who were champs on the fryer. It's a lot of food but it was quality and quantity for a family of nearly 24 people filled with 4 generations of sharing love through food and laughter.
Hope this helps!

[Lenox637]

Salt encrusted baked whole fish. You could use red snapper or striped bass etc... A couple of sprigs of fresh herbs and a slice or two of lemon in the cavity all encased with a mixture of kosher salt and egg whites. Light, moist flavorful fish.

[scunge]

one of the traditional fish in my Sicilian family was merluzza (whiting) fried ,scungilli (whelks} in a hot pepper infused tomato sauce,the baccala,shrimp,calamari,tiny fried sardi (or baitfish) and octopus with plenty of lemons anise olives, linguine and clams .Eels were kept alive in the bath tub.Sometimes mackeral with plenty of lemon and oregano and of course the bread a lasteda (sp) round and dark with seeds for dipping and the scaleda lighter and softer after midnight (after mass) you came home and ate sausages,peppers ,cheese there was home made red wine .oh yea Brioski for the agita.now imagine that

[bushwickgirl]

Love Brioschi for agita, saw it as recently as 5 years ago in my (Brooklyn Italian neighborhood) supermarket. My parents always had it at home. Now, $8 at Duane Reade in NYC.
I forgot to mention the polpo in my post.

[Gio]

Oh gosh.... I forgot stuffed calamari. Your mention of octopus reminded me.
Luscious, when made right and light..

[southernitalian]

Some of my earliest memories are sheets of pasta hung over the tops of kitchen chairs and eels in a clawfoot tub in Brooklyn. I'd love your scungilli recipe if you have one.

[Gio]

I Love that dinner. I really think it's my favorite Eve dinner. At my parents house we always had an eel dish, sometimes a salad and sometimes in a tomato sauce, but I suppose if your guests don't eat salt cod, they won't eat eel either.

Some other seafood dishes I can remember are:
Shrimp consomme
Spaghetti with either shrimp, clams or anchovies
Stuffed and baked quohoags
Pan fried haddock or halibut
Grilled smelts or sardines
Steamed lobsters

These days the whole thing has been very much simplified. A starter, a main and a few sides. No dessert....those arrive on Christmas Day.

Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo!

[bushwickgirl]

Wow, that sound like a NE style Feast of the Seven Fishes (not a bad thing.)
Here's a chow link for a similar discussion happening currently on the San Francisco board:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/669638

In Brooklyn, this feast would definitely include zuppa de pesce, calamari fritti, baked stuffed clams with oregano, along with the requisite pasta/shellfish offerings with mussels or anchovies. I like the pan fried haddock (as a sub for the baccala) and shrimp marsala as a secondi and maybe sauteed broccoli rabe or broccoli with garlic as a side.
Then, struffoli and cannoli!

[RGC1982]

Stuffed flounder or sole would also make a good substitute for the bacalao. A little fancier, but it is Christmas. I'd go real light on the stuffing UNLESS I was trying to sneak some crabmeat (yet another "fish") into the meal. Small portions, small portions. There will be too much food.

[coll]

Our Brooklyn meal includes fried calamari, shrimp cocktail, and frutti di mari or mussels marinara for apps; pasta fra diablo (or sometimes just pasta with mushroom sauce); then fried flounder or scallops plus stuffed flounder and also baked/broiled something (like tuna or swordfish) for the next course, and the grand finale, everyone gets a whole 2# lobster. Then it's midnight and we have to open the presents (after the pastries of course). I'm tired just thinking about it ;-) but technically, there is NEVER too much food.

[coll]

I asked my husband last night, since this is really his family's tradition (ours was to fast and go to midnight mass) and he reminded me that his mother did the same antipasta platter both nights, just that on Christmas Day meat and cheese was added on the side. All that other stuff is what I added over the years since I took over.