Feast of the Seven Fishes: 14 Seafood Recipes for Christmas Eve

bowl of copping with grilled bread
Photo: Photo by Andrew Bui / Food Styling by Max Rappaport

To celebrate the Italian-American tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, you'll need plenty of seafood, of course. These 14 recipes have you covered, from traditional dishes like seafood stew to a fun and fancy (yes, fancy!) clam dip. Fry up a batch of extra-crunchy calamari to serve with your favorite marinara sauce and a few lemon wedges. Or try your hand at tomato-braised baccalà, which pairs beautifully with a mascarpone-enriched polenta and briny olives. No matter which recipe (or recipes) you choose, you're in for a wonderful feast.

01 of 14

Sea Bass with Sicilian Cherry Tomato Sauce

Sea Bass with Sicilian Cherry Tomato Sauce
Abby Hocking

Extra Virgin hosts Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos riff on classic Southern Italian puttanesca with their Sicilian Cherry Tomato Sauce, here made with fresh tomatoes. The recipe calls for wild sea bass, but Mazar and Corcos like to make it with almost any fish, especially rich and oily ones like mackerel or bluefish.

02 of 14

Spaghetti with Mussels, Clams, and Shrimp

201204-HD-spaghetti-with-mussels-clams-shrimp.jpg

© Rick Poon

A citrusy, sharp dry white wine would offer an ideal contrast to the briny mussels and clams in this pasta dish. Look for an Italian Pinot Grigio.

03 of 14

Black and White Pici Pasta with Squid and Shellfish

Black-and-White Pici Pasta with Squid and Shellfish

© John Kernick

2014 F&W Best New Chef Eli Kulp prepares this dramatic seafood pasta dish with freshly made, toothsome black and white noodles, which he tosses with a big, briny seafood sauce and finishes with spicy pickled cherry peppers.

04 of 14

Italian Seafood Stew

Italian Seafood Stew
© John Kernick

In this luscious, tomato-rich stew, chef Marco Canora cooks calamari slowly until it becomes super tender. He says calamari is absolutely essential to the success of the dish, because it releases its liquid as it simmers, which adds a huge amount of flavor to the sauce.

05 of 14

Roasted Sardines with Olives, Capers, and Parsley

Roasted Sardines with Olives, Capers and Parsley
© John Kernick

Here, sardines are first pan-fried with a mix of olives, capers, lemon zest, parsley, and chiles, then roasted in the oven for a few more minutes until they're cooked through. To make this more of a main course, chef Chris Cosentino pairs them with a crunchy salad of artichokes and sunchokes.

06 of 14

King Crab Salad with Grapefruit and Avocado

King Crab Salad with Grapefruit and Avocado
© Fredrika Stjärne

This lovely seafood salad was an improvisation. "I made it with what I had in the house," Italian winemaker Piero Incisa della Rocchetta recalls. "Scarcity breeds creativity." He uses grapefruit juice both to glaze the crab and to make the sweet-tangy salad dressing.

07 of 14

Swordfish Sicilian-Style

Swordfish Sicilian-Style
© Greg DuPree

Of all the wonderful recipes legendary cookbook author Marcella Hazan created, our all-time favorite is this quick-cooking swordfish, where an oregano-infused sauce imparts bright flavor to hot-off-the-grill steaks. The secret is pricking holes in the fish so the lemony dressing seeps in.

08 of 14

Fancy Clam Dip

Fancy Clam Dip Recipe
Justin Walker

This classic white clam dip — filled with cream cheese, crème fraîche, and, of course, canned clams — is salty, cheesy, and craveable. Some generous splashes of hot sauce and plenty of fresh dill add brightness and cut through the rich dip.

09 of 14

Extra-Crunchy Calamari

Extra-Crunchy Calamari
Greg Dupree

Want to know the secret to exquisitely tender yet crunchy calamari? Start with a soak in buttermilk. This slightly acidic liquid gently tenderizes the squid, and since the buttermilk is extra thick, it helps the breading adhere to the rings, eliminating the need for beaten egg. For added crunch, you can't beat cornmeal; its fine, pebbly grains fry up crispy. Serve with your favorite marinara.

10 of 14

Lobster Risotto

Lobster Risotto
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

A small pinch of saffron goes a long way in imparting a vibrant golden hue and floral fragrance to this creamy, indulgent lobster risotto. Precooked lobster and bottled clam juice deliver robust layers of flavor with a minimum amount of effort. San Francisco sommelier Tonya Pitts recommends pairing the dish with a bottle of white Bordeaux.

11 of 14

Salted Anchovies, Salsa Verde, Bread, Butter

Salted Anchovies, Salsa Verde, Bread, Butter
Abby Hocking

Chef Missy Robbins found inspiration for this dish in Italy. The best part? It's ready in just over half an hour, so it makes for an easy appetizer.

12 of 14

Baked Clams with Bacon and Garlic

baked-clams-with-bacon-and-garlic-XL-RECIPE1017.jpg
Marcus Nilsson

In this ultimate version of baked clams, chef Daniel Humm includes chopped clams in the filling, doubling down on the briny flavor of our favorite bivalve. Bacon, parsley, lemon, and a touch of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese add a savory, herby kick.

13 of 14

Cioppino with Fennel and Saffron

bowl of copping with grilled bread
Photo by Andrew Bui / Food Styling by Max Rappaport

An abundance of seafood and three types of fennel (bulb, seed, and pollen) infuse chef Brandon Boudet's version of this San Francisco fish stew with remarkable flavor, while Calabrian chile paste and crushed red pepper add a subtle layer of heat.

14 of 14

Tomato-Braised Baccalà with Olives and Polenta

Tomato-Braised Baccala with Olives and Polenta Recipe
Justin Walker

Simmering soaked salt cod in a tomato sauce filled with peppers, onions, and olives infuses the fish with flavor and leaves it flaky and tender. Sweet and creamy polenta — enriched with lightly tangy mascarpone — sops up the sauce and balances the brightly flavored fish.

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