Christmas Eve is a day of fasting, so the Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes is a way of celebrating Christmas while abstaining from meat until Christmas Day. Researchers are unsure when the feast first became popular, but its Roman Catholic roots of abstaining from meat indicate a long existence. Its origins trace back to Southern Italy, where my family immigrated from in the early twentieth century.
My mom has been hosting the Seven Fishes for my extended family forever. When I was little, I dreaded Christmas Eve because the house smelled like something reminiscent of a beached whale that has been sitting in the sun for a month. Or at least that’s how my younger mind perceived it.
When I began taking an interest in cooking in high school, my mom and I decided it was time for a change; we would introduce new, more appealing (and not all Italian, to change it up even more for our expanding family) seafood dishes that smelled delectable, rather than putrid.
Some of the traditional dishes we will not stray from are baccalà or salted cod, calamari in gravy (red sauce), and linguine with clam sauce. The other four to six dishes (because, why stop at seven? But keep it an odd number) of the feast are usually new, and almost everyone in my family agrees they’re an excellent change. We’re adapting the old tradition to fit newer needs and tastes.
Crab Cake Stuffed Flounder
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350℉. Prepare the crab meat filling by combining the first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl.
Cut 1 lb flounder fillets in half longways to create 2 smaller pieces to be rolled.
Place a spoonful of crab meat on the end of each piece of flounder and roll it up.
Place the rolls in a large baking dish, seam-side down. Drizzle the rolls with melted butter and season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Crab Appetizer Pizza
Ingredients
Instructions
Combine first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Then, add the crab meat and cheese. The filling can be prepared 8 hours in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 450℉. Grease a large baking sheet, and place the crust on the sheet.
Spread the crab mixture and cheese over the crust and sprinkle green onions.
Bake until the topping is puffed and brown, about 10 minutes. Cut into small wedges perfect for an appetizer.
Hot Crab Salsa Dip
Ingredients
Instructions
Heat the cream cheese, spinach and salsa in a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat until the cheese is melted, stirring often.
Stir in the crab meat and stir until warmed through.
Serve with cut fresh vegetables, tortilla chips, or crackers.
Italian Tuna Salad with Arugula
Ingredients
Instructions
Make the dressing. Whisk the lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl until the salt is dissolved. Gradually whisk in the oil.
In a separate bowl, stir the tuna, celery, capers, parsley and red pepper flakes with 3 tablespoons of dressing.
Lay the arugula in a serving platter or shallow bowl. Put the tuna mixture in the center and arrange the tomatoes, cucumbers and olives around it.
Drizzle everything with the leftover dressing. Toss just before serving.
Fish Fillets Italiano
Ingredients
Instructions
In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until softened.
Stir in the tomatoes, olives, parsley and wine, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Place fillets in sauce, and simmer for 5 more minutes or until the fish turns white.
One-Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, and add pasta. Cook, stirring frequently, until al dente (usually 8-10 minutes). Drain the pasta and set it aside.
In the same pot, heat olive oil and 2 tablspoons of butter. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper, and cook until fragrant.
Toss in shrimp and salt and pepper to taste, and stir until the shrimp start to turn pink, but are not yet fully cooked. Add oregano and spinach, and cook until wilted.
Return cooked pasta to the pot, and add the remaining butter, parmesan and parsley. Stir until the butter is melted and the ingredients are well mixed.
When the shrimp are cooked, add lemon juice, stir some more, then serve while hot.
Shrimp Avocado Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, and continue to add seasonings to taste.
Serve with tortilla chips.
P.S. My mom emailed these recipes to me directly from her recipe drawer full of Italian and party food deliciousness.