Feast of the Seven Fishes
The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italian-American tradition where people in the old days generally served seven types of fish on Christmas Eve. Today, we like to offer a variety of some of the old traditions for a delicious seafood dinner you can enjoy any day of the year. And, maybe a new spin on recipes to inspire you to try something new!
Wouldn’t it be cool to make a seafood dish you love? Imagine having a seafood dinner anytime you crave it – without the hefty price tag!
Well, the good news is, you can! And, any of these recipes you choose from the Feast of Seven Fishes are pretty darn easy to whip up too!
So whether you want to make a simple dish like spaghetti with little neck clams or shrimp, or your favorite filet of sole francese, you can easily follow our step-by-step instructions and enjoy them for years to come.
The Feast of the Seven Fishes
According to the Roman Catholic church, the feast of the seven fishes represents the seven sacraments, whereas in other traditions, having the “seven courses” represents the last week of Advent. And, if you have been following us, then you may remember our most popular dish served on Christmas Eve is still today – our seafood salad.
But whether you follow the tradition or not, here are delicious and easy-to-follow recipes for some great seafood dishes that you will be happy to serve – and not just for Christmas Eve.
Make your restaurant favorites at home with these Feast of the Seven Fishes recipes! From appetizers to first-course dishes to main courses, you’ll love these recipes.
And, these recipes are in no particular order. Try one or try them all … and enjoy!
Easy Recipes for Feast of the Seven Fishes…
1. Baked Clams Stuffed Oreganata ~ whether you shucked, steamed, or bought them already cleaned for you from your local seafood market, this recipe is very easy and requires a little patience to stuff each clam and bake.
These clams are crunchy and herby delicious!
2. Seafood Salad Marinated for Christmas Eve! ~ This is a seafood salad that is not only loaded with flavor – but is very easy to make. The lemon marinade makes this salad AMAZING!
Best of all, our seafood salad recipe only requires 2 kinds of fish.
3. Seared Sea Scallops Served Over Pesto Sauce ~ This dish combines two of our favorites: seared scallops and freshly made pesto sauce. These two paired together create the most exquisite flavors in every bite.
If you love scallops, then you’ll love the savory flavors this dish has to offer! Plus, with this simple recipe – you’ll want to make these sea scallops again and again. Serve these scallops with a side of angel hair pasta with lemon sauce for a superb dinner!
More Restaurant Seafood Favorites…
There are Italian seafood favorites that pretty much everyone loves! From classics like our Easy Shrimp Dinner, to Filet of Sole Francese, and Little Neck Clams in Wine and Garlic Broth. And, here are a few more favorites with a new spin on them.
4. Easy Baked Shrimp Scampi Dinner ~ Succulent, juicy shrimp are easily baked in a lemony- butter sauce. YUM! This easy shrimp recipe will be a favorite dish everyone will enjoy!
Serve it with steamed/cooked rice, cooked quinoa, or mashed potatoes on the side.
5. Crab Cakes – Lightened! ~ Why not splurge on crab meat and make these delicious crab cakes for your holiday dinner? These are fabulous and restaurant-worthy!
These cakes are loaded with crab meat – and not with a lot of fillers. These are amazingly delicious, easy to make, and BEST-tasting crab cakes ever!
6. Steamed Mussels in Garlic Fennel Broth ~ All you need is a large skillet to make these mussels. Be sure to have some crusty bread nearby to soak up some of that delicious broth. It’s so good, that everyone will RAVE about them.
Don’t forget to try our Mussels Fra Diavolo recipe for more spicy, tomato-saucy delightful flavors!
7. And, try our Best Lobster Sauce! ~ Impress your family and friends with this seafood dish! If you don’t mind to splurge on LOBSTER for the holiday, then this recipe is for you!
All you need is 4 lobster tails for this recipe, and follow our step-by-step directions with photos for a delicious sauce to serve over spaghetti or linguine.
And, don’t miss our Spaghetti with Lobster Tails Sauce! It is an exquisite dish made with a delicate, mildly spicy lobster sauce made with fresh tomatoes. And it is DIVINE!
Best Sides to Serve with Seafood…
We gathered some of the BEST side dishes to serve with seafood, and you can choose any one of these and not be disappointed.
- Mom’s Best Mashed Potato Pie
- Fall Orange Endive Salad
- Creamy Potato and Zucchini Au Gratin
- (Shrimp over) Creamy Polenta
- Sauteed Green Beans with Onions
- (Cod Fillet over) Pesto Risotto
- Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Sauce
Important Tips for Seafood
- What to do when you bring seafood home? Always keep fresh seafood chilled in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them.
- Do we need to clean seafood before cooking it? Always rinse your seafood under cold water before cooking to remove surface bacteria (from handling and open fish markets).
- How long can you store seafood? The general rule of thumb is: that cooked seafood should be saved no more than 24 hours, (except for seafood salad) and should be consumed the next day.
- How to thaw seafood? You can thaw frozen seafood in the fridge overnight. You can also use cold running water in a colander. Don’t thaw seafood at room temperature for a long time.
- Don’t overcook seafood. Overcooked seafood can be dry, rubbery, and tasteless. So keep an eye on them while cooking. Always give it a taste to tell if it’s ready.
- How to season fish? Some spices that go well with seafood include: sea salt, garlic, basil, bay leaf, cayenne, parsley, paprika, and rosemary. Just follow the instructions in the recipe card for that particular fish recipe.
Making Dinner Special…
When cooking your favorite seafood dinner, it doesn’t hurt to save room for something sweet at the end of your meal. So, why not make something special? Try any of these easy-to-make recipes, our Easy Peppermint Tiramisu, Cheesecake Cranberry Bars, or our No-Bake S’mores Dark Chocolate Bark! You’ll be glad you did. 🙂
And, enjoy!
Additional Italian Recipes
- Calamari Fra Diavolo Recipe
- Spaghetti with Fresh Tuna (Twist on Ahi Tuna Steak)
- Baked Flounder Filet Oreganata
- Easy Shrimp Spaghetti
- Spaghetti with Shrimp Olive Oil Garlic & Wine
- Dover Sole Livornese
- Grilled Whole Branzino
Feast of the Seven Fishes
The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italian-American tradition where people in the old days generally served seven types of fish on Christmas Eve. Today, we like to offer a variety of some of the old traditions for a delicious seafood dinner you can enjoy any day of the year.
Ingredients
- 1 Baked Clams Stuffed Oreganata
- 2 Seafood Salad Marinated for Christmas Eve
- 3 Seared Sea Scallops Served Over Pesto Sauce
- 4 Easy Baked Shrimp Scampi
- 5 Crab Cakes - Lightened!
- 6 Steamed Mussels in Garlic Fennel Broth
- 7 Best Lobster Sauce
Instructions
- Choose the recipe you want.
- Gather all the ingredients before you start.
- Follow the instructions on the recipe card and enjoy!
Happy Cooking!
Thanks for stopping by…
xo anna and liz
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Weeknight Dinners Made Easy
Tips & recipes for delicious meals . . . no matter your skill level!
We used to do the feast of the seven fishes and you have some great choices. When we used to live in New Hampshire, we would go to the North End in Boston to buy all our seafood for Christmas from that wonderful Italian neighborhood. With you and your family a very Merry Christmas.
Thank you Karen! On Christmas Eve we still serve seafood, and try to keep the traditions going. Our adult kids always look forward to it year after year. We hope to pass on these holiday traditions as long as we can. Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a healthy one too!