Piece written by Anna Gershoni
Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italian-American Christmas Eve tradition which gained popularity in the early 1900’s. There is lots of debate on the origin of “Feast of the Seven Fishes” and the significance of the number seven also isn't widely agreed upon. What is clear about this mysterious feast is the custom, to consume only seafood the night before Christmas as a way to abstain from meat or “eat lightly” because on Christmas Day there is lots of heavy eating. Today, the tradition is continued—although typically families do not strictly stick to seven dishes.
Culinary traditions stand at the forefront of New York Shuk’s values—So when I (👋 Hi, I’m NYSHUK team member Anna Gershoni—above is an image of my family from the 1950’s having one of our coveted feasts) mentioned how my Italian-American family celebrates Christmas Eve with the long standing tradition of this seafood feast—Ron and Leetal were all ears. While we do not make seven different seafood dishes, my family does go all out. My cousin Rain hosts the dinner, making a feast consisting of: stuffed clams, king crab, fettuccine with shrimp, some sort of large baked fish, and more Negronis than you could possibly imagine (once an outsider came to one of our dinners and had to leave early because they couldn't handle the level of our Negroni consumption—but we won't go into that). Below is our family recipe for Stuffed Clams:
Stuffed Clams by Gnagnarelli/Lampariello Family
Soak four dozen clams in ice cold water for 1 hour. This allows clams to breathe and in doing so gets rid of any sand in their shell. Rinse clams well after. Steam clams quickly until they just open. Remove Clams from shell. Mix clams with 2 cups bread crumbs, 4 large cloves garlic, 1/2 cup parsley, 1/2 cup pecorino Romano, 4 tablespoons melted butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and the zest from 1 lemon. Salt and pepper to taste. Stuff clam shells with mixture and bake in oven at 450 from 5 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately with lemon garnish.
I thought to bring a New York Shuk perspective to Feast of the Seven Fishes, so I’ve laid out (over seven 😉) seafood recipes that would be perfect for a holiday feast. Whether you’re here for holiday meal inspiration, seafood recipes, or just to learn about how others celebrate this time of year—we want to say Happy Holidays from New York Shuk and happy cooking!
STARTERS
TINNED FISH BOARD
Feeling like you need a break from “holiday-ified” food? Break open a tin of sardines, plate with New York Shuk x Hayden Flour Mills Harissa crackers, an egg, and any other fixings you think will pair--we promise, it will be a refreshing taste change. And since tinned fish is all the rage these days, whether for Christmas Eve or any occasion this season—if you’re having company over, start the evening out with a tinned fish platter. Your guests will appreciate having a “new take” on a cheese board! Sip on our Lemon Sting cocktail as you snack, and the vibes will be immaculate.
RED SNAPPER CEVICHE
This Red Snapper Ceviche with Preserved Lemon is a show stopper. It’s wildly bright with the citrus, jalapeño, cilantro, and fiery harissa notes. Adding this dish to your holiday menu will excite your palettes in a whole new way this season.
TUNA CARPACCIO
Tuna Carpaccio with Pumpkin Seed Chimichurri is another seafood dish you will want to be serving during the holidays. The flavors are so bold (thank you preserved lemon paste) that it will make your guests think they’ve stumbled into a five star restaurant.
FRIED SQUID WITH HARISSA MAYO
If you’re going to make Jamie Oliver’s Party Squid with Harissa Mayo and you have a big-food-loving-family (like mine) I would consider making a double batch so no fights break out over who gets more… These are crispy and oh so delicious when dipped in the harissa mayo (for a non-mayo dipping option you can also use straight up matbucha) I mean—who doesn’t love fried seafood?
Image from Jamieoliver.com
PASTA
Photo by Deb Lindsey
