HotmailFishy! Reel in an Italian-style Christmas feast
The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a Christmas Eve tradition for many Italian-Americans. Here are recipes from chef Sal Scognamillo
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For most families, Christmas Eve is a last-minute scramble to get things ready for Christmas Day. For many Italian-Americans, though, it is a time for a celebratory meal, the Feast of the Seven Fishes. The origins of the tradition are murky (see sidebar below), but one thing is for sure — there’s plenty of good food on hand. To learn more, “Today” invited Sal Scognamillo, chef at the famed Patsy's restaurant in New York City, to talk about the feast and demonstrate a typical dish. Here are the recipes:
Shrimp Scampi
Serves 4
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 garlic cloves, minced
16 jumbo shrimp (about 1-1/2 pounds), peeled and deveined
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup clam juice or broth
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (see recipe below)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat the broiler.
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Heat the butter in an ovenproof skillet over low flame and sauté the garlic until lightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the shrimp are coated with the garlic butter. Add the lemon juice, clam juice and Worcestershire sauce, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
Uncover the skillet, sprinkle the shrimp with the paprika, and place under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the shrimp are lightly browned and cooked through. Remove the skillet, top the mixture with the bread crumbs, drizzle with the oil, and return to the broiler for 2 minutes, or until the bread crumbs are lightly browned.
Seasoned Bread Crumbs
Makes about 1 cup
1/2 small Italian-style baguette, stale (about 1/2 pound)
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
Pinch of oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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Break or cut the bread into large chunks and place in a food processor. Process until reduced to fine crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl.
Stir in the cheese, parsley, oregano and garlic. Gradually add oil, stirring, until thoroughly combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place in an airtight jar and cover. Refrigerate until needed. Use within 5 days.
Baccala Salad
Serves 6
2 pounds skinless, boneless salt cod (baccala)
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of two lemons
20 gaeta olives, pits removed
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
In refrigerator, soak cod in several changes of cold water for 4 to 5 days. (Baccala — salt cod — is available in many supermarkets and specialty stores.)
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Remove cod from the soaking water and cut into 3-inch pieces. Place in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce flame to medium and cook until fish flakes easily, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and place cod in cold water to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make a marinade by combining the oil, lemon juice, gaeta olives (available in specialty stores), garlic and basil in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Flake the cooled cod with a fork and add to the vinaigrette, mixing gently to coat thoroughly.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, to infuse the flavors. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Feast of the Seven Fishes: A mini-primer
It is tradition that Italian-Americans have a seven-fish dinner on Christmas Eve. Some think that it is perhaps one fish representing each day of the week, but most traditions come from the observance of the La Vigilia Di Natale — the wait for the birth of Christ — in which early Catholics fasted on Christmas Eve until after receiving communion at Midnight Mass.
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In later years it became a penitential day, meaning that all foods except meat were allowed. Other traditions are that three fish dishes would be served, representing the Three Wise Men or the Holy Trinity, while in some homes there may have been as many as 13, one for each of the apostles, plus one for Jesus. Each family and each sect of the Italian culture is different — the seven-fish version is from a Naples tradition. It also depends on what was available in various parts of Italy; in most of the southern coastal regions in Italy and Sicily, seafood was abundant, so other areas have nine fish, and still others 12 types (supposedly representing the 12 apostles).
Here are several theories as to what the Feast of the Seven Fishes represents:
- The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church — baptism, penance, Holy Eucharist, confirmation, marriage, holy orders and the sacrament of the sick
- The seven sins of the world — pride, envy, anger, gluttony, sloth, lust and greed
- The seven days it took Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem
- Seven hills of Rome
- Seven winds of Italy
- Seven Wonders of the World
- Seven days of the week
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