Feast of 7 Fishes: Italian Christmas Eve

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

The feast of the 7 fishes is a tradition of celebrating Christmas Eve the Italian way. The night before Christmas we abstain from eating meat, feasting on fish while waiting for the birth of Jesus at midnight. So here are 22 recipe ideas for a 3 meal course plus dessert including recipes you can make ahead.

Merry Christmas!

Find my recommendations of authentic Italian cooking books translated into English in my Amazon shop section: Cooking Books

Origin of the 7 fishes tradition

Some people wonder if this really is an Italian tradition, and yes it is.

Even if it is not strictly Catholic, the Roman Catholic Church does not require fasting the night before Christmas, we do eat fish on Christmas Eve.

Now, are there seven? Not really. The first time I heard about the number of 7 was in New York, but I am happy to go with it as the Italian Christmas Eve feast has many fish served in different ways, and 7 is a good number to use as a reference, so why not?

Personally I think that the reason we eat fish on Christmas Eve is just that it is easier to digest at night and since Italians like sumptuous banquets, fish is a better option given we will be stuffing ourselves again the next day with meat….and more food on the following days!

7 recipes for each course

So here is a list of 7 (I have added more) recipes for each course of a 3-course meal plus side dishes and traditional Italian Christmas desserts. I am sure you will find something that you and your family will enjoy this Christmas.

If you want to know more about how an Italian meal is structured and the number of courses we serve for a special feast, you can read the article: Italian Sunday Dinner a 6 meal courses.

To ease off your work I have specified which dish you can make the day before and just warm up in the evening before serving.

Starters

Make ahead

📋Salmon Tartare Starter

Salmon Tartare is a fresh and light starter, ideal to serve at the beginning of a seafood dinner. Fresh, light and citrusy, it is so easy to make. Serve it in small cups with a slice of baguette, it is also perfect for a standing buffet party.

Check out this recipe

📋 Blini Russian Pancake with Salmon

Blinis are usually served with seafood or caviar, our favourite is smoked salmon and aioli. They are delicious also with shrimps, crab meat, smoked mackerel. To season it you can use sour cream, mayonnaise, aioli or salsa tartar. You can make regular size or bite-size for large dinner parties

Check out this recipe

📋Warm Octopus Salad “Legs” and Potato

Warm octopus salad with warm potatoes is a very common starter served at restaurants here in the Cote d'Azur. It is very easy to make at home, here is how:

Check out this recipe

📋Chayote Squash Mousse with Mussels

Best served cold. When eating the sweetness of the mussel will be balanced by the acidity of the Cime di Rapa, all softly bounded by the Chayote mousse.

Check out this recipe

📋Maki and Uramaki Sushi Rolls Recipe

Here is a step by step video guide to Maki & Uramaki sushi recipes for beginners.

Check out this recipe

Make last minute

📋Fried Calamari Recipe

This fried calamari recipe is easy to make and does not require a big effort. Crunchy outside and soft inside, you don't need a complicated batter. Serve it with homemade Aioli, mayonnaise mixed with garlic and a drop of fresh lemon juice, a seafood delight.

Check out this recipe

📋Italian Fried Dough Crispelle

These savoury Italian fried dough balls called Crispelle is a classic appetizer we offer with the aperitif especially at Christmas and New year. Inside the fried dough there is a small piece of anchovy, crunchy outside and soft inside ending with the salty bite of the anchovy or sundried tomato, perfect to serve with a sweet Spritz or Mimosa.

Check out this recipe

Primo piatto:pasta, rice, stew

📋Shrimp Zucchini Pasta

Shrimp zucchini pasta is a delicious one-dish summer meal you can make for family and friends. In this recipe, I use Trombette zucchini from Albenga. They have a nutty flavour which combines well with shrimp. You can use any other type of zucchini, the combination is great.

Check out this recipe

📋Shrimp tomato pasta

Light and fresh, this Shrimps tomato pasta is a perfect one-dish meal, full of sweetness from the shrimps and the cherry tomatoes.

Check out this recipe

📋 Pasta With Black Ink Cuttlefish Recipe

Though spooky it may look, you will love this pasta with black ink cuttlefish recipe. You can really taste the sea, no comparison to the commercial black pasta. And it is not difficult to make.

Check out this recipe

📋Linguine With Clams

Linguine with clams is a classic Italian dish with what we call: Vongole Veraci. The clams are fresh and it is simply made with garlic, parsley and white wine. If you wish you can also add some fresh tomatoes.

Check out this recipe

📋 Pasta with Swordfish Ragu and Eggplants

A delicious summer Ragu made with swordfish. I use the meat from behind the neck and around the top fin. It is tastier and costs half the price of the steak meat. Eating every part of the fish is a way of honoring its death. 

Check out this recipe

📋Seafood Chowder Bread Bowl

This seafood chowder recipe is a reproduction of the chowder I discovered on my first trip to Ireland, creamy and packed with large chunks of seafood. Mussels, cod and salmon chowder to eat in a bread bowl or with a nice slice of Irish brown bread.

Check out this recipe

Make last minute

📋Homemade Paella Seafood And Sausage

Paella seafood and merguez is the perfect dish to make as an alternative to the classic barbecue. Make on the open fire and you will not belive how much tastier it is.

Check out this recipe

📋 Scallops and risotto with bacon and peas

Scallops and risotto is an elegant and fine main dish to serve at a dinner party. It sounds like a complicated dish to make but it is actually easily achievable. To contrast the sweetness of the scallops without overpowering them I make the risotto with peas and bacon and Parmesan is nowhere to be found.

Check out this recipe

Main Course

Make ahead

📋Stuffed Calamari Recipe

Stuffed calamari recipe is very common in the Mediterranean countries and I discovered that is very popular during Christmas. I love it any time of the year.

Check out this recipe

📋Scallop, Shrimp, Salmon and Cod Fish Pie with a Mediterranean Twist

This fish pie is an inspiration from an Irish fish pie I had in Howth, near Dublin. The fish was fresh just brought into harbour by the fishing vessels and a Mediterranean flavour was added to the fish pie. So here it is: a mix of Atlantic fish with a Mediterranean twist.

Check out this recipe

Baked Swordfish and Braciolette

If you want your swordfish stake to remain juicy and moist, try baked swordfish with breadcrumbs flavoured with garlic parsley and Parmesan #yourguardianchef #seafood #dinner

Check out this recipe

Make last minute

📋Whole Sea Bream Recipe Cooked in Salt

When the fish is freshly cooked in Salt, it retains the freshness of the sea and it is simple to do and presents well. A perfect combination to impress your guests at a dinner party, and you would not believe how simple it is to do! 

Check out this recipe

📋 Swordfish Wheel

Easy to make and perfect for entertaining a large number of guests, a wheel will serve up to 8 people. For this recipe you will need a round baking pan the same dimensions of the wheel, and a larger pan to cook in the oven in Bain Marie. #yourguardianchef #seafood #recipe

Check out this recipe

📋Healthy Cod Recipe

This fish pie is an inspiration from an Irish fish pie I had in Howth, near Dublin. The fish was fresh just brought into harbour by the fishing vessels and a Mediterranean flavour was added to the fish pie. So here it is: a mix of Atlantic fish with a Mediterranean twist. #yourguardianchef #s#seafoodrecipe #seafoodstew

Check out this recipe

📋Baked salmon fillet in oven with steamed zucchini and potatoes

Baked salmon with steamed zucchini and potato. Easy and quick to make can be a dinner planned for a busy day. Low calories, healthy and delicious!

Check out this recipe

Side dishes

📋Puntarelle alla Romana

Puntarelle alla Romana is a classic Roman dish, they are the shoots of a type of chicory called Cicoria Catalogna. They are crunchy and have a bitter flavour. They are cut very thin and seasoned with garlic, anchovies and vinegar.

Check out this recipe

Baby Potatoes Salad with Basil

This simple baby potato salad is easy to make and can be served as a side dish for any seafood main.

Check out this recipe

📋Italian Potato Salad

This is a very simple Italian potato salad recipe which can be used as a side dish for many mains. It is particularly good with fresh seafood and seafood platters as it is flavoured with parsley, garlic and lemon.

Check out this recipe

Green beans marinated in garlic and parsley

This is a simple recipe I often us to serve with fish, it is delicate, crunchy the perfect match to seafood.

Check out this recipe

📋Grilled zucchini eggplants and peppers

This grilled vegetable salad is a great side dish for Mediterranean style barbecue. Even better if prepared the day before, so the vegetables have time to absorb the flavour from the garlic, the basil and the extra virgin olive oil.

Check out this recipe

📋Roman Artichokes Pressure Cooker

Cooking artichokes in pressure cooker is such an easy way to have the most tender and flavorful artichokes in under 5 minutes. Roman artichokes are my favorite, chunky juicy artichokes cooked with garlic and mint.

Check out this recipe

Desserts

Make-ahead

Torrone Italian Nougat Recipe

Usually exchanged as edible gifts, it is a caramelized mix of marshmallow and honey filled with toasted almonds and pistachios. #yourguardianchef #ediblegift #italianrecipe

Check out this recipe

📋 Pavlova Recipe with Chestnut Cream

This chestnut pavlova recipe is an easy version of Mont Blanc, 2 large round meringues covered with chestnut spread and whipped cream. It is a classic French dessert very popular in Italy, crunchy, creamy, and nutty. You can make it from scratch or buy the main components and just assemble it

Check out this recipe

📋Torta Caprese with Almond and Chocolate – Gluten Free

Caprese cake is an almond chocolate cake from Naples, which was created by mistake! There is no flour, so it's perfect for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Creamy and chocolaty, the ground almonds give it a perfect crunchy texture.

Check out this recipe

📋Walnut Dark Chocolate Sponge Cake with Raspberry

Creamy and nutty chocolate sponge cake: dark chocolate taste with the soft texture of the meringue, chocolate icing and the raspberry to complete

Check out this recipe

📋 Mini Meringues Recipe

This is my secret mini meringue recipe to make meringues thick and crunchy that doesn’t stick to your teeth, Not secret anymore #yourguardianchef #dessert #Italianfood

Check out this recipe

📋Traditional Oreillettes Chiacchiere Recipe

This Oreillettes or Chiacchiere recipe is a traditional dessert usually sold during holidays in Italy and in France at Christmas as well as Carnival. They are strips of fried dough covered with icing sugar, crunchy and thin. Once you eat one you cannot stop.

Check out this recipe

Freezer friendy

📋Traditional Struffoli Recipe With Cognac

Struffoli is an Italian dessert mostly known as a Christmas tradition from Naples, but in many other Italian regions are traditional during Carnival.

Check out this recipe

Make before serving

📋Roasted Chestnuts Recipe

I like to celebrate Autumn with a Roasted Chestnuts Recipe as they have been my Autumn delight since I was young: roasted, boiled, savory and desserts

Check out this recipe

If you are making any of the recipes above, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.