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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 21 recipe ideas for a 3 meal course plus dessert. Merry Christmas!
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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 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.
Starters
📋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.
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📋 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 #yourguardianchef #pancakerecipe #pancakes #smokedsalmon
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📋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: #yourguardianchef #appetizer #seafood
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📋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.
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📋Maki and Uramaki Sushi Rolls Recipe
Here is a step by step video guide to Maki & Uramaki sushi recipes for beginners. #yourguardianchef #sushi #japanesefood #salmon
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📋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.
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📋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.
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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.
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📋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.
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📋 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. #yourguardianchef #italianfood #italianrecipe #pasta #seafood
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📋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.
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📋 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 honouring its death. #yourguardianche #pasta #seafood
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📋Homemade Paella Seafood And Sausage
Paella seafood and merguez is the perfect dish to make as an alternative to the classic barbecue. #yourguardianchef #barbecue #paella
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📋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.
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Main Course
📋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. #yourguardianchef #calamari #squid #seafoodrecipes
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📋Scallop, Shrimp, Salmon and Cod Fish Pie with a Mediterranean Twist
TThis 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 #seafoodrecipe #seafoodstew
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📋Whole Sea Bream Recipe Cooked in Salt
When the fish is fresh cook it 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! #yourguardianchef #fishrecipe #food
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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
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📋 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
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📋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
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📋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! #yourguardianchef #salmonrecipes #salmonrecipeshealthy
#zucchinirecipes
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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. #yourguardianchef #italianrecipes #italianfood #saladrecipes
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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.
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📋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.
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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.
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📋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.
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📋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.
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Desserts
📋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. #yourguardianchef #dessert #Christmas
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📋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
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📋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 #yourfuargianchef #chestnut
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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
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📋 Pavlova Recipe with Chestnut Mousse
This pavlova recipe is my version of Mont Blanc with Chestnut Mousse, made with 2 large round shapes of meringue covering them with chestnut mousse. #yourguardianche #dessert #Italianfood
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📋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.
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📋 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
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📋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.
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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.
Danielle Wolter
What a great collection of fish recipes! I’m not catholic, but I am all about eating fish for xmas dinner!
Laura
Yes, in the evening fish is so much lighter
Paula Montenegro
I hadn’t heard of this feast, but the recipes sound amazing! I grew up Catholic but only heard about fish during Easter. LOVE this idea, thanks for sharing!
Laura
Yes, it is very Italian and therefore Italian-American
Demeter
Wow! So many amazing options to pick and choose from. Thank you pulling all of these wonderful recipes together.
Laura
I am glad you find it helpful, I would have them all at once
Kelly Anthony
What a great collection of Christmas Eve recipes. I love reading about traditions and how everyone spends their Christmas Eve.
Laura
Thank you, yes it is so nice to know about traditions
Heidy L. McCallum
Every recipe link looks amazing. I’m so happy to have come across this round-up! Great holiday recipes. We will be trying a few of these.
Laura
Thank you, I am glad you found some ideas
Noreen
We eat fish on Christmas Eve because of Mary’s labor.
Laura
Interesting, thank you for the comment