What Is the Feast of the Seven Fishes Anyways?
As a former line cook turned food writer with an Italian American background and multiple years of restaurant experience, I’ve cooked many seafood-filled Christmas Eve dinners for my family — though we never officially called it “The Feast of the Seven Fishes.” It was always just a Christmas Eve party with a focus on seafood — fried smelts, braised squid, shrimp, clams, and the like.
But there was meat, too — charcuterie, sausage and peppers for sandwiches, and a corned beef brisket my uncle cooked every year when I was a kid. So, I’m personally not so strict about the tradition of this legendary feast, where seven fishes are served, or really, if there even needs to be a total of seven at all. I suspect that many others feel the same. Anybody can celebrate this Italian American event, as long as you’re willing to bend the rules a little.
What Is the Feast of the Seven Fishes?
Despite having Italian roots, the feast of the seven fishes is decidedly an Italian American tradition. The rules for this traditional Christmas Eve dinner are simple — no meat, lots of fish, and a whole lot of cooking, mingling, conversation, and wine.
I think the TV show The Bear gets it right: The feast is more about cooking than it is about eating. Take this exchange in the kitchen on Christmas Eve, between Carmy and his mother, played by Jamie Lee Curtis:
“Ma, why are you doing this seven fishes thing? Nobody ever eats this shit,” says Carmy.
To which she responds, “It’s tradition.”
I personally think The Bear is right: The feast of the seven fishes is a little outmoded. Carmy can’t even understand why his mother still goes through the trouble of preparing such a meal. Tradition, as it turns out, can act like a set of handcuffs. Above all else, the feast of the seven fishes is a party, a long-standing tradition, and something everybody should probably experience at least once.
When Did the Feast of the Seven Fishes Start?
Many people claim that the feast of the seven fishes was brought over by Sicilian immigrants in the late 1800s. The island of Sicily has a storied culinary tradition of seafood. Additionally, Catholicism — a religion which places an emphasis on abstaining from meat — has been the dominant religion in Italy for centuries.
Though fasting from meat is common practice, there is no official edict in the Catholic church that one must forgo meat the day before Christmas. Then there’s the number seven itself (seven mortal sins, the seven days of creation, and so on). The feast is directly tied to religious practices, though it has since outgrown that bond. These days, the feast of the seven fishes is more of a social, familial, and cultural event.
I reached out to a few Italian American chefs, and most of them said that they weren’t keen on the feast itself. John Vermiglio, of Grey Ghost in Detroit, said he’s really only been a part of one in his lifetime, and what’s more, he doesn’t really have much of an opinion on it. “I rarely lack an opinion on just about anything,” he says. I get the sense that a lot of chefs, much like Carmy, don’t really see the feast as this strict, must-be-seven-or-else event.
Christmas Eve dinner, though, is still a huge deal in both Italian and Italian American communities, and fish plays a prominent role. The point here? The looser the concept, the better. Don’t worry about adhering to a tradition simply for tradition’s sake. Feel free to bend the rules.
What Is Served at the Feast of the Seven Fishes?
“That’s definitely an American Italian celebration,” says Francesco Lucatorto, owner of Ceci’s Gastronomia in Silverlake, Los Angeles, and a native of Genoa, Italy, though he had many seafood-focused Christmas Eves growing up in Italy.
“In Genova, there is usually a mix of seafood as starters, and then meats as mains,” says Francesco. “Usually every coastal town does both, but it varies.” Francesco cites cappon magro — an elaborate Genoese salad featuring various seafood and vegetables — as an acceptable starter. Meat, though, is usually the main course. “In my family, it’s always tortellini en brodo. Almost everyone does this. Then my grandma cooked a stuffed giant chicken in the same stock as the tortellini. That was always a main course, and sometimes another roast, too — sometimes beef, sometimes lamb.” For dessert? “Panettone, pandoro, torrone, and a million dried and candied fruits, and dates,” says Francesco. “Tons of dates for some reason.”
These days, my personal family get-togethers have gotten a bit smaller, so I gravitate towards only a few seafood dishes, like freshly shucked oysters (usually a briny, salty East Coast variety like Blue Points or Malpeques), Spanish anchovies marinated in olive oil and vinegar, fried lake smelts (a rust belt classic), seared scallops, shrimp cocktail, steamed mussels, and the star of the show — linguine and clams. Whether it’s three or four or seven, the number itself doesn’t matter. It’s still a feast of seafood; it’s still the same vibe. In all of my years cooking or observing Christmas Eve feasts, I have found that the looser the feast, the better. To anybody wanting to enjoy a feast of the seven fishes, I say, let it fly. Pick a couple of fish dishes, (if you want to, you can even do the whole seven), but just relax and have fun. You can make the feast whatever you want it to be.
Tips for Cooking a Feast of the Seven Fishes
The early bird gets the worm. Be sure to visit your local seafood shops early on Christmas Eve morning. Many places sell out of oysters, clams, shrimp, and mussels before 10 a.m. It wouldn’t hurt to pick your seafood a few days in advance, either, and then keep them on ice at home.
Tailor the menu to your taste. When it comes to the feast of the seven fishes, it’s important to remember that there are no wrong answers. Every family has their own traditions, which can range from stews like cioppino to more expensive endeavors like steamed lobster. My advice? Consider what you and your family like first, then go from there. Does your dad have a penchant for crab legs? If so, consider centering a dinner around that, instead of arbitrarily picking seven seafood dishes that might not make sense together.
Don’t stress about timing. When it comes to the actual cooking, don’t be so set on a rigid dinner. You can course out the evening over time. Try serving seafood dishes a few at a time every hour. Fried seafood can be cooked and served separately, maybe as an appetizer, and then a branzino or a pot of steamed mussels, for example, can serve as the main course.
Keep it casual. The main point here is, the less formal, the better. Eat in the kitchen standing up, hover over a pot of mussels, spill your wine, get loud, and enjoy the time together with family and friends. Above all else, the feast of the seven fishes is meant to foster that experience.
Recipes to Try for the Feast of the Seven Fishes
Further Reading
Why People Are Ditching Their Seltzer After a Disturbing Study
The “Beautiful” $3 Flower Tumblers at Walmart People Are Buying 2 at a Time
The One Cookware Brand That Gordon Ramsay Can’t Stop Talking About
