A Celebration-Worthy Feast of the Seven Fishes Menu

An Italian-Style Christmas Eve Dinner

By
Cathy Jacobs
Cathy Jacobs
Cathy Jacobs
A freelance journalist and avid home cook, Cathy Jacobs has more than 10 years of food writing experience, with a focus on curating approachable menus and recipe collections.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/6/19
Baked Stuffed Cod or Haddock

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Each holiday season, many Italian-American families enjoy a Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. As its name suggests, the lavish, multi-course meal features a variety of fish and shellfish, served as appetizers, entrees, and pasta dishes. Whether you're Italian or simply go wild for seafood, get inspired to host an unforgettable holiday meal with the recipes below.

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  • 01 of 34

    Crock Pot Oyster Stew

    Crockpot Oyster Stew

    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

    Oyster stew is a traditional Christmas Eve dish that many families look forward to enjoying all year long. This creamy version includes thawed frozen hash brown potatoes, onion, and red bell pepper, and cooks all afternoon in your crock pot, leaving your stove and oven free for preparing other dishes.

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    Flaky Biscuits

    Flaky Biscuits

    Howard Shooter / Dorling Kindersley / Getty Images

    Use this foolproof recipe to make light and flaky biscuits for your Feast of Seven Fishes dinner. The airy crevices are perfect for soaking up delicious sauces, so you can enjoy every last bite of your seafood mains.

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    Roasted Salmon Fillets

    Roasted Salmon Fillets

    The Spruce

    This recipe for oven-roasted salmon fillets is delicious, but could not be easier, with only six ingredients and 10 minutes of cooking time needed. You could also use salmon steaks if they're more readily available. Simply adjust the cooking time up or down as needed and them out when the fish reaches an internal temperature of 145 F as measured with an instant-read thermometer.

  • 04 of 34

    Baked Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp

    Baked Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp-The Spruce

    The Spruce

    Stuff jumbo shrimp with a garlicky breadcrumb mixture and bake quickly in the oven to make a fabulous holiday seafood entree. Keep a close eye on the shrimp to make sure they don't overcook—they're done when opaque.

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  • 05 of 34

    Wilted Spinach Salad With Bacon

    Wilted Spinach Salad With Bacon

    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

    Bacon plays well with seafood dishes (think bacon-wrapped scallops), making this salad dish an excellent choice for this holiday meal. It's so easy to make in 10 minutes, so you can assemble it just before dining. Young spinach leaves are pan-wilted in bacon drippings and served warm, topped with bacon crumbles, red onion, and a light vinaigrette dressing.

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    Roasted Whole Artichokes

    Roasted Whole Artichokes

    The Spruce

    Artichokes are popular in Italy, where this nutritious vegetable is cooked in many different ways. This is the traditional recipe for roasting artichokes whole with only a little olive oil, lemon, and garlic to enhance their delicate, green flavor.

  • 07 of 34

    Clam Dip

    Clam dip

    The Spruce

    Creamy clam dip is always a hit at holiday parties and makes a great presentation on your sideboard or buffet table. Make it easily with canned minced clams and cream cheese seasoned with garlic, Worcestershire, and a dash of tobacco. You can use the included recipe for homemade pita chips or get some at the supermarket.

  • 08 of 34

    Baked Brie With Amaretto

    Baked Brie With Amaretto

    Mauro Speziale / The Image Bank / Getty Images

    Serve up a decadent appetizer at your holiday party with this recipe for baked Brie topped with amaretto cinnamon, and nutmeg. Just a touch of the almond-flavored Italian liqueur is needed to add extra to the cheese. Serve with bread slices or crackers for spreading.

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  • 09 of 34

    Seafood Casserole With Wine, Shrimp, Lobster, and Crabmeat

    Seafood Casserole

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

    A baked seafood casserole makes an excellent main dish for when you don't want to linger over the stove. Wow holiday guests when you serve this easy, sophisticated dish brimming with succulent lobster, shrimp, and crab. The seafood is smothered in a sherry-spiked white sauce and broiled at the end to form a beautiful golden crust.

  • 10 of 34

    Italian Sweet Pea Risotto

    Italian Sweet Pea Risotto

    Peter Cassidy / StockFood/Riser / Getty Images

    Sweet pea risotto with thin slices of prosciutto and plenty of Parmesan cheese is a holiday-worthy variation on the traditional Italian rice dish. It takes quite a bit of stirring, but the recipe is easy to follow and the creamy, elegant rice dish that results is worth it.

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    Steamed Mussels in White Wine

    Steamed Mussels in White Wine

    The Spruce

    Mussels steamed in white wine are a staple at trattorias in Italy, where they are always served with crusty bread for sopping up the sauce. Be sure to discard any mussel that do not open in the allotted cooking time.

  • 12 of 34

    Fennel, Grapefruit, and Arugula Salad

    Fennel, Grapefruit and Arugula Salad

    Getty Images

    Crunchy fennel has a flavor similar to black licorice. It's a popular ingredient in Italy, where it is called finocchio. In this elegant, refreshing first course salad, fennel combines beautifully with grapefruit slices, arugula, and creamy avocado, dressed only in a scant drizzle of olive oil.

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  • 13 of 34

    French Green Vegetable au Gratin

    French Green Vegetable au Gratin

    Diana Miller / Getty Images

    Vegetables are a classic side dish for seafood entrees and this gratin is a decadent way to get those greens. Broccoli, spinach, and zucchini are cooked in a simple white sauce with a hint of poultry seasoning to lift the flavor. The casserole is finished with a wonderfully crunchy, cheesy browned breadcrumb topping.

  • 14 of 34

    Cold Soba Noodle Salad

    Cold Soba Noodle Salad

    The Spruce / Laurel Randolph

    Cold soba noodle salad makes a refreshing make-ahead starter or side dish for a variety of seafood mains. Cooked soba noodles are combined with a colorful, crunchy mix of thinly sliced, fresh vegetables, in a tangy and simply delicious Asian-inspired dressing. Prepare up to a day ahead, and top with sesame seeds for serving.

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    Italian-Style Mulled Wine (Vin Brulé)

    Italian-Style Mulled Wine (Vin Brulé)

    Westend61 / Getty Images

    Vin brulé is the traditional, hot, spiced mulled wine beverage that is served all over Italy during the Christmas season. Brew a big batch for holiday parties as a wonderful way to warm guests' stomachs and fill your home with festive, aromatic spices.

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    Shrimp Scampi With Garlic

    Shrimp Scampi

    The Spruce

    Sweet, plump shrimp are cooked to tender perfection in a garlicky white wine sauce in this winning recipe for shrimp scampi. Ladle them over hot cooked pasta noodles and watch how quickly guests clear their plates.

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  • 17 of 34

    Easy Butter and Herb Baked Oysters

    Easy Butter and Herb Baked Oysters

    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

    Oysters baked in their shells with a buttery panko breadcrumb topping make an elegant appetizer to kick off your Christmas feast. When shucking oysters, do your best to retain the oyster liquor in the bottom shells, as it is full of wonderful flavor. Serve hot from the oven with lemon wedges for squeezing.

  • 18 of 34

    Baked Sardines With Garlic and Oregano

    Baked Sardines With Garlic and Oregano

    Fotosearch / Getty Images

    If you have only met sardines in a can, you're missing out on the wonders of this small, meaty fish when cooked fresh. Impress your guests by serving up a tray of whole sardines, baked simply in the oven with a flavor-enhancing dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano.

  • 19 of 34

    Italian Grilled or Fried Eel

    Italian Grilled or Fried Eel

    Imagemore / Getty Images

    Eel is a classic appetizer that's traditionally served as part of Italian Feast of Seven Fishes dinners. Learn how to prepare this seafood favorite two different ways in this recipe that walks you through grilling or frying.

  • 20 of 34

    Clam Pasta With Garlic and White Wine

    Clam Pasta With Garlic and White Wine

    Lisa Hubbard / Taxi / Getty Images

    If you favor white wine sauces and love seafood, this is the seafood pasta recipe of your dreams. The simple sauce—made with white wine, onion, and garlic—is combined with flash-fried chopped tomatoes and topped with freshly steamed small clams.

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    Italian-Style Whole Roasted Fish in Herbs

    Italian-Style Whole Roasted Fish in Herbs

    Philippe Desnerck / Getty Images

    Roasting a whole fish is a surefire way to impress holiday dinner guests. With this recipe and just a little olive oil or lemon juice, plus some fresh herb sprigs, you can dine Roman-style on whole branzini, haddock, or whatever other firm-fleshed fish is available and looks good from your local monger.

  • 22 of 34

    Baked Stuffed Cod or Haddock

    Baked Stuffed Cod or Haddock

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

    This sophisticated baked fish is simple to make, but looks impressive. Your favorite holiday stuffing recipe goes into the cavity of a whole cod or haddock. The fish is covered with bacon to impart a salty, smoky aroma. The strips are removed near the end of cooking and can be used for adding to mashed potatoes and salads.

  • 23 of 34

    Pasta With Shrimp, Squid, Clams, and Mussels

    Pasta With Shrimp, Squid, Clams, and Mussels

    Sam Stowell / Getty Images

    Serve this stunning mixed seafood pasta when you can't decide which variety is your favorite. Shrimp, squid, clams, and mussels simmer in a garlicky tomato sauce before being ladled over tender noodles for a one-bowl Italian seafood feast.

  • 24 of 34

    Crock Pot Fishermans Stew (Cioppino)

    Crock Pot Fisherman's Stew (Cioppino)

    Alexandra Grablewski / Digital Vision / Getty Images

    Cioppino was actually invented in San Francisco, but you can taste its Italian inspiration in every bite. This wonderfully warming recipe for the famous fisherman's stew cooks in your crock pot, where your favorite fish and shellfish mingle in a luscious tomato-white wine sauce with dried herbs, onion, and garlic. Serve with crusty bread for soaking up the juices.

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  • 25 of 34

    Pasta alla Puttanesca

    Pasta alla Puttanesca

    Dorling Kindersley / Getty Images

    Originating in southern Italy, pasta puttanesca calls for a slightly spicy tomato sauce that sings with the intense umami flavors of olives, capers, and anchovy. It's warming, filling, and can be made quickly in 15 minutes. Serve topped with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, some cracked black pepper, and a chopped fresh parsley.

  • 26 of 34

    Creamy Lobster Newburg

    Creamy Lobster Newburg

    The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

    Shellfish lovers, this is the classic lobster Newburg that has been enjoyed at swanky hotels and restaurants for decades. Lobster, eggs, flour, butter, and sherry combine to make an unforgettable dish. Serve it the traditional way, ladled over puff pastry shells for an extra-special seafood meal.

  • 27 of 34

    Caponata alla Siciliana

    Caponata alla Siciliana

    Gerhard Egger / Getty Images

    In Sicily, no traditional seafood feast would be complete without caponata, a zesty, eggplant-based dish similar to French ratatouille. This recipe makes a tasty relish or side dish for seafood mains. Diced eggplant is cooked down with fresh tomatoes, onion, green olives, capers, pine nuts, vinegar, and a little sugar, until the whole thing is tender.

  • 28 of 34

    Roasted Broccoli Rabe

    Roasted Broccoli Rabe

    The Spruce / Molly Watson

    Most Italian seafood menus include a side dish of broccoli rabe, also known as rapini. Oven-roasting the cruciferous vegetable at a high temperature mellows its natural bitterness, while crisping the edges to produce great flavor and texture. Serve on a platter, with an optional spritz of lemon juice, and a few red pepper flakes, to accompany seafood mains.

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    Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

    Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

    Eising / Photodisc / Getty Images

    This simple spaghetti recipe with garlic and olive oil is one of Italy's most popular pasta dish. It is so easy to make in only 15 minutes and the recipe can be multiplied to serve a crowd. Top with classic shrimp scampi or serve it alongside baked, grilled, or roasted fish.

  • 30 of 34

    Buttery Creamed Spinach

    Buttery Creamed Spinach

    magnez2 / Getty Images

    Spinach is a classic accompaniment served with seafood and this buttery creamed spinach is sure to become a family favorite. Even picky kids will be tempted to dig their forks into this indulgent vegetable side that tastes like you worked on it all day, but requires only four ingredients, plus salt and pepper, to make.

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    Roasted Cauliflower

    Roasted Cauliflower

    Brian Yarvin / Getty Images

    Nutty-tasting roasted cauliflower makes a nice complement to roasted fish or creamy seafood dishes. This simple recipe lets the hot oven do most of the work, with just a little lemon juice and garlic for zing, plus some olive oil for richness. Cutting the whole cauliflower into florets of equal size will help to ensure even cooking.

  • 32 of 34

    Quinoa With Arugula, Butternut Squash, and Citrus Vinaigrette

    Quinoa With Arugula, Butternut Squash, and Citrus Vinaigrette

    The Spruce / Miri Rotkovitz

    Serve this citrus-infused grain salad as a healthy side dish for baked and roasted fish. Roasted butternut squash cubes, peppery arugula, and pomegranate seeds are tossed with steamed quinoa in a sweet and tangy vinaigrette.

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  • 33 of 34

    Green Bean Amandine

    Green bean amandine recipe

    The Spruce / Teena Agnel

    Green beans are a classic accompaniment to cooked seafood. This French-style recipe adds thinly-sliced almonds, plus a little butter and garlic to crisp-tender cooked beans for an elegant holiday side dish to serve at your feast.

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    Campari Cocktail

    Campari Cocktail

    S&C Design Studios

    The Campari cocktail is a distinctive Italian aperitif that makes an excellent before-dinner cocktail at a Seven Fishes feast. The bold, bitter orange flavor of Campari combines with Angostura bitters and vodka to form a sophisticated, palate-cleansing tipple.