Benvenuto, Seafoodies!
Christmas Eve in many Italian-American households means one glorious thing: La Festa dei Sette Pesci, the Feast of the Seven Fishes. This beloved tradition gathers friends and family around tables laden with seven distinct seafood dishes, each featuring different fish or shellfish. For those of us who live and breathe seafood, it’s basically the Super Bowl of fish dinners—and we’re thrilled to highlight this festive custom!
If you’re not familiar, the tradition itself has deep roots in Southern Italy, where the Roman Catholic practice of abstaining from meat before holy days led families to create elaborate seafood celebrations. The number seven carries sacred significance—representing the sacraments, the days of creation or the seven hills of Rome, depending on who you ask. What began as a solemn observance evolved into an abundant feast celebrating the Mediterranean’s bounty.
We’ve curated a complete menu with multiple recipes that honor this meaningful history and showcase the biodiversity of seafood—from shellfish to fin fish— each bringing unique textures and tastes to your table. Char-Grilled Honey Parmesan Oysters represent the briny bivalves that could open the evening with sweet-savory sophistication, while Cod and Corn Chowder highlights mild, flaky white fish in a soup that warms without overshadowing courses ahead. Instant Pot Seafood Risotto brings together multiple species—shrimp, scallops and fish—in one communal dish that embodies the feast’s abundant spirit. We even included lobster with Air Fryer Lobster Burgers that celebrate another shellfish variety, showcasing sweet meat cooked to impeccably prepared with help from modern appliances any Italian ancestors would have totally envied! But that’s only the start—every recipe in our full roundup focuses on a different seafood or preparations that encompass the scope of simple to spectacular—exactly what La Festa is all about.
Rather than centering the meal around one main dish, the Feast of the Seven Fishes creates a tapestry of taste and textures where every course brings something special to the table. Guests can graze through the evening, sampling a bit of everything as conversation flows and celebration builds. It’s relaxed, it’s festive and it transforms dinner into an event that feels both reverent and welcoming.
But beyond tasting sublime, a seafood feast of this size will also deliver impressive nutrition. Every dish contributes protein along with essential nutrients like potassium, vitamin D, B vitamins, iron and selenium—making this one holiday meal where you can genuinely feel great about every bite. Seven seafood dishes in one evening also happens to align perfectly with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend eating seafood at least 2 to 3 times per week for optimal health.
This Christmas Eve, we hope to be a part of your La Festa dei Sette Pesci or maybe even inspire you to create a new family tradition—seafood-style.
Buone Feste!
Add lobster to your Seven Fishes Feast, without the fuss of traditional preparation! These patties are straightforward to prep,form and quickly crisp up in the air fryer—serve on toasted brioche buns with all the fixings.
Sheet Pan Tuna Steaks with Vegetables
Create a complete course with virtually no extra effort as your tuna steaks roast alongside colorful vegetables—all on one pan. From the first potato chop to setting the table—this recipe takes 45 minutes total (and most of that time is hands-off oven!)
Instant Pot Fish Tortilla Soup
Don’t get us started on the topping options: crispy tortilla strips, silky crema, sharp cheddar, creamy avocado, fresh cilantro and more! Add as little or as much as you like—each family member can customize their bowl, with no extra effort from the cook!
Roasted Chilean Sea Bass with Ginger Citrus Soy Sauce
If you’ve never had Chilean Sea Bass on your holiday table before, now is your chance! This fish has a silky, melt-in-your-mouth texture and rich, buttery flavor that is mild enough for a seafood novice, while still delivering enough complexity to satisfy experienced palates.
Grilled Whole Sardines with Charred Rosemary Vinaigrette
If your Seven Fishes to-do list is long, fear not. Ask the fishmonger at the seafood counter to gut and scale your fresh sardine selection for you—making preparation a breeze.
No matter what the occasion, you can’t go wrong with deviled eggs, but what takes this dish to the next level (and makes it great for a Seven Fishes Feast) is the addition of savory smoked salmon. Garnished with fresh herbs, this ulta-manageable app comes together quickly and disappears even faster!
If there’s any of this 8-ingredient schmear left over, treat your holiday house guests to some of it spread on a bagel or toast for a rewarding brunch after the big night.
Flaky cod and sweet corn swim in a creamy broth that warms from the inside out on a cold night, for a comforting soup course that adds heartiness without overshadowing the fish dishes to come.
Instant Pot Pasta with Red Sauce and Clams
Cooking clams in the Instant Pot is one of our favorite kitchen innovations because you can make sauce and pasta in the same pot, at the same time. Just close the lid, and in a few minutes, voilà! You’ve got a (nearly) instant meal with loads of slow-simmered satisfaction.
Grilled Halibut with Walnut Pesto
Walnut pesto brings an appetizing twist to the mix—nuttier and richer than traditional basil pesto, it clings beautifully to flaky halibut. Serve on a bed of nutty quinoa or your favorite pasta, which both add their own layer of texture and taste.
Instant Pot Shrimp and Cheesy-Chive Grits
Yes, you read that right—creamy, cheese-laced grits cook hands-off in the pressure cooker with plump shrimp nestled on top! This Southern-inspired dish might not be traditionally Italian, but it brings the kind of soul-warming comfort that belongs at any feast.
Wild Alaska Pollock en Papillote with Chimichurri Sauce
There’s something so fun about a tableside reveal when each guest opens their parchment packet and releases an aromatic cloud of herbs and citrus. The individual portions also mean no plating stress for you—each serving is perfectly portioned and presentation-ready.
Toss out everything you’ve heard about risotto requiring constant attention and endless stirring. The Instant Pot turns a typically hands-on dish into a set-it-and-forget-it stunner, freeing you up to focus on the other six courses!
Char-Grilled Honey Parmesan Oysters
All it takes is a few pantry staples to create a charred, cheesy bubbling platter of oyster goodness. Never worked with oysters in your kitchen before? No worries! We will walk you through step by step from shucking to grilling to plating.
Air Fryer Calamari with Chipotle Dipping Sauce
Crispy calamari without the deep fryer? An air fryer makes it possible, delivering that pleasurable crunch and keeping cleanup minimal. The trick to this recipe is to double-coat the calamari and cook it in batches so the air circulates around each piece evenly.
Fair warning: you’ll want to set out plenty of crusty bread because the garlicky white wine broth these mussels create is remarkably good!
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