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Feast of the Seven Fishes

Ingredients

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The Feast of the Seven Fishes is one of my favorite Christmas Eve traditions. It’s a celebration built around family, food, and Italian-American heritage, featuring seven (or more) seafood dishes served throughout the evening.

Whether you keep things classic or mix in modern favorites, this roundup gives you a beautifully balanced menu of seafood appetizers, salads, pastas, soups, and main courses.

🥂 Appetizers & Starters

Light bites, shellfish, and crisp seafood dishes to begin your feast.

a plate of oysters rockefeller on
A large white platter lined with ice and filled with chilled poached shrimp and lemon wedges, garnished with fresh parsley. Two dipping sauces are in the middle of the platter in small, rectangular bowls. One is a cocktail sauce and the other is a shrimp Louie sauce.
A cast iron pan of butter garlic steamed clams with crusty bread.

🥗 Light Salads & Cold Seafood Plates

Bright and refreshing dishes that help balance your Feast of the Seven Fishes menu.

An Italian seafood salad with poached shrimp, calamari, mussels and scallops on a white platter garnished with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.
A bowl of grilled octopus salad. The octopus is grilled and added with fresh, vibrant vegetables in an olive oil based dressing.
A white bowl of cooked orzo, grilled vegetables and shrimp and fresh mozzarella pearls and fresh basil.
Add the mozzarella and pesto dressing.

🍝 Pasta & Shared Seafood Dishes

Saucy, comforting, crowd-pleasing pasta dishes that often incorporate multiple “fishes.”

A large bowl filled with Linguine with White Clam Sauce. There are fresh, steamed clams on the top and garnished with fresh parsley.
linguine with red clam sauce on a white platter
A white oblong platter filled with pasta anchovies and walnut breadcrumbs.

🍲 Seafood Stews, Soups & BrothsWarm, cozy, broth-based dishes that bring depth to the feast.

A big red pot filled with classic homemade cioppino.
A bowl of Creamy Seafood and Corn Chowder with Cheddar Bay Biscuits in the background.
A small white soup crock filled with creamy homemade lobster bisque that is garnished with fresh chopped parsley, cracked black pepper and drizzled with heavy cream.

🐟 Main Courses — Baked, Broiled, or Seared

Centerpiece dishes featuring fish and shellfish prepared simply, and beautifully.

Three Whole Roasted Branzino laying on a parchment lined baking sheet
Three broiled lobster tails sitting on a flat cast iron skillet with melted butter and fresh parsley topping each tail.
A white platter holding 5 salmon patties with a small brown bowl filled with lemon dill sauce.

🍽️ How to Build Your Feast

  • Buy the freshest seafood you can find, and if you’re using frozen, be sure to thaw it properly in the refrigerator for the best texture and flavor.
  • Choose at least one dish from each category
  • Mix light, rich, hot, and chilled seafood
  • Start with shellfish or fried appetizers
  • Add one pasta dish to anchor the menu
  • Include one main fish dish for balance
  • Use soups/stews to help reach all seven “fishes”
  • Always serve crusty bread, lemons, olive oil, and fresh herbs

🎄 Final Thoughts

Whether you’re hosting a traditional Italian-American Christmas Eve or simply want to celebrate seafood with family and friends, this roundup gives you everything you need to create a memorable Feast of the Seven Fishes. Mix and match your favorites, add a few new dishes each year, and keep this cherished tradition alive at your table.

Hosting Tips for Your Feast of the Seven Fishes Celebration

  • Prep as much as you can the day before, sauces, broths, marinades, and chopped ingredients all help cut down on day-of stress.
  • Mix hot and cold dishes so everything doesn’t need to be cooked at once.
  • Use big serving platters and family-style bowls to keep the feast relaxed and communal.
  • Have extra lemons, fresh herbs, and crusty bread on hand as they brighten nearly every seafood dish.
  • Keep a simple salad or vegetable side ready to balance the richness of the seafood.
  • Don’t worry about hitting exactly seven dishes. The tradition is flexible, and the goal is enjoying the meal with family and friends.

GET TO KNOW ME!

A photo of me in a black floral dress cooking at the stovetop at Williams-Sonoma

WELCOME! My name is Melissa Latin aka. Charlotte Fashion Plate. Happy to meet you! I am more than just recipes. I love fashion and style too! Most importantly, I love my Family (my Hubby and my Fur Babies). My Husband (aka my “Kitchen Bitch”) means the world to me. He’s pretty damn cool too. Not only is he one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, he also has had a lengthy career in professional hockey. Not only winning two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the early ’90’s, but most recently winning the Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers, amongst many other accolades. If you live in Charlotte and play hockey, or have a family member who plays, be sure to contact him!

Our life has changed dramatically in the past few years with the passing of our two goldendoodles, Vegas and Viva. We were lucky enough to have Vegas for five years (totally wish it was longer). Most recently, losing our Viva to a brain tumor in July of 2020. We welcomed our mini goldendoodle 7, almost seven years ago. We just added the amazing Hazel! Of course, I am always posting tons and tons of photos! Be sure to check out my recipe for Pet Bone Broth! This broth is super rich in nutrients and will provide your pet with a multitude of health benefits!

In addition, I’m so very excited to announce I have published my first e-book and paperback, “Mastering Thanksgiving – A Guide to Perfecting Your Thanksgiving Dinner.” Your support would mean the world to me.

Let’s Get Social!

Be sure to follow me on social media! I’m always talking food, fashion, and family! I also love sharing some of my favorite Amazon Finds too. Click here to check out my Amazon page! Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Pinterest and YouTube! Check out my LTK or ShopMy to find out what I’m wearing! THANK YOU!

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22 Comments

  3. […] So…I decided to create my own recipe that would not only be super crunchy on the outside, but also tender on the inside. It’s all about the marrying of the ingredients to create that perfect bite. If you are local to Charlotte, head on over to The Carolina Meat & Fish Co. and grab a pound or so of tubes and tentacles and let’s start frying! This is a great appetizer for your Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner…check out my other recipes for your Christmas Eve table by clicking here! […]

  9. […] a child, I remember my Mother making Fried Smelt Fish every Christmas Eve for our Feast of the Seven Fishes meal. It was one of my favorites. I also remember helping her in the kitchen to clean and dress […]

  10. […] If you are local to Charlotte, head on over to The Carolina Meat & Fish Co. and grab a pound or so of fresh NC peeled and deveined shrimp or have them ship to you! You can also add this recipe to your Christmas Eve, Feast of the Seven Fishes. […]

  14. […] This is another perfect recipe for your Christmas Eve dinner. Especially, if you celebrate with The Feast of the Seven Fishes. You may also enjoy my Manhattan Clam […]

  15. […] consuming, it’s super easy and so worth it! Also, consider adding this perfect salad to your Feast of the Seven Fishes menu on Christmas Eve. Make ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to […]

  17. […] night in for Valentine’s Day, or any night in for that matter. Be sure to add this to your Feast of the Seven Fishes menu on Christmas Eve. I had to chuckle because one of my Instagram followers called me fancy for […]

  19. […] so I know I say this quite often, but this dish was super amazing. As I am finishing up my Feast of the Seven Fishes blog, there were a few recipes I wanted to add. This recipe for Spicy Calamari Pasta was one of […]

  21. […] few weeks ago, as I was updating my Feast of the Seven Fishes blog, I knew I wanted to add a recipe for Creamy Lobster Bisque. It got me reminiscing about this […]

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