Here's What To Serve For The Feast Of The Seven Fishes, According To Celeb Chefs

While no two Christmas dinners are exactly alike, and everyone thinks theirs is the best, the traditional dinner that Italians eat on Christmas Eve may just be the one that reigns supreme. The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a multi-course, multi-fish meal that doesn't really have any hard and fast rules — just that it has at least seven different types of fish or seafood featured throughout. 

The feast can certainly feature one type of fish per course, but it's also common to combine multiple types of fish into one dish, streamlining the menu without sacrificing tradition. There are some dishes that often make an appearance, like calamari salad, baked whitefish, or linguine with clams, but there's nothing wrong with thinking outside the box with your recipes and serving up some twists on the classics either.

At the 2024 New York City Wine & Food Festival, we had the opportunity to chat with Scott Conant, Antonia Lofaso, and Rocco DiSpirito about their favorite fish dishes from this feast, from the ones they grew up with to the ones they continue to make every year in their own homes. Consider this your guide for designing your own seven fish feast, using some of the greatest culinary minds as your seafood gurus. Turkey, ham, and mashed potatoes come and go, but a seven-course meal with multiple types of seafood and pasta? That's forever.

As a self-proclaimed big fan of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, chef Antonia Lofaso sees this multi-course meal as one that should be heavy on the appetizers. Plus, the more types of fish that can go into a single dish, the better.

"I love the idea of doing a lot of cold appetizers with seafood to get everyone warmed up," she notes.

Her appetizer feast starts out with bags of potato chips and tins of caviar for a classy yet simple opening dip. She'll also put out a cold seafood salad, encompassing multiple types of shellfish — shrimp, calamari, and octopus — in one briny and delightful bowl. To round out the cold dishes, Lofaso recommends something classic like oyster and lobster cocktail. For a hot appetizer option, a crispy squash blossom stuffed with crabmeat may also make an appearance for something light and savory before moving into the heartier fare.

Lofaso brings the meal to a crescendo with some classic dishes, including linguine with clams, mussels in spicy tomato sauce, and lobster pasta. While her meal typically ends up including more than the traditional seven fishes, only having three cooked dishes keeps the meal relatively simple, while also guaranteeing that she gets to enjoy the feast, too.

For Scott Conant, there's a beauty to coloring outside the lines when it comes to preparing this holiday feast. What he makes every year isn't quite what the tradition calls for, but it's that creativity that keeps things interesting. While his aunt would always include the ever-important eel for her seven fish feast, he notes, he doesn't always make it.

As far as whitefish dishes, Conant isn't skimping on the offerings. He starts with a fried whiting or smelt, as well as a baked whitefish with breadcrumbs or baked with tomatoes. Then, moving into the pasta portion of the meal, he typically serves spaghetti aglio e olio (garlic and oil) with shrimp, and spaghetti with anchovies is guaranteed to satisfy. Fried calamari or a calamari salad almost always makes its way onto the menu, and finally, a sardine dish is absolutely necessary — grilled or fried sardines or a simple oven roasting method are both delightful options — to round out the entire feast.

Rocco DiSpirito is a big proponent of combining multiple fishes in one dish, meaning one dish can actually tick off several of the seven total required. He starts with a seafood salad — lobster, shrimp, crab, and conch — mixed together with celery, olive oil, and lemon for a bright and crunchy introduction to what is sure to be a hearty meal. He'll also do split lobsters with plenty of butter, spaghetti with crab meat, and a breaded and fried smelt or whiting served with tartar sauce.

For the larger fish dishes, DiSpirito goes with a miso and mustard glazed salmon as well as a black sea bass cooked in a clam broth. The star of the meal, however, is a white truffle risotto with tomato and a gently cooked shrimp stew spooned over top. For DiSpirito, this labor of love dish takes a while to make with many, many steps, but for a feast like this one, it's worth the time and effort.