Saturday, December 19, 2009

Feast of Seven Fishes (Part One)

According to Wikipedia, the Feast of Seven Fishes is believed to be an Italian tradition, however it is not a known tradition in Italy. What? Heresy, I say. But a website on Sicilian Culture believes that it is a tradition, at least in Southern Italy and Sicily. Even Mario Batali jumps in with his menu for the Feast of Seven Fishes. Then there is the alternatives of the Feast of Nine, Eleven, or Twelve Fishes. Who knew!. Of course, the basic issue is that Catholics would not eat meat on Christmas Eve, so they prepare fish instead. Tradition or not, I like the idea - it must be in my 50% Italian blood. Frank and I get together on Christmas Eve to prepare a special dinner, so for the second time (makes it a tradition in my book) we are preparing a Feast of Seven Fishes. We will prepare each course separately, enjoy it, then move on to preparing the next course. Sure it will take all evening, but that is the fun of it. Also, we are trying to keep the preparations simple, and small; like tapas. As of now, subject to further refinement and modification, the menu includes:
1. Tomato and Anchovy Crostini (a la Jose Andres) 
2. Tuna Crudo (raw tuna with olive oil, sea salt, and lemon juice)
3. Lobster tails with tomato salad (possibly a lobster roll instead)
4. Smoked salmon pizza with creme fraiche and caviar (oops, the caviar, if considered a seafood, takes us to eight.)
5. Seared scallops with Champaign beurre blanc and haricot vert
6. Mussels in white wine and shallots
7. Seared Escolar with a light curry cream sauce, and sautéed spinach
Check back for the final version, and possibly photographs.
That's all I'm Saying !

1 comment:

Liz said...

OMG - this sounds amazing. I will be thinking about you tonight! Merry Christmas and Happy Eating!