The "minestra di pesce" from Rome. (Credit: bigstock)
As the holiday season approaches, when many hunt for the plumpest turkey and the richest foie gras, websites and social media are instead brimming with recipes for sea bass, cod, sardines, red mullet and shellfish.
The reason lies in a growing American fascination with the Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian Catholic tradition brought to the United States by immigrants at the start of the 20th century.
Long anchored in Italian-American households, the ritual has recently gained wider popularity in a country eager for culinary novelty and so-called “acquired tastes.”
Restaurants have followed suit, adapting menus to accommodate a tradition whose origins are deeply symbolic. The feast stems from the Roman Catholic practice of abstaining from meat on the eve of major religious celebrations.
Because neither meat nor animal fat was permitted, fish, most often fried, became the default choice, particularly on Dec. 24, when families across Europe gathered for a Christmas vigil.
Although the Catholic Church lifted mandatory meat abstinence in 1966, fish has retained its place of honor on Christmas Eve in many households.
Italy, where the custom remained strong, passed it on through emigration. In the United States, what was once a modest pre-midnight meal evolved into an elaborate Italian-American feast.
Smelt, then cod
Traditionally, the meal begins with smelt, a rite of passage in many families. It is followed by crudo, often made with sea bass, sometimes paired, for contrast, with high-quality canned fish such as mackerel. Anchovies and sardines also form the base of bagna càuda, combined with butter and garlic to create a dip for vegetables or bread.
Cod is the centerpiece. In Naples, it is often salted at home and braised with olives and capers. In Venice, it becomes baccalà mantecato, whipped with milk and olive oil.
Elsewhere, practicality prevails, with oven-baked cod served alongside garlic mayonnaise.
Regional variations, American abundance
Each Italian region adds its own interpretation. In Sardinia, small gnocchi are served in a tuna and cherry tomato sauce. Sicily, shaped by centuries of Arab influence, combines sardines and anchovies with raisins and pine nuts.
In Rome, the essential dish is minestra di pesce, a fish soup made with haddock, fresh tuna, cod or whatever the market provides.
As the tradition became Americanized, it absorbed all these variations and more. With greater prosperity came excess, and restaurants amplified the feast with lobster macaroni and cheese, crab cakes and shrimp cocktail.
Why seven?
For home cooks, the Feast of the Seven Fishes has become an exercise in creativity. Some prepare a single fish in multiple styles; others insist on seven distinct species.
The number itself is rooted in biblical and Christian symbolism, representing perfection and completeness. Scripture references the seven days of creation, the seven spirits of God and the seven commandments.
Christian tradition later fixed the number at seven sacraments, seven virtues and seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as the seven last words of Christ and the seven churches.
The Christmas Eve vigil, therefore, could only be honored under this “heaven-sent” number, a ritual once defined by restraint, now celebrated through abundance.
