Whether you’re celebrating your Italian heritage or simply love the idea of an all-seafood Christmas Eve dinner, our menu for six offers a well-balanced lineup of appetizers, pasta, and main courses featuring mussels, clams, shrimp, squid, scallops, cod, and scungilli (whelk).

Photo collage of four of the seven recipes featured in the Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner: Calamari Pasta, Steamed Mussels, Baked Stuffed Shrimp, and Baked Cod.

An Italian-American Feast for Christmas Eve

Hosting a Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner might sound like a marathon in the kitchen, but with the right recipes and a little planning, you can serve a truly memorable meal with minimal stress.

The dishes on our menu are the ones we make every year on Christmas Eve. They’re inspired in large part by our time in Rhode Island, where we came to love the Italian-American flavors and food traditions that make the state such a culinary gem.

Scroll on to see the dishes, and don’t miss the make-ahead guide that follows.

Appetizers (Antipasti)

The traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes starts with light seafood antipasti that whet the appetite without overwhelming the courses to come. This trio includes classic Italian-American favorites like Clams Casino, tender mussels steamed in wine and garlic, and scungilli salad. All three are easy to prep ahead and ideal for serving family-style on Christmas Eve.

Crock filled with steamed mussels topped with sautéed onion, garlic, diced tomatoes, and parsley.

Steamed Mussels Italian-Style

These steamed mussels feature an Italian-style, garlic and white wine broth enhanced with fresh tomatoes and a finish of fresh breadcrumbs and parsley. Serve with toasted bread to soak up every drop.
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Clams Casino topped with bacon and arranged on an appetizer serving plate with lemon wedges and parsley garnish.

Clams Casino (New England Style)

Clams Casino is a classic New England appetizer made with tender littleneck clams baked on the half shell with a savory topping of fresh breadcrumbs, sweet peppers, and smoky bacon.
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Serving bowl filled with snail (scungilli) salad with celery, onion, parsley, and crushed red pepper.

Scungilli Salad (Snail Salad)

This classic Italian-American snail salad features tender scungilli tossed with celery, sweet onion, parsley, and a garlicky red wine vinaigrette. It's a light, make-ahead starter for Italian-style meals.
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First Course (Primi)

In keeping with the Italian tradition of serving pasta as a first course, these two dishes highlight seafood in simple ways. Our calamari pasta features tender squid in a homemade marinara sauce over linguine, while the seared scallops pair with a light citrus and herb sauce with the flavors of Sicilian cuisine. Both offer bold flavor without being too heavy for the courses still to come.

Two servings of bay scallop pasta with Sicilian citrus sauce in shallow white bowls, surrounded by a sprig of fresh thyme, and a citrus zester.

Bay Scallop Pasta with Sicilian Citrus Sauce

This quick bay scallop pasta features a light Sicilian citrus sauce made with orange, lemon, and fresh herbs. Ready in 30 minutes, it’s a weeknight-friendly seafood dinner with a unique Italian flair.
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Two pasta bowls filled with linguine tossed with calamari (squid) in marinara sauce, garnished with parsley, and surrounded by a bulb of garlic, and an olivewood spoon.

Calamari Pasta with Marinara

This simple calamari pasta combines tender squid with a savory, homemade marinara sauce and linguine. It's a light, flavor-forward Italian classic that’s easy to make and cook in less than 45 minutes.
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Main Course (Secondi)

For the secondi, or main course, we focus on comforting baked dishes that can be prepared in advance making them ideal for holiday entertaining. Baked cod is topped with a crisp garlic breadcrumb crust, while the stuffed shrimp are filled with classic Italian flavors like parsley, lemon, and Parmesan. Both recipes are crowd-pleasing favorites for a traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner.

A casserole filled with baked cod fillets topped with breadcrumb stuffing, surrounded by linen napkin, wooden server, and lemon wedge.

Baked Cod with Crispy Crumb Topping

This simple baked cod recipe features moist, flaky fish fillets topped with buttery lemon-garlic breadcrumbs. On the table in just over 30 minutes, it’s a foolproof weeknight main that's easy to prep in advance.
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An overhead view of a round white plate filled with baked stuffed colossal shrimp with seafood forks and lemon slices for garnish.

Baked Stuffed Shrimp

This elegant baked stuffed shrimp recipe features colossal shrimp butterflied and topped with a savory mix of fresh breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, lemon, and Parmesan. Perfect for entertaining, this dish is easy to prepare ahead and bakes in just 15 minutes.
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Feast of the Seven Fishes Make-Ahead Guide

Seafood is best when cooked last minute, but each of these recipes includes make-ahead steps that will help lighten your load on Christmas Eve. From shared ingredients to smart timing, our prep guide will help you organize your Feast of the Seven Fishes menu.

Grab your copy here →

A Brief History of the Feast

The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a beloved Italian-American tradition centered around a multi-course seafood meal on Christmas Eve. Its roots trace back to Southern Italy, where it’s customary to forgo meat on La Vigilia. While the number seven isn’t fixed, it’s often said to represent the sacraments or the days of creation. Italian immigrants brought the tradition to the U.S., where it became a festive, family-style celebration.

Do you really need seven different dishes?

Not necessarily. Some families serve five, others twelve. We like the balance and variety of seven, but if you want to simplify, choose one dish from each course and scale up the servings.

For an even easier option, try our Linguine ai Frutti di Mare, a pasta dish that combines shrimp, scallops, squid, fish, mussels, and clams all in one bowl. Pair it with a light starter like our Scungilli Salad, and you’ve got your own version of the Feast with a fraction of the work.

A Sweet Finish, Italian Style

While the spotlight of this meal is on the seafood, no Italian Christmas Eve dinner is complete without a few sweet treats to enjoy.

A three-photo collage of desserts to serve with the Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner; Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti, Italian Ricotta Cookies, Buttery Orange Biscotti.

Keep it light with an assortment of Italian cookies. Lemony Ricotta Cookies, or Buttery Orange and Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti are easy, festive finishes that can made well in advance. Serve with espresso or cappuccino.

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2 Comments

  1. Hi Lynne,

    Your recipes  are amazing. I have a quick question regarding the Scungilli Salad. If I use canned Scungilli (La Monica) I do not have to cook it, correct?
    Happy and healthy holidays to you and your family.

    Thanks,
    Gina

    Reply

    1. Hi Gina,
      Thank you so much for the kind words. To answer your question, I’ve used LaMonica’s canned scungilli a number of times and have always found it to be a quality product. The scungilli is fully cooked, nice and tender, and easy to work with. Just drain it well and proceed with the recipe. Happy Holidays to you as well.

      Reply