Holiday Menu: An Italian Christmas Eve
Known as The Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian Christmas Eve dinner is a wonderful holiday feast to share with loved ones no matter what your heritage.
The Feast of the Seven Fishes
Serving a multi-course seafood dinner on Christmas Eve (La Vigilia) is a wonderful holiday mealtime tradition that originated in Southern Italy.
Known as the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a traditional Italian Christmas Eve is a celebration of the vigil awaiting the midnight birth of the baby Jesus.
The dishes served vary from family to family and even if you’re not of Italian heritage it’s a festive and delicious way to entertain for Christmas Eve.
The recipes we’ve adopted into our non-Italian family include mussels, clams, shrimp, squid, scallops, cod and snail salad (scungilli).
Buon Natale!
Italian Christmas Eve Menu
Steamed Mussels Italian-Style
Mussels steamed in garlic, onion and white wine is a classic preparation, full of flavor.
Clams Casino
Tender, sweet, littleneck clams topped with a combination of bacon, shallot, red bell pepper, and white wine make a light, flavorful appetizer for an Italian-style dinner menu.
Squid In Marinara Sauce Over Linguine
A simple pasta dish that can be served as part of a multi-course Italian dinner, or as a main dish alongside a salad to complete the meal.
Sicilian-Style Citrus Scallops
Citrus and fresh herbs flavor this quick easy scallop dish made in the Sicilian style.
Baked Stuffed Shrimp
Baked stuffed shrimp is a popular restaurant dish that's easy to make at home and makes a great choice for a special occasion meal.
Baked Stuffed Cod
This foolproof recipe for cod fillets topped with a buttery blend of fresh breadcrumbs, garlic and parsley is easy to make and sure to become a family favorite.
Orange Rosemary Biscotti
This is a delicious biscotti recipe, flavored with toasted pine nuts, rosemary, fresh orange zest and orange liqueur.
Limoncello Glazed Ricotta Cookies
These light, cake-like ricotta cookies are made are flavored with a bit of limoncello liqueur and are an all-time favorite for the holidays.
Italian Wine Biscuits
These delicious Italian cookies have subtle flavors of red wine, black pepper and a touch of salt and make a nice dessert course for an Italian menu served alongside fruit and cheese.
