25 Impressive Seafood Recipes to Make for the Feast of the Seven Fishes

December 05, 2019

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Many Italian and Italian-American families celebrate Christmas Eve by cooking up a Feast of the Seven Fishes. While every family puts their own spin on the tradition, having delicious fish and seafood recipes is a must. Even if you don’t make all seven fish, get inspired to serve up some seafood dishes that are sure to wow. We’ve got recipes for appetizers, soups, mains and pastas to help you cook up a special holiday feast.

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Panko- & Parmesan-Crusted Baked Scallops

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These easy baked scallops have a delightful balance of crunchy, golden-brown topping and tender, sweet scallops. They feel decadent like scallops should, thanks to the tasty lemon-butter sauce. Look for uniform scallops; if they're particularly large, you might need to bake them for more than 10 minutes.

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Quick Shrimp Scampi

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Many scampi recipes involve cooking the shrimp with the other ingredients. You can do that here, too, but the benefit of cooking the shrimp separately is twofold: it's easier not to overcook them, and you can whisk in the butter to create a smooth, emulsified sauce. Serve as an appetizer or as a main course with rice, orzo or your favorite grain, spooning the garlicky sauce over everything. It's also great with crusty bread.

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Baked Stuffed Shrimp

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Stuffed shrimp make a quick and easy appetizer perfect for holiday parties. The trick to great stuffed shrimp? Make sure your shrimp are large enough to hold the filling. We recommend jumbo shrimp, which easily encase the savory filling of scallions, breadcrumbs and bacon with just a hint of spice from cayenne pepper.

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Linguine alle Vongole

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Italian for "linguine with clams," this seafood pasta dish includes tomatoes for a mashup between red and white clam sauces.

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Broiled Lobster Tails

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This easy holiday appetizer calls for lobster tails, the meatiest part of the lobster, which you can buy fresh or frozen. We've also included three easy and delicious compound butters to choose from to pair with the lobster meat: this recipe makes classic lobster thermidor butter, with the rich mix of Parmesan cheese, herbs and brandy; see Tips (below) to swap in an earthy porcini mushroom butter or a bright fennel and lemon butter.

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Easy Scallion-Salmon Dip

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Inspired by the classic combination of smoked salmon and cream cheese, this spread is perfect for slathering on a bagel or serving as a dip with bagel chips. This salmon dip recipe is a great way to use up leftovers from Miso-Maple Salmon (see Associated Recipes).

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Brodetto di Pesce (Adriatic-Style Seafood Stew)

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You will find versions of this hearty fish stew all along Italy's Adriatic coast. In Abruzzo, the stew is spiked with hot pepper and served with grilled or toasted bread to sop up the sauce. Be sure to find the freshest fish possible and serve with your favorite Italian wine.

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Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms

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This crab-stuffed mushroom recipe is perfect for Christmas, New Year's Eve and other holiday parties or any other time you need a quick and easy appetizer. The filling is light and fresh thanks to hearts of palm, a tender vegetable with a mild flavor (similar to artichokes) that doesn't mask the rich, sweet flavor of fresh crabmeat.

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Black Bass with Sautéed Vegetables & Cioppino Jus

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Black bass has a delicate flavor that begs to be paired with something bold, like the cioppino-inspired jus in this healthy seafood recipe. The jus takes some time to make but we promise it's worth it. You'll have some left over: do as our editor-in-chief did and try it as a bloody mary base. Or use it to make risotto or a seafood stew.

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Seared Scallops with White Bean Ragu & Charred Lemon

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This recipe for seared scallops with white beans and spinach turns out a healthy dinner that looks impressive (and tastes great) in just 25 minutes. Giving lemons a quick sizzle in the skillet amps up the flavor of this piccata-inspired dish. The heat helps release even more citrus juice and sweetens it too. When shopping for scallops, look for ones labeled "dry." Some scallops are soaked in a solution that prevents them from searing properly and can give them a soapy flavor.

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Creamy Lemon Pasta with Shrimp

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Yogurt makes a fine substitute for cream in the sauce for this easy pasta recipe. Just warm the yogurt (do not boil) and add some pasta-cooking water to thin it out. Lemon and fresh basil brighten up the whole-wheat pasta and complement the shrimp in this quick dinner recipe.

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Speedy Crab Cakes

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Shallow-fry these easy crab cakes on the stovetop to get the perfect crisp crust without the greasy mess of deep-frying. Serve these cakes with Citrus-Arugula Salad (see associated recipe).

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Roasted Red Pepper & Sardine Toast

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Sardines are healthy, cheap and delicious—try this simple toast recipe to work more of these tasty little fish into your diet.

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Provençal Fish Fillets

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These fork-tender fish fillets reflect the cooking style of the Provence region of France. Dishes from the area often include olive oil, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and olives—and you'll find all of those in this 25-minute entree.

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Cauliflower with Anchovies & Oil-Cured Olives

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This healthy cauliflower side dish recipe features assertive flavors that Italians covet: garlic, anchovies, olives, capers, plus a splash of good wine vinegar.

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Garlic-Sautéed Shrimp

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Peeled shrimp may be convenient, but here the shells—and heads if you are lucky enough to find them still on—are transformed into a quick stock that adds a boost of flavor. Serve the garlic-sautéed shrimp as an appetizer or use them as a topping for pasta or risotto.

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Lobster Bisque

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The secret to this richly flavored lobster bisque recipe lies in the shells from the lobster tail that get pureed into the soup itself. This is one appetizer soup that will really wow your guests! Be sure to strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve twice to get the traditional smooth, creamy texture.

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Salmon Crudo with Fennel & Crispy Capers

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Briefly freezing the fish makes it easier to slice in this healthy raw salmon salad. Serve as a first course or alongside your favorite Italian pasta recipe.

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Lobster Niçoise Salad

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Steamed lobster is a luxurious swap for tuna in this otherwise-classic, veggie-loaded Niçoise salad. In a pinch—or if you don't want to deal with a giant pot of boiling water on a steamy summer day—many supermarkets have freshly picked lobster meat at their seafood counter or in the freezer case. Serve with a warm baguette for lunch or dinner.

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Slow-Cooker Clams with Bacon, Leeks & White Wine

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Yep, you can make slow-cooker clams—and they're absolutely delicious! Savory bacon enriches this broth while white wine permeates the entire dish. Serve the remaining wine to guests with dinner. Don't skip out on the bread! There's much satisfaction to be had in sopping up the broth with a toasted baguette.

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Seafood Stew with Toasted Baguette Slices

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This stew is all about the fish—shrimp, scallops, and halibut chunks fight for space on your spoon. The baguette slices are key—you'll want to use them for sopping up the tasty tomato-based broth.

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Mussels with White Beans & Tomatoes

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Cooking mussels may seem intimidating, but here we've made it quick and easy. We've added white beans to turn this classic mussels-in-white-wine-sauce dish into a heartier weeknight meal. Serve with whole-grain crusty bread to sop up the flavorful broth.

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Grilled Fish with Peperonata

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This healthy grilled fish dish is made for easy summertime entertaining. The peperonata can be made in advance and reheated while you grill the fish.

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Seafood Stew

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Our rich stew is made with green beans. The saffron contributes a pungent flavor and intense yellow color.

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Swordfish with Olives, Capers & Tomatoes over Polenta

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Dive deliciously into the Mediterranean diet with this healthy fish recipe, which takes its inspiration from southern Italy. In Sicily and Calabria, the ghiotta style of cooking involves simmering fish or meat with celery, olives, capers, basil and tomatoes. Serve the fish and sauce over creamy polenta for an easy dinner recipe that requires just 20 minutes of active prep time.

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