The Feast of Seven Fishes, an Italian Christmas Eve tradition, calls for serving seven individual seafood dishes.

Few cooks are willing to do this, though, and even fewer people will eat so much, even once a year. Instead, I invite friends to share this Feast of Seven Fishes, a colorful stew including seven kinds of fish and seafood simmered gently in one big pot.

Guests rave about it. My two simple secrets: First, chicken broth used as the base gives richer and less "fishy" flavor than clam broth. It also helps the seafood flavors shine. Second, adding the ingredients in groups lets everything cook to perfection.

I start with the clams and mussels so the juices they add can meld with the base, then quickly remove them so they are still tender and moist when returned to the pot just before serving. Add the scallops and calamari last so they simmer just long enough to cook through without becoming rubbery.

My Seven Fishes is a flexible feast. When guests are in agreement, I mash anchovy filets into the base and omit the monkfish. When feeling flush, I replace the cod and monkfish with more luxurious halibut and chunks of lobster tail. When finances are tight, I use sweet-tasting shelled rock shrimp in place the usual but more expensive kind. If alcohol is an issue, the juice of half a lemon is excellent used in place of wine.

If you are squeamish about how squid looks, ask the fishmonger to provide caps but no rosettes of tentacles. Calamari are so essential that if you also don't want to handle them, also have the fishmonger cut the caps into rings for you.

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Finally, the fresher the fish, the better. To speed shopping during the holiday crush, I call and order everything a day or more ahead to be picked up or delivered the day of Christmas Eve.

Feast of Seven Fishes

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • 12 littleneck clams
  • 1 lb. mussels
  • 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 4 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine, or 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 (14.5-oz.) can finely diced tomatoes or 1 3/4 cups canned chopped tomatoes
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/4 lb. codfish filet, cut into 8 pieces
  • 2 lobster tails, shelled and cut into 8 pieces each, or 1/2 pound monkfish, membrane removed, in 8 pieces
  • 1/2 lb. large (31-35 count) shrimp, shelled
  • 8 sea scallops, halved crosswise
  • 1/2 lb. calamari, caps cut into 1/2-inch rings

Directions

  1. Pour broth into large Dutch oven or heavy, deep pot. Add garlic, clams and mussels, cover, and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Steam 3 minutes, or until shellfish have opened, but not fully. With slotted spoon, transfer shellfish to bowl. Pour liquid from pot into measuring cup to use later, leaving any grit and garlic in pot to discard. Wipe out pot.
  2. Heat olive oil in pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, 4 minutes. Mix in pepper flakes, half of parsley and thyme and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Pour in wine or lemon juice and boil to reduce by half. Add tomatoes and season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
  3. Add codfish to sauce and cook, covered, for 3 minutes. After adding fish, do not stir, as this will make cod fall apart. Add lobster, or monkfish, and shrimp and cook, covered, for 3 minutes. Add scallops and calamari and cook for 3 minutes. Return clams and mussels and saved liquid to pot, cover, and cook to heat through, 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately, divide contents of pot among 8 wide, shallow bowls. Garnish with remaining parsley, and serve immediately. Pass slices of grilled Italian bread to use for sopping up sauce.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:
288 calories
7 g fat
1 g sat fat
8 g carbohydrates
44 g protein
1 g fiber
544 mg sodium