‘Twas the day before Christmas and all through the kitchen,
Seven dishes were cookin’, each with a fish in.
Crab, clam, calamari and cod,
Just creatures of fin and shell got the nod.
When the revelers finish their lobster and smelts,
Each will have loosened a notch on their belts.
– Suzanne Zimmer Lowery
Holiday celebrations are times of fun, family, friends and food. Whatever the tradition is at your house, I’m sure a lot of planning and preparations are happening right now. When I think of the many ways folks celebrate, the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve comes to mind.
The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italian American holiday based on southern Italian traditions. It is generally held on Christmas Eve. Some say it’s from the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. Others claim it is a reference to the seven hills of Rome. For many Italians, Christmas Eve is a fasting day — they keep a vigil, waiting for the birth of Jesus. There is no meat eaten until Christmas Day, so fish and seafood is served. However, every family has their own traditions for this feast and they vary greatly.
One person who makes such a feast is LeAnne Grillo. She sits on the Steering Committee of Harpswell Aging at Home and heads up Cooking at 43° North’s Kitchen Cabinet. (That’s the group that plans our events.) She is a natural leader and organizer, and she brings those skills to the table in her efforts to enhance the quality of life in our community. Those skills are only eclipsed by her compassion and empathy for other people. Many would say Harpswell is a better place because of her presence here.
Every family has different traditions, particularly around the holidays. Like many of us in Harpswell, LeAnne and her husband moved here more than seven years ago and wanted to establish some new ones. Coming from a small family, LeAnne’s friends are a big part of her life. She is Sicilian and loves to cook, so a friend suggested she start a Feast of the Seven Fishes tradition here in Maine. Living in this fishing community, it made perfect sense. What could be better than using the bounty from our local fisheries for a feast of the fishes?
LeAnne started her tradition a number of years ago. Instead of Christmas Eve, it is usually held on the winter solstice. She even kept it going through the pandemic by delivering her bounty to friends’ homes and then getting everyone together on Zoom.
Her menu varies each year, but there is always lobster arancini (rice balls stuffed with lobster and peas) and some sort of seafood pasta.
Sometimes there’s a cioppino (fish stew) that has an assortment of seafood in it. Other times there are multiple courses — calamari salad, mussels in wine, flounder oreganata, etc.
Linguine in clam sauce usually shows up on the menu, though it can be served any time of year.
Linguine with white clam sauce
This recipe is fast and easy — you can make the sauce in the time it takes to cook the pasta. With a few adjustments, it can be served “deconstructed” so people can eat what they want and leave off what they don’t like. In separate bowls, serve pasta tossed with olive oil, the clam and garlic broth with the clams, even some cherry tomatoes with a little garlic. Mix and match!
Make this to your own taste. Like more garlic? Go for it. Want more broth? Add it.
Cook a pound of linguine according to package directions.
While pasta is cooking, heat 1/2 cup olive oil. Saute about 3 tablespoons chopped garlic until it starts to color — about 30 seconds to a minute. Add about 3/4 cup white wine. Cook down until about 3/4 of the wine remains.
LeAnne’s recipe uses a mixture of shucked clams and whole clams. Add clam liquor from the container of shucked clams (at least a pint of shucked clams). If you are only using whole clams or you need more liquid, you can add bottled clam juice. You want a total of about 1 1/2 cups of clam liquid. Bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add shucked clams and clams in shells (rinse them and make sure they aren’t gritty). You’ll need about 3 whole clams per person, if using shucked clams as well. Figure on a dozen whole clams per person if that’s all you’re using.
Give them a stir and then cover and cook for about a minute. Turn off heat and let the pot sit for about 3 minutes or until clams open. Discard any that don’t open.
Remove the whole clams from the pot and set aside.
Take pasta out of the cooking water with tongs, draining slightly, then add it in with the sauce and cook for a minute or so, so the pasta absorbs a little of the sauce. If needed, add a little more pasta water. If serving it all together, put pasta and sauce in a large, flat bowl, garnish with whole clams, and sprinkle with parsley.
Many Sicilians don’t use cheese on pasta that has fish in it. But if you want grated cheese, feel free. Enjoy!
Cooking at 43° North, a program of Harpswell Aging at Home, brings Harpswell residents together for cooking programs, in person and online. Watch the Anchor calendar for listings.
HAH always needs cooks for its Meals in a Pinch program, which provides nutritious meals to seniors in need of emergency assistance. For more information, contact Julie Moulton at 207-330-5416 or juliemoulton28@gmail.com.
