Christmas Eve Feast of the 7 Fishes

Just like that Christmas has come and gone again! Last December I was boasting that I'd never, ever missed a Chrismas back home in Pittsburgh and this year I spent my first away from my childhood home, celebrating the holiday at my other home in Honolulu with Bryce. Because it was a chance for beginning a tradition of our own, I got really ambitious and decided to host a Feast of the 7 Fishes, an Italian Christmas Eve right of passage.

Never before had I even been to a Feast of the 7 Fishes, although I'd heard a lot about the seafood oriented Christmas Eve meal. Among the many good things I'd heard, it's also rumored that the feast can be (literally) very stinky, involves lots of fried items like calamari and smelts plus salted baccala, and that most times the fishes are eaten as more of a tradition before everyone moves on to the other, tastier food! I was not interested in a stinky house, greasy fried foods, or cooking 7 fishes annnnd other meal items so I decided to do the feast in my own way with only desirable menu items!

Our Christmas Eve went perfectly! Nine people squeezed into our apartment and each dinner course was better than the next. We had enough food to feed our entire street and if any of our neighbors are allergic to fish they may have died from anaphylaxis by proximity. Now that the pounds and pounds of leftovers have been eaten or thrown away, I suppose it's time to share our meal with you!

Our Feast of the 7 Fishes Menu

1. Ahi poke  

2. Shrimp cocktail

3. Crab stuffed mushrooms

4. Clam chowder

5. Penne with tuna and tomato sauce

6. Spaghetti with clam sauce

7. Grilled flounder with oranges

For our Monday evening feast, the grocery shopping took place on Friday night at both Sam's Club and Safeway. Cooking began on Saturday with both of the pasta sauces: tuna and tomato sauce (5) and clam sauce (6). To accommodate the extra large can of tomatoes, first, and 9 guests, second, I doubled the recipe for the marinara.

Orange and Dill Orange Roughy on the Grill

Have you ever tasted something and been transported to a specific place or time in your life? It's happened to me twice! Once I ate some vietnamese food that included a lot of basil and was taken back to my (Italian) Great Aunt Marina's house as a child. The second time was recently - Bryce made this awesome Orange and Dill Orange Roughy and the first bite sent me back to Siesta Key Florida - where my parents and I went on vacation every single year until I moved to Hawaii! 

This fish is light, delicious, and beachy. It's seriously easy to make and tastes like something you'd get at a casual beach-front restaurant where Jimmy Buffett's Greatest Hits are on repeat and people are drinking Coronas from a bucket! It can be made with any white fish, fresh or frozen. 

Orange and Dill Orange Roughy

adapted slightly from the Better Homes & Gardens recipe and made for just 2 servings

2 (previously frozen) orange roughy fillets

1 tablespoon of dill

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 orange, cut into wedges

salt and pepper

If your fish is frozen thaw it before cooking, then rinse and pat dry with paper towel. 

In a small bowl combine the dill and olive oil, salt and pepper. Bush both sides of the fish with the delicious mixture. If you're a dill fanatic like me, this is where you add even more dill!

Task your roommate, husband, boyfriend, neighbor, or mailman with turning on the grill appropriately, to medium heat. Or, if you're smarter than me you can just do it yourself! 

Arrange the orange wedges directly on the grill and place the fish on top. 

Cover and cook for 6 to 9 minutes without turning over - or until the fish becomes flaky when tested with a fork. Transfer the oranges and fish to a plate and don't forget to turn the grill off!

Here's the fun part: squeeze the grilled oranges onto the fish!

We had ours with roasted potatoes. Then, a few days later, we had it again with the other 2 fillets that came in the package! I'm not a big fan of reheated seafood, ick.

Try this and then tell me which beach you're automatically transported to! If I didn't leave so close to the beach, I'd make this on a really cold day and pretend I was on vacation :)