Seven Feasts Of The Seven Fishes To Indulge In New York City On Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve means seafood for those subscribing to the Italian American tradition of The Feast of The Seven Fishes. The the origins of the annual festive meal are murky, the withstanding tradition is certainly delicious. Some prefer to indulge in seven types of seafood in seven courses, while others may focus on one or two types and prepare it seven different ways. Luckily, with so many Italian restaurants in New York City partaking in the feast this year, you can select how you want to celebrate, and stuff yourself.

Vic’s

NoHo

On Christmas Eve, chef Hillary Sterling will be offering her annual Feast of the Seven Fishes menu, pulling inspiration from Italy’s Puglia region this year. The family-style meal includes an antipasti spread of oyster bread and manteca; smoked eel, squid and dried fava purée; olive fritte with shrimp, chilies & mint and mackerel “crudo,” with mushrooms, orange and almonds, followed by plates of tiella with baccala, and pastas like fricelli with anchovies and cured tomatoes and orecchiette with clams, chiles and rapini. Sterling rounds out the meal with cartellate, honey-soaked fried pastry wheels native to Puglia, which are traditionally served on Christmas. Because Hanukkah also lands on the same night, Sterling will also serve Hanukkah Gelt for dessert. 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., $85 per person; Reservations via Resy

Lupa Osteria Romana

West Village

Executive Chef James Kelly’s Feast of the Seven Fishes is inspired by his grandmother and her authentic homestyle Italian food, which he grew up eating. The three-course meal will start with smoked trout, caviar and acciughe, then lead into black spaghetti with uni, prawns and chili, and finish with halibut cheeks with oyster brodo, spinach and salmoriglio. Yep, that’s seven types of seafood, done efficiently (so you have room for eggnog). 4:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., $59 per person, Reservations via OpenTable

Felidia

Midtown East

Kick of Christmas with an iconic meal at Lidia Bastianich’s flagship Italian restaurant. The Feast of the Seven Fishes menu will be offered from December 16th through December 24th, with choosing a three-course ($115 per person), five-course ($135 per person) or seven-course ($165 per person) feast. Executive Chef Fortunato Nicotra’s festive dishes include Salmone Affumicato, smoked salmon pastrami with a bagel crostini, egg, potato salad and salmon caviar; Bianconeri Alla Trapanese made with housemade black and white bavette with calamari and trapanese pesto; and Tonno, yellowfin tuna ‘palermitana’ grilled on one side with butternut squash, celery root caponata, red pepper agrodolce and black garlic sauce. Reservations via OpenTable

Ivy Lane

Upper East Side

At this new Korean restaurant, Seoul native Chef Sung Park is seeking inspiration from the Italian feast and will put his own spin on it, on both December 24th and 25th, he’ll serve a special Seven Fish Seafood Stew ($39) with shrimp, monkfish, mussels, scallops, baby octopus, Arctic char, and cuttlefish, all mixed in a tomato saffron lobster broth. The stew will be garnished with fingerling potatoes, roasted fennel, picked herbs and accompanied by a toasted baguette on the side – perfect to soak up the seafood soup. Reservations via OpenTable

Il Gattopardo and The Leopard at Des Artistes

 Upper West Side

Both restaurants will be offering the feast for dinner on December 24th and for lunch and dinner on December 25th. The menu will be served ala carte for guests to choose from dishes including: broccoli Romanesco and sautéed shrimp salad ($28); mussel and Sardinian Fregola Soup ($24); ravioli filled with lobster, on natural crustacean red sauce ($34); langostino and asparagus risotto ($36); grilled Dover sole served with braised winter greens ($62); and more. Reservations via OpenTable

Davio’s Manhattan

Midtown East

Executive Chef Annise Scott will serve a four-course prix-fixe menu, featuring unique seafood courses in addition to Davio’s regular dinner menu. The feast will include a welcome of crispy oysters with anchovy Aioli and aviar; Taylor Bay scallops with butternut squash purée and pomegranate; squid ink spaghettini, with mussels, clams, shrimp and uni cream; and pan-seared snapper with creamy potatoes, Swiss chard and black garlic purée. $75 per person, 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.,

Faro

Bushwick

Chef and owner Kevin Adey will be riffing on his own family tradition with a five-course seafood lover’s feast. The extravaganza begins with poached blue shrimp with purple ninja and watermelon radishes, bottarga aioli, mache greens and pistachio oil; followed by a pan-seared scallop with roasted Red Kuri squash puree contrasted by a black garlic vinaigrette with squid ink and housemade brown rice koji vinaigrette. Handkerchief-shaped fazzoletti serve as canvases for crab and uni in sauce americaine, a classic French sauce made with tomatoes, white wine, brandy and butter, amped up with sea urchin. Cod is crowned with luxurious fish roe and accompanied by bok choy and parsley root puree. For the finale, a modern, deconstructed take on the traditional Sicilian cake, cassata features ricotta and chocolate mousses, rum-soaked sponge cake, almond streusel and candied fruit. $110 per person, 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Reservations are required and can be made at 718-381-8201