It was a long shopping the day before Christmas eve, from one fish market to the other to find the freshest fish, and then it was the longest day cooking the seven fish dinner on Christmas eve. The search was about finding langoustine, mussels, clams with a red tongue, razor clams, sea urchin, sea truffles, octopus, baby cattle fish, any bluefish for grilling, lobster, oysters and any fauna the Mediterranean Sea produces.
The sitting down dinner started at 6:00 pm and lasted close to midnight when we finished with a champagne toast, then church at midnight.
That was such a long ago in Italy in my parents’ home and it was the same in most of the homes in Italy. The celebration on Christmas eve was an incredible custom, we ate until our hearts were content and welcome the new spiritual Christmas light in our homes.
As it happens in all families, at one point kids leave the nest, when my turn came, I moved as well to build my life and all of that ended. My new-found friends could never eat a large amount of food and never had the time to be sitting at the table for so many hours. The Christmas celebrations took a different turn.
Somehow I maintained my tradition on a smaller scale. On Christmas eve, I prepare a few fish specialties and Christmas day is about meat. On the eve, caviar opened the dinner experience, followed by shrimps with fregola and dandelion cooked in a clay pot, cod and potato cakes, blue crabs, Christmas cookies, coffee, and Belgium chocolate with sea salt.
Caviar and prosecco
Shrimps with Fregola and Dandelion cooked in a play pot
Cod Potato Cakes
Blue Crabs
Christmas Cookies
This was sufficient for Christmas eve, Christmas day was a different experience, oh my! Everything was delicious and even though I feel like a blimp today, I am very happy. 😀
The end of the year requires courage, the Italian rule is to have 13 courses dinner, one for each month of the year and one extra to honor the new year 😱. This one is no longer my habit.
I hope your Christmas was good and serene. Ciao,
Valentina
Copyright © 2019 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved
Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion designer, author of 5 published books so far, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. She has conceived a few new books of various subjects to which she is working simultaneously. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking, and travel. She never gives up trying new things and doesn’t fear failure. Three years ago, Valentina became a TV producer/host and she produces shows under her label: Valentina Design Universe. The goal of her shows is to entertain, inspire and inform, while she is living her passion.
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Valentina Expressions 
Jan 13, 2020 @ 19:07:08
Dear Valentina, I’m sorry to be so late. Christmas morning, Santa left me a horrible flu. I’m clearly on the naughty list! 🙂
I love this post. It’s fascinating. I had never heard of the Evening of Seven Fishes (or the dinner). What an amazing childhood you must have had. I like that you have made your on version of the tradition. The traditions we make ourselves are important. I’m drooling over the cod-potato cakes! Thank you for sharing all of this. Happy New Year.
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Jan 13, 2020 @ 21:24:22
As you know I was sick the week of Christmas too and just got over a week ago. It happened even with the vaccine I took in November.
My food habits are good and healthy, however, much of those habits, such as the seven fish dinner, are no longer with me. I just kept all the habits and customs that are more in tune with the life I have now. Thanks for the visit.
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Dec 29, 2019 @ 15:57:50
How interesting, Valentina. I never new about the 13 course dinner in Italy. I don’t think I could manage that but your menu above looks delicious.
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Dec 29, 2019 @ 17:59:11
Robbie, trust me, I cannot manage it any more, often I wonder how I did it, but it was fun having family, friends and neighbors all around a long, long table, and kids had their own table.
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