Holiday, The Seven Fishes

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A popular southern Italian tradition celebrated all over the world, is the Feast of the Seven Fishes. In Italy it is called “la cena della vigilia,” or Christmas Eve Dinner, December 24th; observed by abstaining from eating meat on Christmas Eve and enjoying the holiday meal with family, filled with a seafood spread.

WHY SEVEN?:

Some say the number seven represents the seven sacraments, seven days of creation, or simply the fact that seven signifies

perfection

in the Bible. This may be speculation, however what is known is that this celebration is something that is very much appreciated and shared by most Italians and lovers of fish.

Fish:

You will find virtually any Mediterranean fish prepared from this region. Everything from anchovies to eel. Popular fishes in the feast include calamari, smelts, clams, and shrimp. 

One of my favorite is baccalá, a dried, salted cod. 

Baccala How To:

To reconstitute the baccalá, you soak it for two days, changing the water three or four times.

I prepare the baccalá several ways including sauted and with tomatoes, but it's also quite popular to prepare it in the oven with potatoes or even in a salad with potatoes and black olives.

The Seven Fishes is a feast that brings family and friends together to celebrate a very important evening, and the seafood is only the centerpiece of what really takes place... keeping a tradition alive with family and friends.

Isn’t this what holidays are really about?

Buone feste!

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Linguini Calamari Sauce

Baccala and Potato Recipe

Capitone Arrosto & Fritto

Clam Pie Recipe

Mussels in White Wine Sauce

Stuffed Calamari Recipe

Shrimp Risotto Recipe

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Charred and Stuffed

I prepared this dish for friends years ago while I was visiting in England, where trout is abundant. But rest assured, this recipe works very well with so many other whole fish such as; Steelhead, Coho and Artic Char —also a big favorite of mine and a few of my close friends. 

 - The trick with grilling any whole fish is to have a very clean grill; surface-cast iron is my preference, well-seasoned (not salt & pepper) meaning oiled by brushing w/vegetable oil or sprayed with vegetable spray when cold. And that's before lighting the grill. 

- I prefer using lump charcoal for this recipe, but no sweat, a gas grill is OK. Add a couple pieces of soaked wood chips to the grill a few minutes before cooking the fish - it adds another layer of flavor.

- This part is key; the grill must be very hot so the fish does not stick. Also, you’ll notice in this recipe that the fish is brushed with olive oil. Make it look like it just came out of the spa, after a well oiled ayurvedic massage. 

- Use a very wide spatula to turn and remove the trout from grill. 

- Cooking a whole fish. Feeling a little intimidated and insecure? Forget therapy, just do it. You may however: after turning over the trout, add it to a well greased pan and finish grilling inside the pan. But that is if and only if you think you can’t hold it together — I mean the trout together.  

This recipe is really that easy, it's just a step beyond cooking a burger.

Charred Stuffed Trout

Makes 4 servings | From Adventures in Grilling cookbook by George Hirsch with Marie Bianco, ©1996

One 8 ounce salmon fillet
1/2  cup bread crumbs from day-old French or Italian bread
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise, (I prefer the new olive oil mayo)
1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
3 egg whites
6 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
Four 12-tounce rout, cleaned, gutted, and boned
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Pre heat the grill to high.

Process the salmon in a food processor using the on/off button until it is ground but not pureed. Add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, dill, hot sauce and pepper and blend for 30 seconds. Add the egg whites and mix for 1 minute. Fold in the shrimp with a rubber spatula.

Fill each trout with a quarter of the stuffing. Secure with skewer or toothpick. Brush the trout with the olive oil and grill for 2 minutes on each side. Lower the heat to medium or move the trout to the cooler edges of the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Really fresh fish does not require a sauce; just drizzle a small amount of extra virgin olive oil, and drizzle a little fresh lemon- top off with a little fresh dill on top.

Moules Marinières

Summer is in full swing. That and coastal living makes me say “hello seafood.” My rule with cooking seafood is the simpler, the better; as well as believing in keeping it as local as possible. So when traveling to locations known for seafood, I take advantage of every opportunity to enjoy eating fresh and local. Recently, I had Bantry’s mussels & oysters in Ireland - yes, they live up to their reputation. You may be able to find Bantry mussels in your grocer’s freezer along with New Zealand; but to me it's not my preference compared to eating local. Some other leading mussel cultivars are Spain, and of course North America's Prince Edward Island in Canada. 

The classical way I learned to cook mussels years ago is called Moules Marinières, or mussels in the style of the sea, synonymous with summers in France. I have prepared versions of this style on air with my TV shows. This happens to be a crowd favorite every time with my TV crew. They are amazed at how simple it is to prepare. See for yourself, TV segment here. The only way to improve this recipe is add some crisp Pommes Frites. I would also approval of a creamy Belgium beer to wash it all down with. 

Here’s a good tip: The jewel in eating mussels is to get the right balance of the mussel meat with the fantastic broth juices that come from cooking the mussels with wine, garlic and herbs. No utensils needed, use the mussel's shell as your spoon. Pick up the freshly steamed mussel in the opened hinged ‘valve’ (the shell). Break the valve in-half, discard one half of the shell. With the second half valve (shell) that now has the mussel meat, dip the half-shell and mussel meat into the warm broth scooping up just the right amount of juice to meat. Now, politely slurp the mussel along with the broth in the same mouthful. Mouth watering. Heaven! Sometimes I see others do a dip using a fork, but they are missing the gold, the broth!

Try this next time you prepare mussels, instead of using a fork and dipping into the broth that will just slide off your mussel meat. What to do with empty shells? I have observed other connoisseurs of mussel eating that includes arranging the eaten empty half valves into unique patterns on plates. 

Simple and ready in minutes. But do yourself a favor, have plenty of good bread on hand to dip and soak up any leftover broth. Summer - here we come!

Video Recipe.

George Hirsch Cooking & Lifestyle TV Segment: Mussels Recipe

Pacific Northwest Style

You are going to need cedar planks for today's fish recipe. I am encouraging you to step outside and grill with this recipe. Soak planks for 30 minutes before you fire up the grill. Make sure the grill is good and hot, this is key! Cedar planked fish takes on a wonderful smokey flavor with more flair and a lot less hassle. The plank will be charred, but the fish will be perfectly cooked. This technique of cooking on planks is not new. Developed by Indians in the Pacific Northwest, cooking on cedar and alder has been a tradition for centuries.

This weekend when you are running errands, head to the hardware store and pick up some cedar planks. Oh- be sure they are untreated non-resined wood, and no thicker than 1 inch. Cedar and alder are popular choices, but mesquite, cherry, peach, apple, and oak also add their own unique flavors. Enjoy.

image,© Olga Lyubkina

New England Summer

I have traveled up-n-down the east coast and every seaside village has their version of the classic lobster roll. I will tip you off to one of my favorites, I know I have mentioned this spot before. We even filmed TV segments for Living it UP! at The Clam Bar - located here in the Hamptons, on the Napeaque stretch between Amagansett and Montauk. The owner Dick Ehrlich sets the bar very high serving-up their chock-filled fresh lobster rolls, manhattan clam chowder and locally caught grilled fish dish specials. 

The lobster roll is yet another great in season option to served at your outdoor gatherings and picnics. Feel free to mix seafood, such as crab or shrimp. Then just call it a seafood roll. Or, skip the carbs and stuff a summer vine ripened tomato with your fresh lobster salad. Now kick back and enjoy!

New England Lobster Roll

Makes six sandwiches 

* 1 1/2 pounds Lobster meat, cooked and cooled
6 soft rolls
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 green onion chopped
1 Tablespoon chives, chopped
1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon fresh dill 
1 teaspoon hot sauce

Cut lobster meat into 1 inch pieces. In a small bowl toss lobster meat, mayonnaise, green onion, lemon, mustard, dill, and hot sauce.
Serve immediately on soft rolls with sliced tomatoes.
*shrimp and crab meat may be substituted 

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