15 Crowd-Pleasing Seafood Dishes for a Standout Feast of the Seven Fishes

A large platter of fritto misto di mare with fried shrimp, squid, and smelt. — Vicky Wasik

Despite having worked in several Italian restaurants in San Francisco, I’d never actually been to a true Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner until just a few years ago, when my friend Michael invited me to his home for a Christmas Eve seafood extravaganza. I’ve been lucky enough to attend a few times since, and it’s become the one holiday party I look forward to most.

A former chef turned realtor, Michael takes the feasting seriously, sending out dish after dish—from raw oysters and insalata di mare to salt-baked whole fish. While it’s clearly a labor of love, he admits it’s also a lot of planning and work, even for someone with a professional culinary background.

So, to help you pull off a Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner to remember, we’ve gathered 15 of our favorite seafood recipes, including appetizers, pastas, and mains that showcase seven fishes and then some. Whether you’re cooking for a crowd or keeping things intimate, these dishes will leave everyone well-fed and happily looking forward to next year’s feast.

Insalata di Mare (Italian Seafood Salad)

Vicky Wasik

Kick off the feast with a chilled seafood salad featuring mussels, shrimp, squid, and scallops tossed in a bright dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, and onion. Gently cooking the seafood in a specific sequence ensures each element achieves the ideal texture. Thinly sliced celery and fennel add flavor and crunch, while a sprinkle of ground coriander seed enhances the seafood's aromatic profile.

Insalata di Mare (Italian Seafood Salad)
Filetti di Baccalà (Roman-Style Fried Salt Cod Fillets)

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

A typical appetizer at sit-down pizzerias throughout Rome, filetti di baccalà resembles flaky British-style fried fish, but it's more heavily seasoned and has a distinctively firm texture that stands up to the crunchy batter. Vodka and cornstarch in the batter limit gluten development, while sparkling water and baking powder aerate it—both essential for achieving a light, crispy crust.

Filetti di Baccalà (Roman-Style Fried Salt Cod Fillets)
Fritto Misto di Mare (Fried Mixed Seafood)

Vicky Wasik

As with the mixed seafood salad, cooking each type of seafood separately ensures every component is fried to perfection. For a lighter coating that highlights rather than hides the seafood’s flavor and texture, use a single dredge made from a mixture of flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Leave the shrimp shells on to protect them from overcooking and to add flavor and crunch.

Fritto Misto di Mare (Fried Mixed Seafood)
Fried Calamari With Red Sauce Recipe

Vicky Wasik

Fried calamari sturdy enough for dunking in red sauce benefits from a two-step dredging method: Soak the thick rings in milk to temper any fishiness and help the coating adhere, then dredge in a blend of flour, cornstarch, and baking powder to create a golden brown, light, and crispy crust. Resting the coated calamari allows the flour to fully hydrate, preventing the batter from falling off in the fryer.

Fried Calamari With Red Sauce Recipe

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Easy, Ultimate Clams Casino

Vicky Wasik

This version of Clams Casino is nothing like the soggy, so-called classics of the past (casino means mess in Italian). We reduce the clam cooking liquid to create an intensely flavorful bacon-clam compound butter that blankets each clam, then finish them with a toasted bacon–panko crumb topping. The clams can be assembled and chilled in advance, then baked straight from the fridge at party time.

Easy, Ultimate Clams Casino
Rhode Island–Style Stuffed Quahog Clams ("Stuffies")

Serious Eats / Kevin White

While stuffed clams are found all along the New England coast, these Portuguese-influenced “stuffies” are unique to Rhode Island. The stuffing combines bread, briny fat quahog clams, and smoky chouriço—a cured sausage loaded with garlic and paprika. Clam cooking liquid keeps the mixture moist and amplifies the clam flavor.

Rhode Island–Style Stuffed Quahog Clams ("Stuffies")
Spaghetti Alle Vongole in Bianco (Spaghetti With White Clam Sauce)

Vicky Wasik

What’s better than spaghetti tossed in garlicky white wine and clam sauce? Spaghetti without a tangle of clam shells. We recommend removing the clams from their shells after cooking and stirring them back into the pasta just before serving—reserving a few shells for garnish if you like. Your guests will thank you.

Spaghetti Alle Vongole in Bianco (Spaghetti With White Clam Sauce)
Spaghetti allo Scoglio (Spaghetti With Mixed Seafood)

Tim Chin

In this dish, dry pasta is cooked risotto-style directly in the skillet with the shellfish, absorbing the flavorful liquor released by clams and mussels as they steam open. The pasta's starch, combined with bottled clam juice, forms a glossy, intensely flavored sauce that clings to every strand. As with other mixed seafood dishes, each component is cooked separately to achieve its ideal texture.

Spaghetti allo Scoglio (Spaghetti With Mixed Seafood)

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Shrimp Fra Diavolo (Shrimp and Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce) Recipe

Vicky Wasik

Sautéing shrimp shells in olive oil, along with bottled clam juice, extracts their full flavor—infusing the sauce and pasta with shellfish richness in every bite. A quick marinade in baking soda helps the shrimp stay juicy and snappy.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo (Shrimp and Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce) Recipe
Shrimp Scampi With Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes, and Herbs Recipe

Vicky Wasik

A few simple tweaks are all it takes to perfect this recipe for sautéed shrimp in garlicky butter sauce. First, toss the peeled shrimp with a pinch of baking soda to keep them plump and tender. Then, swap white wine for vermouth to add complexity without a harsh acidic edge. Vigorously swirling in butter creates an emulsified sauce with a smooth, cohesive texture—free from the greasiness that often plagues the dish.

Shrimp Scampi With Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes, and Herbs Recipe
Cioppino

I’d be remiss not to include this hearty San Franciscan seafood stew—introduced by Genoese immigrants—packed with shrimp, mussels, clams, squid, fish, and crab. Browned aromatics, tomato paste, and roasted red pepper salsa form an umami-rich stock that gives the stew its deep, robust flavor. Poaching each type of seafood in sequence ensures perfectly cooked results. And don’t forget the crusty bread for soaking up every last drop.

Cioppino
Baccalà alla Napoletana (Neapolitan-Style Braised Salt Cod With Tomatoes, Olives, and Capers)

Vicky Wasik

Though it may seem daunting, making salt-cured cod at home is surprisingly easy: You only need to cure the fish long enough to deeply season it and firm up the flesh, creating a slight chew that gives way to a silky interior. After four days, the cod reaches the ideal texture—no need to pan-fry it before braising in the puttanesca-style sauce.

Baccalà alla Napoletana (Neapolitan-Style Braised Salt Cod With Tomatoes, Olives, and Capers)

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Agghiotta di Pesce Spada (Sicilian Braised Swordfish With Tomatoes and Olives)

[Image: Vicky Wasik].

An easy one-skillet fish recipe is essential when planning a multi-course seafood feast, and this take on a Southern Italian classic fits the bill. Cooking thick swordfish steaks mostly on one side ensures deep browning, boosting flavor while reducing the risk of overcooking. The chunky tomato and olive sauce comes together in the same pan.

Agghiotta di Pesce Spada (Sicilian Braised Swordfish With Tomatoes and Olives)
Whole Roasted Fish With Fresh Herbs and Lemon Recipe

[Image: Vicky Wasik].

Roasting whole fish doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with the freshest fish you can find and have your fishmonger gut, trim, and scale it. Then soak the fish in salt water to firm up the flesh, pat it dry, and season it inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with aromatics, rub the skin with a bit of oil, and roast it on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet until the thickest part registers about 135°F.

Whole Roasted Fish With Fresh Herbs and Lemon Recipe
Salt-Baked Whole Fish With Fresh Herbs

[Image: Vicky Wasik].

While presenting and cracking into a salt-baked whole fish at the table delivers undeniable wow factor, the salt crust serves a functional purpose too. It forms a hard shell that traps steam as the fish cooks, keeping it moist and infusing it with more aromatic flavor than a standard whole roast. And there’s no need for egg whites—plain water moistens the salt just fine.

Salt-Baked Whole Fish With Fresh Herbs

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15 Crowd-Pleasing Seafood Dishes for a Standout Feast of the Seven Fishes

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