9 Fish and Seafood Dishes for Christmas Eve
Is it Christmas yet?
Whether you're serving Sicilian-style Feast of the Seven Fishes or just want a lighter Christmas Eve dinner, here are nine fish and seafood dishes worthy of a special occasion.
1. Side of salmon
A whole salmon fillet can easily serve a crowd and is delicious hot, at room temperature, or even cold. This dill-marinated one with a mustard sauce takes its cue from Scandinavia. If you want something more boldly flavored, rub the fish with a mix of spicy chipotle chiles, tamarind, and maple syrup.
2. Whole fish
For an intimate Christmas dinner, pack one or two whole fish (such as branzino, striped bass, or black bass) in a salt crust and bake. Bring to the table and crack the crust to reveal the fish inside.
3. Mussels
For a casual gathering, serve bowls of mussels with a flavorful, fragrant broth, like one with crème fraîche and pancetta or ginger and lemongrass. Alternatively, serve mussels on the half shell as an hors d'oeuvre.
4. Stone crab
Stone crab is a winter delicacy from Florida that you can often find shipped to other parts of the country this time of year, or it can be purchased online from a host of purveyors. Serve it chilled, perhaps with a simple cocktail sauce.
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5. Lobster
It might scream summer, but lobster has a place on the holiday table. Serve it with a crisp fennel salad as a starter. Or try garlic-butter drenched fried lobster, a fun spin on moules frites.
6. Shrimp
Elevate the classic shrimp cocktail with a spicy Thai-style seafood sauce and garlic aïoli, or make an elegant full-on meal of creamy polenta topped with shrimp cooked in a white wine-butter sauce.
7. Scallops
These luscious morsels are the perfect Christmas Eve ingredients if you're looking for something that cooks fast. Serve them with a luxurious French-style butter sauce or a simple salted yogurt.
8. Oysters
For a light, bright starter, poach oysters and top them with beurre blanc, pickled cucumber, and caviar. Or go the old-school route and bake them with a crisp breadcrumb topping.
9. Stew
If you want to cram several types of fish and seafood into one dish, a stew is your best bet. You can go Italian-style, with a tomato-y broth and tons of shellfish; Greek-style, with white fish, mussels, and the simplest lemon broth; or Catalan style, with tomatoes, olives, and ham. Or go in an entirely different direction by making a creamy coconut broth with lemongrass and ginger for a Bahian stew with shrimp and grouper.
