The below article appeared in the December 20, 2013 issue of the Times Ledger. However, the person editing failed to mention the subject of the article leaving out two important paragraphs. Omitting them sounds as if I don't know what I'm talking about.
The Feast of the Seven Fishes (festa dei sette
pesci), celebrated on Christmas Eve, also known as The Vigil (La Vigilia), is
believed to have originated in Southern Italy and is not a known tradition in
many parts of Italy. The long tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve
dates from the Roman Catholic tradition of abstinence which, in this case,
meant refraining from the consumption of meat or milk products on the eve
of specific holy days. As no meat or
butter could be used on such days, observant Catholics would instead eat fish,
typically fried in oil.
Some Italian American families have been known to
celebrate with 9, 11 or 13 different seafood dishes. At Fairway Market in Douglaston you will most
likely view a sign reading, “Festa deiSette Pesci” with a list of seven
suggestions: Baccala (Dried Cod) Fritte; Fried or Boiled Calamari; Baked
Flounder; Boiled Whole Crab or Lobster; Sauteed Shrimp; Steamed Mussels; A
Classic Spaghetti with Clams.
An availability of fresh seafood is not a problem,
but what if some of your family members have an allergy toward shellfish? What is “out” and what is “in”?
The obvious “villains” are crustaceans such as:
lobster, crabs, shrimp, prawns and crayfish.
You can most likely add mollusks such as clams, oysters, mussels, conch
(scungilli) and scallops. Not so obvious
are squid (calamari) and octopus (polpo). What’s a host to do?
You can certainly find some fish markets in
Queens. I recommend Fairway Market not
only for their array and reputation but noticing that there is a purposely
placed separation between the allergens and non-allergens. Make it a point to tell the person handling
the seafood that you are purchasing fish for someone who is highly allergic to
shellfish. If necessary, request that
the gloves be changed.
Another option is that if you are just purchasing
the non-allergens, you might want to shop at a kosher supermarket such as
Aron’s Kissena Farms, 75-15 Kissena Blvd.
or Seasons, 68-18 Main St. Any
form of shellfish considered to be un-kosher.
The rest of your basic Fairway shopping needs is available
as well. A preparation of a marina sauce
using San Marzano tomatoes, a fish stock made with the fish bones and heads,
fine quality pasta, olive oil, and produce such as lemons, garlic, onions,
potatoes, parsley and basil are just some of the essentials.
Here is my idea for 10 fish dishes. 1. Fresh sardines are offered. Remove the head, tail and back bones. Drench in flour and fry. 2.
and 3. Baked flounder filets and pan fried lemon sole filets are
fabulous. 4. Bronzino is one of the
best for stuffing. Buy it whole and have
them scale, gut and remove the head and tail (Keep for the stock). 5. and 6. You can make great tasting fish
balls from cod and salmon. Have them
remove the salmon skin (stock) and grind the two fish adding mayo, Dijon
mustard and Panko bread crumbs. Roll in
small balls and fry. Use the fish balls
in a pasta dish. 7. Fish and chips
anyone? Whole red snappers are on
display. They can do the fileting and
you can keep…you know. 8. A different pasta dish using anchovy
filets. 9. Grill or pan fry fresh tuna for
an Italian style tuna salad. The fish stock will come in handy for sauces as
well as a 10. Christmas Fish Soup.
Nobody says that you have to stick to everything
done Italian style. Spruce it up with
some smoked white fish and pickled herring for appetizers. I guess that makes
12. Mangia!
