Nothing’s fishy about Santa Claus, but that doesn’t mean that there are no fish on the menu this time of year.  While you are laying out Santa’s cookie plate on Christmas Eve, many are finishing up their feast of seven fishes.  A Southern Italian tradition, celebrated in many Italian-American communities as well, the feast of seven fishes is enjoyed on Christmas Eve.  It is a Roman Catholic tradition and the menu includes from 9 to 13 seafood dishes.  If you don’t have a Nonna to orchestrate the feast, here are seven fabulous restaurants to enjoy some fresh seafood of the season.

Hearth in New York’s East Village. New York’s Lupa Osteria Romana.  Alexandria, Virginia’s Vermilion.  Chicago’s Publican .  Boston’s got a North End feast at Prezza.  In Los Angeles, Providence provides  La Viglia.  Trump SoHo’s Quattro, NYC

Photo courtesy of Hearth.

Hearth, in the East Village NYC, is like a granddaughter’s chic yet cozy NYC appartment with a modern American kitchen and every once in a while a well loved Nonna stops by or her recipes are pulled out of a special spot in the kitchen and smells rejuvinating a classic Italian heritage waft through the air.  Their Feast of Seven Fishes ($65) includes clams oreganata, salt cod, white anchovies, grilled calamari salad, shrimp and mussel stew, fried flounder, and of course a little dessert.

Photo courtesy of Lupa.

Lupa, is serving La Vigilia ($85 or $130 with wine pairings) from noon until 9:30 in addition to a limited Lupa menu on Christmas Eve.  The feast includes a crudo of red snapper with meyer lemon and aleppo pepper, fried Baccala stuffed peppers with anchovy and ricotta Fritelle and semolina sardines, a charred mackerel salad with grapefruit, risotto with manila clams and mussels, cavatelli with Maine crab, seppia and sea urchin, olive oil braised halibut, eel with fried chickpeas, swiss chard and green farro, and of course dessert.

Photo courtesy of Vermilion

Vermilion’s Feast of Seven Fishes tasting menu has something for pescetarians and vegetarians alike so that you can bring the whole family.  The five course tasting menu ($75 or $110 with wine pairings) includes chef’s seasonal canapé, a marinated seafood salad of bay scallops, shrimp and squid with kohlrabi and apples.  lobster tortelloni in a roasted shellfish broth, pan roasted Virginia rockfish with Kent Island clams and pasta, line caught Willamette Valley, OR swordfish with mushrooms and spinach and of course dessert.

Photo courtesy of Publican

Chicago’s Publican feast of seven fishes ($55) is offered a little early on December 18th and comes with a bit of a twist. Instead of the expected wine pairings Publican’s feast comes with an optional beer pairing.  The five course menu will be served Sunday, December 18th from 5 p.m. through 9 p.m.  On the menu will be a bagna cauda with crudités and fried smelt, a salad of pickled shrimp, persimmon and avocado with crostini, saffron macaroni with squid and clams, a whole roasted red snapper with mussels and dessert.  In addition, an abbreviated a la carte menu will be available.

Photo courtesy of Prezza

In Boston’s North End Italian traditions are not taken lightly and Prezza will be going all out for their Christmas Eve feast.  The five course dinner ($60) will be served from 5:00 to 9:00.  On the menu will be crispy shrimp with an Italian slaw and cherry pepper aioli, wood grilled squid and octopus with white beans, tagliatelle with scallops, shrimp, garlic and olive oil, wood grilled swordfish with saffron rice, beans and mussels and of course dessert.

If you’re not up for the entire feast of fishes then this one might be for you.  Over in Boston at Towne Stove and Spirits, Chefs Lydia Shire and Mario Capone are working together to create two special appetizers for their Christmas Eve menu which are their nod to The Feast of Seven Fishes.  The Octopus Carpaccio ($18) is served with hot cherry pepper oil, saffron aioli and crushed potato.  The Baccala (salt cod is one of the essential ingredients for the feast!) is served as a fritter ($15) with a sun dried tomato pesto and crispy capers.

Los Angeles’ Providence will be serving their Christmas Eve feast ($120 or $170 with wine pairings) from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.  The feast is inspired by the chef’s Grandmother Josephine and Great Grandmother Domenica Cimarusti. The full menu is available online but to pique your interest, at Providence you will start with a calamari salad followed by sea scallops served with black truffles.

Quattro at Trump SoHo is offering their Cena di Magro described by The Gastronaut as a lighter dinner with a focus on fish so as not to overwhelm the diner before their Christmas day feast.  It is the “lean meal” before the feast.  Some of what you will find on Quattro’s menu is the key Branzino (salt cod) served with an artichoke salad, a Peeketoe crab salad with lemon saffron aioli and chicory salad, crispy shrimp with procini mushrooms, a risotto with bay scallops, leeks and taragon, black and white taglialini with baby octopus ragu, ablack cod  with cannellini beans, and roasted Maine lobster with asparagus, lobster dumplings and a lemon emulsion.

Buon appetito and Buon Natale!