Christmas Eve tradition in Italian families includes a meatless meal called the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
There are many explanations offered for the significance of the number seven. Some say it is for the number of Catholic sacraments, others claim that the seven days of creation is the inspiration for the tradition.
The night is called La Viglia, the vigil Catholics observe as they await the celebration of the birth of Christ. There is pasta on the table in addition to dishes filled with vegetables sitting among the seafood delicacies, some of which aren't commonly on a restaurant menu.
Baccalà, is an Italian salted cod. It is popular in Portugese and Greek traditional meals as well. Baccala is most associated with the province of Calabria in southern Italy, just north of the island of Sicily.
Scungilli are very large marine snails, served chilled in an insalata di mare or hot in a marinara sauce. The meat of the warm-water variety also known as conch is a delicacy of the Caribbean and Mexico.
Shell fish such as clams or mussels are prepared either as a standalone dish or included as part of the sauce over pasta.
Shrimp fra diavolo is also a popular pasta dish that uses seafood. Translated as "brother devil", the recipe calls for hot and spicy sauce poured over linguine, spaghettini or other thin pasta varieties.
Combined with large fish dishes, such as salmon, trout, tuna or snapper, the traditional Christmas Eve menu has something for everyone. Wine, bread and after dinner fruits, nuts and desserts top off a long evening.
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