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Feast of the Seven Fishes

Food · Religious · December 24

The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italian American Christmas Eve tradition built around a long dinner of many seafood dishes.

Feast of the Seven Fishes falls on Thursday, December 24, 2026. That is 58 days away.

A table crowded with seafood is the heart of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian American tradition held on Christmas Eve. Families gather for one long meal made almost entirely of fish and shellfish, often served in waves rather than all at once.

The custom grew out of the Catholic practice of abstaining from meat on the eve of certain feast days, including Christmas. Fish was allowed, so cooks made the most of it. In many Italian American homes that meal became the main event of the holiday.

The number seven is a family matter more than a rule. Some households serve exactly seven dishes, some serve more, and plenty count loosely. Common choices include fried smelts, baked clams, calamari, shrimp, linguine with clams, and baccala, which is salt cod soaked in water before cooking. Anchovies often show up too, sometimes tucked into a pasta sauce.

The cooking usually starts early in the day, and the eating goes on for hours. Relatives take turns at the stove, someone guards the fryer, and the recipes are often the ones a grandparent made. Nobody seems to agree on which dishes count, and that argument is part of the evening.

Baccala takes planning, since it needs to soak for a day or more with the water changed several times to draw out the salt.

Ways to celebrate

• Cook one seafood dish from an Italian American family recipe.
• Ask an older relative which fish their family always served.
• Try baccala, remembering to start soaking it a day or two ahead.
• Share a plate of fried calamari or smelts with neighbors.

Dates

All national days on December 24

Also on December 24

• Christmas Eve
• National Eggnog Day
• Last-Minute Shopper's Day

Categories: Food daysReligious days