Christmas Seafood Platter

[andre_freshcatch]

Hello,

I have recently joined a business that delivers fresh seafood (caught on the same day!) straight to your door. We are currently working on a Christmas Seafood Box to treat some of our customers with.

I thought I would ask, as fish lovers, what are some of the things you would like to see in there? We will be scaling the portion size to feed 4, 6, or 8 people, so the actual quantity is not so important, but some sort of ratio would be helpful.

So, what do you guys think would make the best selection?

 

[buckytom]

Welcome, Andre.

Well, since it's the Christmas season, a good start would be a lot of white fleshed fish and seafood. The Italian tradition of La Vigilia, which became a looser tradition in Italian American homes who call it the Festa dei Sette Pesce, is one on Christmas eve where a family eats 7 dishes consisting of primarily white fishes and seafood. The number 7 is supposed to represent several things, including the 7 sacraments of Roman Catholicism, the 7 days that God made the world, or even the 7 hills of Rome.
The most common one I heard was about the 7 sacraments, so therefore the fishes should be white to represent purity.

So, fish like cod (although salt cod is traditional - not exactly your baliwick of fresh fish), whiting, anchovies, sardines, and flounder are very popular. Also, seafood like shrimp, squid, octopus, clams, lobster, scallops, and conch.

I guess it doesn't have to be pure white, but that's the idea.

Many of my friends of Italian descent talk about the challenge of trying to figure out what 7 fish and seafood dishes they will try to get in on Cristmas eve. A common joke is about cheating by putting 3 or 4 in one dish such as a zuppa di pesce.

My family (no Italian blood) has a tradition of fried flounder, shrimp cocktail, mackerel or smoked salmon on crackers, clams and scallops fra diavolo, and fiskeboller and lutefisk.

My mom and I the only ones who eat the latter dishes as an homage to our scandinavian roots.

Hth.

 

[CraigC]

Since you are in New Zealand, it would be hard to supply most of us with seafood of choice. Locally, lobster, blue crab, oysters, clams and stonies are in season. Grouper, cobia, mutton and red snapper and hogfish are on. Uni are also available. Don't know if abalone is in season there. but I have a 7# red in my freezer that a California friend gave me.

 

[buckytom]

Lol, I hadn't noticed Andre's location.

Still, it could be a selling point. Sheep are Catholic, right. I mean, Jesus said walk like a sheep among wolves, right?

And Australians?

 

[CraigC]

Lol, I hadn't noticed Andre's location.

Still, it could be a selling point. Sheep are Catholic, right. I mean, Jesus said walk like a sheep among wolves, right?

And Australians?

I've been to Devonport and could see Auckland across the harbor/bay. Never want to make that flight again.

 

[CakePoet]

And in Sweden Christmas fish, is pickled ( herring 20 different flavours), smoked ( eel, salmon , herring) or lutefisk ( lye fish) and none of that is fresh.