Zuppa di Pesce on CT Style with Ryan, Teresa & Bella!

What an exciting day at the WTNH studio with Ryan, Teresa and my daughter Bella! Bella and her TV Studio class came in as guests to watch my cooking segment. Ryan, himself, gave them a tour making their experience extra special! It was a busy day in the studio so Bella’s class got to see a lot of action. Ryan and Teresa then invited them on camera for the finally of my segment! It was so nice to share what I do with my daughter and have her there first hand.

Zuppa di Pesce or The Feast of 7 Fishes was the theme of this cooking segment. I know we are already planning for the next holidays so wanted to share this really delicious Italian Christmas Eve tradition with you. Many families cook up a variety of fish and some have a specfic number to which there is a significant religious meaning. For example, the number 7 is the most frequently used number in the Bible, Earth was created is 7 days, there are 7 deadly sins, 7 sacraments or it could represent the 7 hills that surround Rome. Some families have 10 fishes for the 10 stations of the cross, and some have 13 fishes to represent the 12 Apostles and Jesus. What ever the number of fish you have it is supposed to serve as a lighter fare the night before the feast on Christmas day.

Serving this Zuppa di Pesce over linguine is my favorite way to eat it. It is also scrumptious served with garlic bread or sour dough toasts. Don’t get this dish confused with Cioppino. The tomato/wine sauce base is the same between the two dishes but the fish are different. Cioppino has Dungeness crab and Zuppa di Pesce has the lobster. Basically, you use what ever fish is native to your area.

You may want to try a nice light and lemony dessert like Lemon Mousse with Ginger Cookie crumble or Berries in a Dreamy Cream, Death by Chocolate Meringue Pie, Thin Mint Chocolate Mousse Pie or Saltine Christmas Bark! Enjoy & Happy Holidays!

Zuppa di Pesce or The Feast of 7 Fishes

Evitic Ingredients: Serves 6 -8 people

2-3 lbs. mussels (or small clams)
1 lb. shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 lb. scallops
½- ¾ lb. halibut, cod, snapper, salmon or similar cut into 2 “ cubes
1/4 lb. calamari rings
1 1/4 lb. pre-cooked lobster, shelled and sliced up into 1” pieces- NOTE: this is the only fish that is pre-cooked
1 can chopped Snows Canned Clams
1 -28 oz. can peeled whole tomatoes
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 c. white wine
1 c. red wine
2- 8 oz. bottles clam juice
½ c. finely diced Vidalia onion- 1 small onion
¼ c. finely diced celery (1 stalk)
¼ c. grated carrot (1 carrot)
4 lg garlic cloves, smashed to sauté
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper for flavoring flour, plus ½ tsp salt to taste
1 bay leaf
½ c. freshly chopped parsley
¼ c. chopped basil
½ tsp ground, dried Italian seasonings
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp red pepper flakes or to taste
1 lb. linguine pasta cooked to al-dente

Directions: Approx. 45-60 minutes to prep and cook

Add 2-3 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. butter to large pot and begin to sauté crushed garlic cloves for 3 minutes
Add in onion, celery and carrots and sauté until translucent approx. 7 minutes on medium heat
De-glaze with 1/3 c. red wine and let reduce 1 minute
Put these sautéed veggies into food processor with the whole peeled tomatoes and puree
Add back to large pan with 2 tbsp. tomato paste, Italian seasonings, sugar and red pepper flakes, mix to combine
Add in white wine, red wine and clam broth and bring to a simmer for 25-60 minutes on low bubbling simmer, the longer you simmer the more the developed flavor
Begin to add fish to the simmering tomatoes …first the cod, simmer 2 minutes
Then add in the raw shrimp, scallops, calamari and top with mussels
Stir to combine before the fish begins to cook thru then…DO NOT STIR as the white flaky fish will fall apart
COVER to help the steam cook all the fish
Bring back to a low simmer for 3-8 minutes until all the mussels open
Then add in the pre-cooked sliced lobster just to warm thru
Garnish with parsley and basil and a drizzle of olive oil and serve with linguine or serve in a shallow bowl with garlic bread or slices of toasted sour dough…mmmm!