5 Easy Italian Christmas Eve Dinner Recipes

If you're hosting Christmas Eve, use 5 easy Italian Christmas Eve dinner recipes! Italian Christmas Eve celebrations center around seafood. The reason for this is the Feast of the Seven Fishes, festa dei sette pesci, an Italian-American tradition that originated in southern Italy. It commemorates the wait for the birth of the baby Jesus. Get ready to stock up on olive oil!

1. Fried Calamari

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 to 1 pound calamari sliced into rings
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Enough vegetable oil to fill bottom of heavy skillet to 1/2"

1. Clean the calamari and refrigerate.
2. Mix the flour, paprika and cayenne.
3. Heat the oil to 375 degrees.
4. Toss a handful of calamari at a time with flour, and shake off the excess.
5. Fry the calamari for three to four minutes.
6. Drain the calamari on paper towels.

2. Scungilli Salad

Ingredients:

• 29 ounces scungilli (conch)
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 cup sliced black olives 
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Drain and clean the scungilli.
2. Remove any cartilage from the scungilli, then thinly slice.
3. Toss all ingredients in a large bowl.
4. Refrigerate, then serve chilled.

3. Fried Baccala

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds dried baccala (cod)
• Flour for breading, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup olive oil.

1. Soak the baccala in water in the refrigerator for three days. Change the water three times per day.
2. Drain the baccala.
3. Dredge the baccala with flour.
4. Heat the oil on medium-high in a skillet.
5. Fry the baccala for two minutes on each side.

4. Linguine alla Vongole

Ingredients:

• 1 pound linguine
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves chopped garlic
• 2 pounds minced clams 
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• One pinch red pepper flakes
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Grated parmigiano-reggiano to taste
• Ground black pepper to taste

1. Sauté the garlic in oil over medium-high heat, until the garlic starts to sizzle.
2. Stir in the parsley and red pepper.
3. Stir in the liquid from the clams. Cover it, and cook over low heat for four minutes.
4. Add the clams and wine. Stir occasionally for one minute.
5. Remove the sauté from the heat.
6. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil, add a tablespoon salt and drop in the pasta all at once, stirring until the strands are submerged.
7. Cook the pasta to molto al dente.
8. Drain the pasta.
9. Return the clams to medium heat, add the pasta, and cook the pasta to al dente.
10. Stir in the butter and serve hot.

5. Mussel Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds fresh mussels
• 1/2 cup olive oil; 2 garlic cloves
• 1 red pepper, seeded
• 1 cup tomatoes
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons chopped parsley

1. Scrub the mussels.
2. Rinse the mussels carefully under running water.
3. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
4. Add the garlic and red pepper. Sauté the mixture over medium heat until the garlic starts to brown.
5. Add the tomatoes and wine.
6. Cook the mixture for five minutes.
7. Add the mussels and salt, cover it, and cook for five minutes over medium-high heat.
8. Add the parsley and stir.