Erica De Mane

Recipes:
Seafood Salad with Lobster, Pistachios, and Lemon
Quick Shellfish Broth, to use in the sea-bass recipe
Strozzapreti with Mussels and Arugula Pesto
Whole Roasted Sea Bass with Sicilian Caper Sauce
Orange, Fennel, and Pomegranate Salad

Growing up in what I considered to be a relatively contemporary New York Italian-American family, I never had for Christmas eve dinner the seemingly endless procession of fish dishes I witnessed being prepared at the houses of my more “Italian” friends. Their feasts consisted of whole roasted eels, octopus salad, fresh anchovies, baccala, snails, scungilli, fried sardines, pasta with lobster, pasta with clams, pasta with calamari, swordfish slabs, and ten-pound whole fish with huge heads, not to mention the stuffed artichokes, stuffed tomatoes, and stuffed zucchini. All this was set out before four generations of screaming relatives. Not that that kind of gathering and gluttony wouldn’t have been a lot of fun; it just wasn’t my parents’ style. Southern Italian tradition prescribes seven, nine, or thirteen dishes on Christmas Eve, depending on the region, seven for the seven sacraments, nine for the Trinity multiplied by three, or thirteen for Jesus and his twelve disciples. My mother cooked just one fish dish, but it was always something wonderful like garlicky scampi or spaghetti with clam sauce, or my favorite, bucatini with mussels and hot pepper.

Our Christmas Eve was intimate, just parents and kids, but it always included several stray friends, like the girl down the block whose father had died when she was seven and whose mother had subsequently lost all Christmas spirit, or the chain-cigar-smoking friend of my father’s who always managed to get kicked out of his house on holidays. Dinner was served late, around 10:30 or 11. Candles played a big part in setting the atmosphere, possibly helping make up for the decided lack of explicit religious observance in our house. My mother would wear a long cocktail skirt, and an exciting sophisticated mood would fill the air.

After I moved from Long Island into Manhattan, in my early twenties, the entire family before long followed suit and left the island, my brother to Los Angeles and my parents eventually to West Palm Beach. But the family dispersal was not as dramatic for me as for some Italian-Americans, who were more accustomed to huge holiday gatherings. I had my sister living near me in the city, and before long I had a skinny WASP husband to impress with my newfound passion for Southern Italian cooking. But Christmas Eve in Manhattan soon became mostly a feast for friends. It’s amazing how many free spirits you can meet in this city and how uplifting it can be to bring them together for what in my case became more than ever a nondenominational celebration of life and friendship.

My mother always served just one spectacular fish dish, but I’ve found myself settling on three. The number has no spiritual import; it’s just what I can comfortably manage to turn out in my apartment kitchen without going nuts. Every year the dishes are slightly different, but they’ve grown to share a certain style that has now become tradition for me. I always serve a seafood salad with the cocktails. If I expect a lot of people to drop by, I’ll also make baccala mantecato, a Venetian dish of salt cod puréed with olive oil and garlic (it’s almost identical to Provencal brandade). Everyone then sits down to a pasta or rice first course that more often than not includes shellfish (I especially love pasta with mussels). Then I’ll serve a whole roasted fish, usually a sea bass but one year a huge salmon. Sometimes I’ll flavor it with black olives and tomatoes, and sometimes with garlic and fresh herbs, but I always keep it simple. Then comes the orange and fennel salad, which, in my opinion, is the best thing in the world to eat after all that fish.

What I love most about my city Christmas Eve celebration is its fluidity. Some people drop by for drinks, others stay for the whole evening. Pets are always welcome. Kids are invited, but only if they’ll tolerate squid. My friend Tobi always brings her Bedlington terrier, one year dressed in a faux-Burberry raincoat and a very Christmasy matching red-and-black plaid hat. Jay, my bartender friend, always conjures up one very fancy bottle of wine that none of us could ever have afforded to actually buy. The evening usually ends with some utterly informal dancing. I still love all the Louis Prima and Jerry Vale records my father played during our childhood Christmas Eves, and they still make their way onto the stereo.

Comparing your life now to that of your childhood is always tempting, and when you do it’s always easy to find something lacking, but I realize that my way of celebrating Christmas Eve is actually very similar to the way my family did it when I was a kid, a little fancy but free-spirited, and open to anyone with no place to go or no place they’d rather go. My father died eleven months ago after a relatively short but quite painful illness. As sad as this still is for me, it also brings an opportunity to have Christmas Eve dinner with my mother again, for the first time in many years. She has moved back to New York to be near me and my sister. This year will be a celebration of family and friends. I hope you’ll enjoy my menu too.

P.S. About wine: There is one advantage during the holidays to not having your own children. You can focus on wine instead of dessert. I always try to serve Southern Italian wines on Christmas Eve, and I’ve chosen three to go with this menu, all with very different characters. For the seafood salad I like a light, crisp Vermentino from Sardinia (it may be a bit of a stretch to call a Sardinian wine southern, but I like this one so much with cold seafood that I had to include it). For the pasta with mussels I’ve suggested Regaleali’s rosé, from Sicily, which has a gentle bitterness that is not only almost sweet with the briny mussels but complements the bitterness of the arugula as well. One of my favorite southern white wines is Fiano di Avellino, from Campania, which has a slightly honeyed edge. This beautiful wine has become a Christmas Eve tradition for me over the last few years. I always serve it with the main fish course. Feudi di San Gregorio is my favorite producer of Fiano di Avellino, and it is luckily fairly easy to find in this country.

Seafood Salad with Lobster, Pistachios, and Lemon

For me the most delicious seafood salads are ones that are simply designed, without any vinegar, raw green peppers, huge amounts of garlic, dried-pepper flakes, or any of the other harsh-tasting additions delis like to throw in. The most important ingredients are gently cooked, very fresh seafood and your best extra-virgin olive oil. I like to include just a very few flourishes. Here I’ve added pistachios, lemon zest, and a few gentle fresh herbs. For wine with it I’d select La Cala Vermentino di Sardegna, produced by Sella & Mosca.

At the end I’ve appended a recipe for a quick shellfish broth, in case you’d like to use the shells you’ll be left with to prepare one for the Whole Roasted Sea Bass with Sicilian Caper Sauce that’s part of the same menu.

(Serves 6 as an appetizer)

Sea salt
2 bay leaves, fresh if possible
2 live lobsters, approximately 2 1/2-pounds apiece
1 pound very fresh calamari, on the small side, cleaned and cut into rings, the tentacles left whole (if desired, save any trimmings for the broth for the sea-bass recipe)
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled but with the tails left on (if desired, save the peels for the broth for the sea-bass recipe)
About 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I’d ideally use a Sicilian oil like Ravida)
4 scallions, cut into thin rounds, using some of the tender green part
1 garlic clove, minced
A generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
The juice and zest from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon soy sauce (not the light variety)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup unsalted shelled pistachios
A dozen basil leaves, cut into thin strips
A few large tarragon sprigs, the leaves chopped
A small handful of flat leaf parsley leaves, lightly chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a heaping tablespoon of sea salt and the bay leaves. When the water returns to a boil, drop in the lobsters and boil them until the meat is completely cooked and tender, about 15 minutes for an approximately 2 1/2-pound lobster (cook them one at a time if you don’t have a very large pot). Remove the lobsters from the water and set them aside to cool. Return the water to a boil and add the calamari, cooking it just until it turns opaque, about 30 seconds (cooking longer will make it tough). Scoop the calamari from the water with a large strainer spoon and spread it out on a large sheet pan lined with paper towels. Return the water to a boil and add the shrimp, cooking them until they turn pink and are just tender, about 1 minute, depending on their size. Scoop them from the water and spread them out on another sheet pan lined with paper towels. Let cool.

When the lobsters are cool enough to handle, crack them open with kitchen scissors and a claw cracker, if needed. Remove all the meat from the tail and claws over a shallow pan so you can catch any juices. Cut the meat into not-too-thin slices, and, if you like, reserve the shells to make broth (below) for the sea-bass recipe.

Place all the ingredients for the salad, except the cooked seafood and the fresh herbs, into a large serving bowl. Blend well. Add the seafood and toss gently. Taste for seasoning, adding additional sea salt, black pepper, lemon, or olive oil if needed to balance the flavors. Right before serving, toss in the fresh herbs. This salad is best made about 1/2 to 1 hour before serving and not refrigerated. It can be served with slices of toasted Italian bread brushed with olive oil and eaten as a stand-up appetizer, or spooned over a bed of lightly dressed arugula or chicory for a sit down, plated first course.

Quick Shellfish Broth, to use in the sea-bass recipe:

Since you have all those shells, you may as well put them to good use. I use them for this quick broth for the sauce for the Whole Roasted Sea Bass with Sicilian Caper Sauce in the same menu. It has a gentle, sweet flavor that blends well with the capers and herbs that flavor the fish.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
The lobster shells, cracked into smaller pieces, plus any juices the lobster has given off
Any trimmings you have left from cutting the calamari (such as small tentacles you didn’t want in the salad)
The shrimp shells
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 garlic clove, mashed with the side of a knife
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the butter in a medium-size saucepan over a medium flame. Add the lobster and shrimp shells and squid trimmings, and sauté them about 3 or 4 minutes (the shrimp shells will turn pink). Add the white wine and let it reduce by half. Add the garlic and about 2 cups of cool water (depending on how you’ve broken up the lobster shells, the water may or may not cover them, but it doesn’t really matter). Bring to a boil over high heat and then turn the flame to medium and simmer at a low bubble for about 20 minutes. Strain the broth through a fine sieve and pour it into a clean saucepan. Discard all the shells. Boil the broth over high heat until it has reduced to about 1 cup. Season with salt and black pepper.

Strozzapreti with Mussels and Arugula Pesto

My favorite wine with this is Regaleali Rosato, a Sicilian rosé.

(Makes six first-course servings)

For the pesto:

1/2 cup whole blanched almonds
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1 large bunch arugula, washed, dried, and stemmed
A large handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, washed and dried
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Fiore Sardo (Sardinian Pecorino) cheese, or an aged Pecorino Toscano cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound strozzapreti (gemelli or cavatelli are other good pasta choices)

For the mussels:

3 pounds small mussels, washed and, if necessary, bearded
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
A drizzle of olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

To make the pesto, place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and grind them finely. Add the garlic, the arugula, the parsley, and the olive oil, and process briefly, just until you have a rough purée. Add the pecorino and process a few seconds to blend. Season with salt and black pepper. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap. You can make the pesto in the morning and refrigerate it, but make sure to bring it back to room temperature before dressing the pasta.

To cook the mussels, first discard any that don’t close after you’ve run them under cold water and then tapped them with your finger. Place the mussels in a large pot. Pour on the wine and add the butter and a drizzle of olive oil. Season with a few grindings of black pepper. Turn the heat to high and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the mussels open, about 4 minutes. Lift them from the pot with a large strainer spoon and place them in a bowl. Reduce the cooking liquid over high heat until about 1/2 cup remains. Strain it through a medium-mesh strainer. Shell about half the mussels, leaving the smallest ones in their shells.

Cook the strozzapreti until it is al dente, and drain it well. Place it in a large, warmed serving bowl. Add the pesto and the strained mussel-cooking liquid, and toss to coat the pasta. Add the mussels, both in an out of their shells, and toss again gently. Put into into 6 bowls, and serve right away.

Whole Roasted Sea Bass with Sicilian Caper Sauce

Make an effort to find Sicilian salt-packed capers for this dish. They are sweet and floral, with none of the harshness the brine-packed ones can have. They grow on the islands of Pantelleria, Salina, and Lipari, off Sicily, and they’re not hard to find at Italian specialty shops in America. They’re usually packed in small plastic bags, but I’ve also seen them in plastic containers. Before you use them, soak them in several changes of cool water for about an hour, to rid them of excess salt.

You might want to serve a vegetable dish on the side with this. I usually make roasted Treviso radicchio (the long, not ball-shaped, kind) on Christmas Eve. It’s in season, and it’s delicious and pretty. One medium bunch per person should do. Just trim the root ends and place the bunches in an oiled baking dish in one layer (if you can find only very large bunches, cut them in half lengthwise). Add a splash of dry white wine, a little chopped garlic, a few sprigs of chopped thyme, and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and roast uncovered at 450 degrees until the radicchio is wilted and tender, which should take about 15 minutes (you can put it in the oven along with the sea bass).

For a wine with this, I like the Fiano di Avellino made by Feudi di San Gregorio.

(Serves 6)

For the fish:

Approximately 1/2 cup olive oil
2 whole sea bass, about 3 1/2 pounds each, gutted and scaled, the heads left on
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground nutmeg
4 or 5 rosemary branches, separated into sprigs
2 lemons, cut into thin slices
2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine

For the sauce:

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 salt-packed anchovies, rinsed, filleted, soaked for 15 minutes in cool water, drained, and then chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
The zest of 1 large lemon
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A few small sprigs of fresh rosemary, the leaves chopped
1/2 cup salt-packed Sicilian capers, soaked in several changes of water for about an hour to remove their excess salt and then drained
1 cup Quick Shellfish Broth or other light fish broth (frozen is okay, but if it’s very strong and fishy use half water and half broth)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Choose a large, low-sided baking dish that will hold both fish fairly snugly. Coat the dish lightly with olive oil.

Make 2 or 3 vertical slashes on both sides of both fish, cutting about half way into the flesh. Rub the fish with olive oil, and season liberally inside and out with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle the nutmeg onto both sides of both fish. Place the rosemary sprigs in the slashes and inside the fish. Place half the lemon slices inside the fish. Place the fish in the baking dish, and arrange the remaining lemon slices around the fish. Sprinkle the fish with the vinegar, and pour the wine into the pan. Roast until the fish is just tender, about 25 to 30 minutes, depending on the fish’s size. If the dish starts to get dry during roasting, add a splash of water or a little more wine.

While the fish is roasting, make the sauce:.Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet on a medium flame. Add the shallots, and sauté them until they get soft and just start to turn golden. Add the garlic and the anchovies and sauté a minute longer, just to release their flavors but not allowing the garlic to color. Season with black pepper. Add the white wine, lemon zest, and rosemary, and boil down by half. Add the shellfish broth or fish broth and the capers, and simmer on a lively flame for a few minutes, just to blend the flavor, not to reduce the liquid. Add the butter, and let it melt into the sauce.

When the fish has 3 or 4 minutes left to roast, pour the sauce over it and return it to the oven. Check it for doneness by poking a sharp knife next to the backbone. If the flesh pulls away easily and shows no pink, it is done. To serve, remove the fish to a platter and fillet it. Spoon some sauce onto each serving. Make sure everyone gets a good amount of capers.

Orange, Fennel, and Pomegranate Salad

This time-honored Sicilian salad is in my opinion the only kind to eat after a big fish entrée. The pomegranate makes it look very Christmasy.

(Serves 6)

3 medium fennel bulbs, cored, trimmed, and very thinly sliced
4 medium oranges, peeled and all the white removed, and sliced into thin rounds
The seeds from about 1/2 a pomegranate
About 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
A pinch of ground cinnamon
Salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
A handful of fresh basil sprigs

Choose a large, festive serving platter. Place the fennel slices on the platter in one layer. Top with the orange slices in a circular pattern. Scatter on the pomegranate seeds. Cover the platter with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it until ready to serve. When serving, season with cinnamon, salt, and freshly ground black pepper, and drizzle on a generous amount of your best olive oil. Garnish with basil sprigs.