That tradition, a very Italian one at that, is the Feast of the Seven Fishes. New York Times Food Columnist Melissa Clark stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about how it was a very big deal to create it with her ex-husband. She still loves the feast (and the guy!) but makes it simpler now because her ex-mother-in-law isn't around to assist in the preparation. Instead, Melissa bakes up the feast in a pie! She uses a variety of fish in the pie, along with clam juice and seafood like scallops and shrimp, combined with pre-made puff pastry. It's a new take on a Christmas classic.
Melissa's got a lot of new ideas for you to try. She puts out a newsletter called What to Cook. You can sign up for it in the New York Times Cooking Section
Merry Christmas from all of us at Tonia's Kitchen
- 6tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2large leeks, white and light green parts only, halved and thinly sliced (4 cups)
- 2teaspoons kosher salt
- 1garlic clove, minced
- 2anchovies, minced
- ½cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
- ¼cup all-purpose flour, more for rolling out pastry
- ¾cup chicken stock
- ½cup clam juice
- 1pound mixed mild fish fillets, cut into 1¼-inch thick cubes (such as cod and pollock)
- ½pound large shelled shrimp (16 to 20 count)
- ½pound large sea scallops, side muscle removed
- 1cup frozen peas
- 1tablespoon chopped tarragon
- 1tablespoon chopped parsley
- 2tablespoons drained capers, chopped
- 1large egg
- 1pound puff pastry, thawed
- 1cup sour cream, for serving (optional)
- 1ounce salmon or trout roe or other caviar (optional)
Step 1
Butter a shallow 1½-quart baking dish or casserole. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then stir in leeks and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook until soft, stirring frequently, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and anchovies and cook 1 minute, until the anchovies dissolve. Add wine and bring to a boil, then let simmer until the wine evaporates almost completely. Remove from heat and scrape into a heatproof bowl.
Step 2
In the same skillet, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook until pale golden, 1 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in chicken stock and clam juice, and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. Simmer for 1 to 3 minutes until very thick (it will thin out as it bakes), then remove from heat.
Step 3
Pat the fish cubes, shrimp and scallops dry. Stir them into the sauce along with the sautéed leeks, peas, tarragon, parsley, capers and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Spoon mixture into prepared dish.
Step 4
Chill uncovered, for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight.
Step 5
Before baking, heat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together egg with 1 teaspoon water. On a lightly floured surface, unroll pastry dough. Roll it ⅛-inch thick. Use a fish cutter or paring knife to cut out a fish from the center of dough. (Alternatively, you can cut circles from the dough and overlap them on top of the pie to look like fish scales).
Step 6
Place pastry on top of pie and trim edges, but don’t seal them (sealing impinges on the puffing). Brush egg wash all over pastry.
Step 7
Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. If you like, spoon the sour cream into a shallow dish, top it with the trout roe and serve it on the side for guests to add to the pie. Or spoon the caviar into the fish cutout on top of the pie and serve sour cream on the side.
