After surviving another Feast of the Seven Fishes here in Italy (the meal typically celebrated in Italy and now all over the world for Christmas Eve with many seafood dishes) I wanted to jot down some quick tips on cooking seafood many different ways. Everyone always seems puzzled as to what to make and how to make it. These are some quick, easy tips to help, but not only for the Feast of the Seven Fishes all year round seafood dishes too! These are the principal 5 ways to cook specific types of seafood and fish.

Alla Brace (usually refers to cooking in a fireplace or wood burning oven -over wood or coal)

Fish that has firm meat inside like tuna, are perfect for cooking this way,not all fish can hold up to this cooking method.

You can add a sort of aroma and splash with white or red wine or seafood broth to reinforce the perfume of the herbs/spices added. Choose a double sided grill that will make turning the fish easier.

Alla Griglia ( grilled)

If you are going to grill fish you shouldn’t scale it, the skin protects the delicate meat of the fish from the intense heat of the grill. Before placing on the grill, dry the fish well with paper towels.,even if it has been soaking in a marinade. Don’t overcook the fish. For example, sardines cook for only 1 minute on each side, for a sea bass-10 minutes per side. A large fish should be cooked slowly and drizzled with oil every so often to keep it moist.

Alla Mugnaia (a la meuniere- a French cooking term that means lightly dusted with flour and sauteed with butter)

A whole fish or one that has delicate meat inside like Sole should first be sauteed in a saute pan with butter, then cooked over medium heat. In general, most fish can be lightly salted and breaded before cooking. The cooking time varies from between 2-3 minutes per side.

Fritto (Fried)

Fish best fried are small fish or those cut into smaller pieces or those like cod and sole. Always dry the fish before frying, coat with flour and dust with breadcrumbs. Oil should be hot but not smoking and should also be in an abundant quanttity. Avoid keeping the breaded fish in the pan for too long a time, After cooking remove and place on absorbent paper or paper towels to absorb the oil.

Al Forno (Baked) best to cook medium or large fish this way. You can also flavor the fish with flavorful spices and/or herbs or herb butter,broth, white wine. And if the fish is big enough you can also bake it stuffed with bread crumbs or shrimp or crab meat. In the oven, you can also cook smaller fish in parchment paper

Read more on Five Easy Ways to Cook Fish

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I love having a kitchen full of people to cook for, but every now and again I love to relax..and cook for one..Me! I can create something just for me! Today was one of those days, and a frittata is one of my favorite things to make for one…fun, easy and not too many utensils needed..only a bowl for the eggs, one cutting board for veggies, one pan.

The 8″ saute pan from Beka Cookware (one of our 2010 Annual Holiday Guide Picks) has become one of my favorites in the kiitchen. I keep it in close proximity to the range. It’s a stylish piece to add to the kitchen but also is the first 100% ‘green’ cookware. No chemicals are used in the manufacturing of  the pan-so no one is harmed when producing the pan or cooking with it. And since it is coated with a patented ceramic coating and non-stick- my frittata comes out of  the pan..picture perfect. And it can also safely be put into the oven to finish that frittata.

Here is my ‘cooking for one’ (or maybe two) frittata:

Frittata Dell’Orto (Garden Style Frittata)

*2 fresh eggs

1 zucchini sliced

1/2 small eggplant cubed

1 small potato cubed

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove

1 shallot chopped finely

pinch of rosemary

1 tsp of fresh parsley chopped

pinch of salt and pepper

Peel potato and boil in boiling water for 5 minutes, remove ,cool, cut into cubes.  Place 1 tablespoon of  extra virgin olive oil in Beka 8″ saute pan, place in finely chopped shallot and whole garlic clove. Saute for 2 minutes. Place in cubed eggplant, sliced zucchini,,cubed potatoes. Saute for 5 minutes over medium heat, remove garlic clove.  Break eggs into bowl and whisk with wire whisk. Pour over vegetables, sprinkle in rosemary, parsley, pinch of salt and pepper. Saute till edges are firm and middle is firm. Toss onto another plate or place in oven preheated to 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Remove from pan. This is a generous portion for on, and could be enough for an unexpected guest!

For more recipes, get your coy of the book selected as the Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA

The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holiday & Special Occasions-2nd edition now with an added chapter on the Feast of the Seven Fishes

Buon Natale as I am writing here from my office high in the mountains of Abruzzo. Yesterday was a whirlwind of Christmas celebrations-from Rome to Umbria and Abruzzo.

The culinary tour I am hosting here will get to be part of many special events not to mention the Holiday cooking classes of traditional Christms dishes and a wine pairing at a vineyard in Umbria..

Although I am on a whirlwind of going back and forth between Umbria and Abruzzo- I was able to fit in a ‘vigilia’ ( christmas Eve) dinner was filled with many fish dishes. Though many of you are still emailing my assistant for this article about the traditional seven fishes Christmas dnner-here it is http://www.gomestic.com/Cooking/Traditional-Italian-Feast-of-the-Seven-Fishes.58592

But I have been doing some research of my own on this ‘tradition’ that many seem to be fascinated with especially in the US- and have come to the conclusion that eating a variety of fish dishes on Christmas Eve is the tradition. The part about the seven fishes may well be something that our grandparents and-or great grandparents who came to the US when they were young teens- began as a tradition in the US.   The households questioned in many parts of Italy are not at all familiar with the seven fishes dinner. So it could also have been a very old tradition from the late 1880′s or early 1900′s…

And all of the fish dishes served are light dishes using fresh fish, no heavy tomato sauces, dishes ranging from Clam Casino to seafood salad to fresh pasta with seafood in a light tomato sauce to fritto misto (fresh fish dipped in flour and then  flash fried lightly)… Delicious and authentically Italian using only the freshest and best ingredients.

Wishing you all the best and brightest of Holidays..Stay tuned for recipes and photos from the culinary tour to Umbria, and side events in Rome and Abruzzo.

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene

Maria

For more recipes get your copy of the best seling book  The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com