Feast of seven fishes

Italian chefs gather to celebrate a Christmas culinary tradition

It's a scene out of the film "Big Night," as knives chop, wrists flip, and dishes take shape on a 22-burner stove and adjacent grill. The friends, all chefs, are preparing a Feast of Seven Fishes on a recent day at Caturano's North End restaurant, Prezza. The narrow work space is whisk-to-tongs as each chef prepares a course for a meal they will later share.

For these Italian chefs the Feast of Seven Fishes is the highlight of their culinary calendar, and they're happy to be sharing recipes, workspace, and later, lunch. The feast is a Christmas Eve tradition that has spread from southern Italy to Italian homes throughout the United States. Though theories abound on its origins, the feast probably derives from the centuries-old Catholic tradition of eating only fish on Fridays and certain holy days. Why seven courses? Perhaps for the seven sacraments, the seven days of the week, the seven virtues, the seven hills of Rome - take your pick.

What really matters, to those who celebrate the feast, is the gathering of family and friends over a delicious dinner. "It's my favorite holiday," says Christine Pallotta, who along with her sister owns Nebo. "We grew up in the North End, where everyone did the Feast of Seven Fishes." Though the sisters are chefs, their 74-year-old mother refuses any help with the feast, preparing it all herself. "She's insulted if we go in her kitchen," says Christine Pallotta.

Today at Prezza, it's Dante de Magistris who stops the show. His course is the wood-grilled eel, and the guest of honor is preparing to meet his maker. De Magistris has done this a million times; he's completely unfazed as he asks for a cleaver. Besides, he has sedated the eel with white wine.

Some around him, however, brace themselves. Whack! People jump. A few shriek. There are four more loud whacks, and the 2-foot eel is now divided into six pieces. Chef humor takes over.

Susi notes that the eel is "waving goodbye," and indeed, a couple of minutes after execution, its tail is still waving in the air.


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