A Spin On A Neapolitan Feast

The Neapolitans have a very set and traditional Christmas Eve meal.It is a centuries old fish dinner featuring twelve different kinds of seafood.Anyone can recreate this on Christmas Eve.In fact a few new twists can be thrown in to liven it up. Melissa Clark covered this in her A Good Appetite in today's New York Times Wednesday Dining section.She uses traditional squid, but instead of it being the breaded calamari ,it is a fried squid with a tangy Thai sauce.instead of serving it with tomato sauce ,Ms Clark has it with Asian fish sauce and fiery bits of jalapeno peppers. Some families do serve an entire fish but it's usually cod or as it's called baccala. She also suggests aa big fish because it's easier to debone.Choices include sea bass or Atlantic char.Mussels are also usua Ly served and Ms Clark gives them a more Provencale spin with garlic and butter. For different twists Ms Clark whips up drool worthy potato chips topped with a lemon infused sour cream and caviar. this would male an excellent appetizer, even for a holiday party.Another good horsd'ouevre is a hot crab and oyster dip on bruschetta.This is a tasty meld of the two seafoods mixed with jalapeño and a variety of cheeses.The fish can even be served as a side dish with an anchovy mustard vinaigrette over arugula and radicchio.Anchovies are blended with Dijon mustard and garlic to create a unique and savory dressing. Nothing is more traditional than the feast of fishes.There can be centuries old recipes but there can also be new ones.It's a great way of preserving one's culture while showcasing some awesome seafood.

Catches Of The Day

Homemade seafood dishes are always tricky to make. They can come out too oily or too dry. The meat is sometimes too tender and can turn to mush thanks to the wrong recipe. Luckily yesterday's New York Times Dining section helps with this situation. The two sections, City Kitchen and A Good Appetite tackle a crab salad and roasted fish. Thanks to these two gems, seafood novices can create perfect and delicious dishes.

Dave Tanis conquers crab salad in his City Kitchen column. Crab salad, is one of those throwbacks to Mid Century American cooking where it was made with huge dollops of mayo and lemon.It was then served on a bland leaf of iceberg lettuce with either a tomato or lemon wedge as decoration. Mr. Tanis updates it for the 21st Century. He first starts with Dungeness crab, perfect because it is the season for them on their native California coast. Instead of the traditional mayonnaise he starts with a double boiled dressing ,made with cream , egg yolks and lemon juice. He then adds olive oil and Dijon mustard for more flavor. This goes over a  salad of fresh lump crab along with the nontraditional Belgian endive, chicory , radicchio and arugula. The salad  is a perfect Sunday brunch dish or a Saturday luncheon with the girls one.

The next is from Melissa Clark, In her  A Good Appetite  column, she tackles roasted sea bass. She adds a spicy and fiery twist with lime salsa verde. Ms. Clark does offer very good advice on picking a good fish.Look it in the eye .If the eyes are cloudy and sunken, don't buy it .If they're clear and bright, it means the fish is a fresh catch and perfect for cooking. Also, although this sounds clicheish, the smell, is another important  factor  in purchasing it. Newly caught does not have an odor.There should be some kind of one however it should  be clean and saline smelling  and not fishy. Another good tip she offers is having the fishmonger lop off  the head if you or your guests are squeamish about dinner staring up at you. Each fish should weigh up to one and a half pounds as well. A  fish such as a sea bass should be roasted at 450 degrees for fifteen minutes tops.don;t over cook, because it'll result in a platter of dried. splintered meat.

Fish dishes are not difficult. In fact , they are easy to prepare and cook. Don't be afraid to try them and miss out on some truly delicious dining.