Beautiful, isn’t it? My family calls it the Holiday Seafood Feast but I call it La Grande Zuppa del Costiera Amalfitana (The Grand Soup of the Amalfi Coast), in honor on Salvatore, Marilu and the staff at Il Ritrovo who taught me this stunning recipe.
The Holidays are approaching quickly. It’s November and we are just a few short weeks from Thanksgiving. I have been thinking about the holidays and how to make it as stress free as possible. Organization is key. It is also essential to find ways to include all of the family favorites without me spending so much time in the kitchen.
The Sunday Supper Movement is doing a feature on Easy Holiday Entertaining. I saw the call for recipes and I thought it would be fun to take this opportunity to poll the family. The unanimous answer was our Holiday Seafood Stew.
Somewhere we picked up the Italian tradition of a sea food feast on Christmas Eve. I’m really not sure where it came from since the Maloney family is of Irish and German Heritage but hey, we’re American so anything is possible.
In my quest to simplify when I grew up and was the mistress of my own kitchen I paired it down to a one dish. It was originally made with seven types of seafood but it got to the point I would use whatever looked good at the seafood counter.
The dish evolved when I began an annual trek to the Amalfi Coast. When I spend a few weeks living and working amongst my Italian family, I am amazed at the simplicity of the food they prepare. The holiday seafood feast has developed into my rendition of one of the most elegant dishes at Il Ritrovo, their restaurant in the hills above Positano: La Grande Zuppa del Costiera Amalfitana (The Grand Soup of the Amalfi Coast). Sadly, I’ve not been there on Christmas to see their traditions but I have adopted their signature dish to celebrate our Holiday.
A Grand Seafood Feast
La Grande Zuppa del Costiera Amalfitana is a dish I've made so many times in the Amalfi Coast. It's perfect for any celebration, so easy to make and one of the most elegant dishes you could ever have! Feel free to modify the seafood selections to your preferances. You really can't go wrong with this dish!
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2-3 Cloves Garlic Finely Chopped
- 2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes cut in half or quarters
- 2 Tablespoons plus 2 Teaspoons Finely Chopped Parsley divided
- ½ - 1 Teaspoon Crushed Red Chile flakes
- 1 1/2 Cups to 2 White Wine
- ½ - 1 Cup Water or more Wine...
- Salt White Pepper
- 4 lb Red Snapper Sea bass or other mild white Fish Fillets, about ½
- 8-12 Shrimp cleaned & deveined
- 8-12 Clams/Mussels or both
- 1 lb Calamari &/or Octopus cleaned and sliced
Instructions
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In a large Paella pan with a lid or something similar, combine the olive oil and garlic and sauté until the garlic turns golden, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, chile flakes, white wine and water and season with salt. Bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat down, carefully add the fish fillets to the pan, and then turn them to coat with the cooking liquid. Cover with the lid and cook for 5 minutes then add the remaining seafood. Cover the pan and simmer until the shrimp turn pink and the clams open. Season with salt, garnish with remaining parsley. Serve immediately in shallow bowls that have been warmed or right from the pan. Grilled or toasted bread sgoes great with this!
Recipe Notes
You be the judge of how much sauce to have. We like lots to sop up with crusty bread.
This recipe serves 4. Feel free to divide the recipe into smaller pans. I do because my pans are small. This also makes a great dish for a romantic dinner, cut the portions in half and it serves two perfectly!
When I met my husband and blended our family’s my tradition was interrupted. Christmas Eve is the time his family gathers for the season. We have a buffet and sing Christmas carols with the Heidler’s. It’s really nice and it was no problem to move this holiday dinner to another day. We always have it during the holidays, usually a few times since it’s one of our most requested dishes. It’s a favorite anytime of year.
The dish is easily revised to serve two as you see here, or can be doubled to serve 8. The only thing you may have to do is find a pan big enough! This dish takes less than hour to prepare, even if you have to shell the shrimp. Add a salad for the first course, some crusty bread, a bottle of wine and you have a party.
Beverages
- Caramel Coffee by Party Food & Entertaining
- Christmas Cranberry Mojitos by Our Good Life
- European-Style Hot Chocolate by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate by My San Francisco Kitchen
- Pomegranate Sangria by The Redhead Baker
- Spiced Hot Milk Brandy by Nosh My Way
Appetizers
- Christmas Cranberry Dip by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
- Festive Shrimp Bites by The Freshman Cook
- Hot Crab Dip by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
- Krayl’s Easy Holiday Cheese Board by An Appealing Plan
- Mini Cheese Balls by Books n’ Cooks
- Pear Pancetta Goat Cheese Appetizer Bites by Food Done Light
- Beer Pull Apart Bread by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Ranch Buffalo Chicken Dip by Table for Seven
- Shrimp Puffs by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Smoked Salmon Dip by Palatable Pastime
- Smoked Salmon Shooters by Amee’s Savory Dish
- Spiced Nuts by Confessions of a Cooking Diva
- Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Dip by The Complete Savorist
- Ultimate Taco Dip by Momma’s Meals
Main and Side Dishes
- Fruited Wild Rice by Magnolia Days
- Harvest Roast Chicken with Grapes, Olives, and Potatoes by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Holiday Seafood Fest (La Grande Zuppa del Costiera Amalfitana) by Monica’s Table
- Make ahead Parmesan Mashed Potatoes by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Pasta With Duck Sugo by The Food Hunter’s Guide to Cuisine
Desserts and Baked Goods
- Apple Brown Betty by Curious Cuisiniere
- Apple Panna Cotta by Caroline’s Cooking
- Banana Coconut Lime Bundt Cake by Desserts Required
- Chocolate Sheet Cake by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies by Take A Bite Out of Boca
- Gluten Free Key Lime Tartlets by Gluten Free Crumbley
- Grown Up Peppermint Bark with Sambuca by Lifestyle Food Artistry
- Microwave Carob Fudge by Pies and Plots
- Orange and Dark Chocolate Chunk Scones by The Texan New Yorker
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread by Ruffles & Truffles
Plus a No Stress Party Checklist and Recipes for Easy Entertaining by Sunday Supper
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Seafood soups and stews are perfect for the holidays. Yours looks delicious!
I can’t wait to try your Shrimp puffs they will make the perfect appetizer for the holiday season.
This really is a holiday feast
It’s the family favorite and it’s so easy!
I’d love a big bowl of this with a hunk of crusty French bread please!
I forgot the bread once and it wasn’t pretty.
I’m with Sue! This is my kind of meal—and with some French bread, I’d be in heaven!!!
Yes, crusty bread is required :).
You are now officially in first place for the recipe I most want to try from this week. Oh my goodness…what a feast!!
You are so sweet! When you try it let me know how it turns out.
My husband’s family is Italian and has the Christmas Eve seafood tradtion. Now I’ll be able to wow them all with your amazing dish. Thank you! (here’s me earning daughter-in-law points)
Let me know how it turns out and good luck with the DIL!
This is my kind of meal, anytime of year!
Gorgeous photography, as always Monica!
I think my family would really love this dish. We love seafood and this sounds like a great comfort food.
My favorite fish stew is called Lazy Fisherman’s Ciopinno at Scoma’s at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. And I am so looking forward to meal there in the next couple of weeks. I’ve never tried making a fish stew like yours or a ciopinno. They seem intimidating to me. 🙂 Maybe one day.
I love Scoma’s! I wish I could join you. We love the Ciopinno as well and differs a bit from the recipe here.