What's On Bobby Flay's Christmas Eve Menu This Year

You might have somehow missed it, but the Christmas holiday is ho ho hoing with increasing intensity. Bobby Flay and his daughter, Sophie Flay, however, are very aware of it. In fact, they spent a good time during the latest episode of their podcast "Always Hungry" brainstorming about all the seafood, specifically the seven dishes, they will have for Christmas Eve.

There'll be some kind of fish centerpiece featuring either a red snapper or striped bass. Bobby toyed with the idea of branzino, but decided it was too small. After showing off the whole fish, Flay will filet it and cover it in a sauce. Again, he was torn between either a salsa verde or lemon-flavored caper vinaigrette. With it will be a pasta dish, a white bean risotto made with cannellini beans, Parmesan Reggiano, broccoli rabe, and tomato confit, and more seafood. This time it will be shrimp, crab, and lobster. Saffron will also be included to add that extra edge. Then there's the razor clam salad.

Bobby also agreed to prepare some fried squid at Sophie's request, as well as swordfish with picante sauce and grilled oysters, which he'll lather with Brooke Williamson's habanero hot sauce and butter. "Sophie, the world is your grilled oyster. I mean, you can have whatever you want for Christmas Eve," Bobby said.

The effort that went into making a Christmas Eve dinner of seven seafood dishes might suggest to some that there's a tradition involved. Sophie and Bobby were planning this seafood menu. It didn't just happen out of enthusiasm for seafood. And, there is indeed a tradition. 

According to Eataly, one of the most Italian American traditions in the United States is the Feast of Seven Fishes. The tradition arises from the fact that Roman Catholics abstain from meat on the day before a feast. The seven part probably comes from the Church's love of the number seven, such as the seven sacraments and the seven deadly sins. However, Bobby might be cheating somewhat as the very traditional fasting includes dairy products, like cheese and butter. But it's up to them how they celebrate their holiday and it's easy to get carried away in the enthusiasm of the family meal to come.