This Salmon Rillettes spread is a totally delicious mixture of poached salmon, peppery smoked salmon, a lot of spiciness, and a little butter.
This is the perfect first course for the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
What is the Feast of the Seven Fishes you ask?
It's an Italian American Christmas Eve meal that takes the Catholic "fish on Fridays" to another level. Southern Italian immigrants brought the tradition of having a fish feast on Christmas Eve to the United States. Here it became the Feast of the Seven (at least) Fishes. You can read more about the traditionhere.
I think it would be so cool to recreate this feast on Christmas Eve!
Along with our hosts, Heather fromAll Roads Lead to the KitchenandLora from Savoring Italy, some bloggers have gotten together to share menu ideas for your Seven Fishes feast. Along with the traditional seven fish and seafood dishes, we've included some side dishes, a palate cleanser, a dessert, and a co*cktail.
My contribution is the appetizer, salmon rillettes.
Rillettes spread was originally a French appetizer of meat, usually pork, cooked in fat and then shredded and chilled into a spread. It can be made from meat, poultry, rabbit, or fish. In this case, the method was applied to salmon by adding butter to the mixture. The rillettes spread is usually served with bread, bruschetta, crostini, crackers, or toast points. It is definitely an elegant addition to a co*cktail party, and definitely perfect for the first course of The Feast of the Seven Fishes.
Salmon rillettes include both poached salmon and smoked salmon along with the butter. It is traditionally packed into a canning jar, but any small serving dish will do.
I pretty much had this spread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for about 3 days, and never got tired of it. This will definitely be one of my "go-to" appetizer recipes from now on. The combination of the salmons, the veggies, spices, and aromatics is amazing. So elegant with baguette slices.
I poached the salmon in Italian vermouth flavored with chili peppers, bay leaf, peppercorns, coriander, and green onions. For the smoked salmon, I used black pepper coho smoked salmon. I minced a large shallot and a half of a jalpeno and added it to the mixture. So good.
After the recipe, you'll find the rest of the recipes for an amazing Feast of the Seven Fishes.
Salmon Rillettes Recipe
Ingredients
1 lemon
1/2 cup vermouth
1/2 cup water
1 bay leaf
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced in half, one half minced
5 to 10 white peppercorns
5 to 10 coriander seeds
2 to 3 green onions, cut into 3 inch slices
salt
1/2 pound salmon fillet, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
6 ounces smoked salmon (I used peppered coho smoked salmon)
3 tablespoons unsalted and softened butter
Salt and pepper
1 large shallot, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp pink peppercorns, crushed
1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
Instructions
- With a vegetable peeler, cut off a strip of the peel of the lemon.
- Finely zest the rest of the lemon and set the zest aside. Set the lemon aside.
- Place the unchopped half of the jalapeno into a small saucepan. Add the vermouth, water, bay leaf, peppercorns, and coriander seeds.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Add the green onions and fresh salmon cubes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for three to five minutes.
- Drain in a colander. Discard the vegetables and place the salmon in a medium bowl.
- Mash the salmon roughly with a fork.
- Add the smoked salmon and mash with a fork.
- Add the butter and blend with a fork.
- Add some of the juice from the lemon, the lemon zest, along with some salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the shallots, minced jalapeno, crushed pink peppercorns, and crushed red pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- Stir in more lemon juice, to taste.
- Pack the mixture into a canning jar or other container. Press the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to a day before serving for the first time. The rillettes will last up to 3 or 4 days.
Brought to America from Southern Italy where it is all now but forgotten, the Feast of the Seven Fishes is a meal eaten by Italian-Americans that features (at least) seven fish/seafood dishes.
FAQs
Typical feast
The meal's components may include some combination of anchovies, whiting, lobster, sardines, baccalà (dried salt cod), smelts, eels, squid, octopus, shrimp, mussels and clams. The menu may also include pasta, vegetables, baked goods and wine.
What are salmon rillettes made of? ›
Hot-smoked salmon is mixed with fresh salmon poached in wine and aromatics to give this rich appetizer spread a remarkable depth of flavor.
Why do Italians eat seven fishes? ›
Most popular in Southern Italy and in Italian-American homes, this Christmas Eve feast stems from Catholics abstaining from meat in commemoration of waiting for the birth of baby Jesus. There is a lot of symbolism in fish to early Christians, who used a fish to identify themselves in times of persecution.
Is the feast of seven fishes a Catholic thing? ›
There is no such thing as the Feast of Seven Fishes on the Roman Catholic calendar. There never has been an official feast with this name in Italy or the United States. In fact, most sources agree that serving fish on Christmas Eve is mainly practiced by Southern Italians, when it's practiced at all.
Is the Feast of Seven Fishes movie a true story? ›
In 2005, Marion County native Robert “Bob” Tinnel published his graphic novel, 'Feast of the Seven Fishes,' based on his experiences of growing up in an Italian-American family, specifically the Christmas Eve tradition of the same name that consists of a meatless meal with several seafood courses.
What does "rillettes" mean in English? ›
Meaning of rillettes in English
meat that has been cut into small pieces, cooked very slowly in its own fat, and then pressed and stored covered with fat in a container: Rillettes are similar to pâté but are coarser in texture.
How do you eat rillettes? ›
Rillettes are best served at room temperature spread thickly on toasted bread. Don't forget to eat with cornichon and a smear of Dijon mustard. Rillettes also make amazing salads and even quiches. p.s. Add the duck legs if you have them or leave them out if you don't - great either way.
What do rillettes taste like? ›
Rillettes has a rich, fatty flavor that is offset by a touch of acidity. The texture is smooth and creamy, with a slight graininess from the shredded meat. There is also a hint of smokiness from the cooking process.
How to host a Feast of the Seven Fishes? ›
The key to committing to cook seven different kinds of seafood is spreading out the dishes throughout the meal; instead of preparing seven whole fish for what would be an excessively large main course spread, offer perhaps three small appetizers, a soup, pasta, then entrée plus a side salad, each with seafood as the ...
Do Sicilians celebrate the feast of seven fishes? ›
Feast of the Seven Fishes, also known as La Vigilia (The Vigil), is a Sicilian-American traditional dinner on Christmas Eve. Like many Italian traditions, the origin and rules are debated.
Side Course Menu Ideas
- Parmesan Potato Wedges.
- White Beans and Spinach.
- Sicilian Leeks.
- Dreamy Polenta.
- Grilled Vegetable Platter.
Overall, China is by far the world's largest consumer of fish, with 57,474 tons annually. That's more than four times greater than the next biggest, Indonesia, at 12,154 tons, with India close behind at 11,016 tons. The United States takes fourth place with 7,544 tons, and Japan rounds out the top five with 5,842 tons.
What fish is eaten most in Italy? ›
In Northern Italy, larger fish, especially cod, are very popular ingredients in traditional dishes. Traditional central Italian seafood tends to come from anchovies, sardines, and tuna.
What is the Italian 7 fishes called? ›
Typical "fishes" include baccalà (salt cod), frutti di mare (shellfish), capitone (eel), calamari (squid), scungilli (conch meat) and vongole (clams). Fried vegetables are also a popular accompaniment to the fish; expect fried artichokes, pickled vegetables, fried squash blossoms, and other treats.
What is the meaning of the seven fishes in the bear? ›
Later, when Stevie (John Mulaney) says grace under duress, he surmises that it represents taking time out to prepare seven carefully crafted dishes to “show them that we love them.” Everyone is wrong — the concept of the fishes actually represents the vigil, or the long wait for the baby Jesus, in addition to the fact ...
What is vigilia seven fishes? ›
While the precise origins of the tradition are not clear, the Feast of the Seven Fishes, also referred to as La Vigilia, honors Italian-Catholic traditions of eating lean, or magro, in preparation for Christmas holiday feasting. Still, it's difficult to say that this hours-long meal is anything but indulgent.
Why do Germans eat fish on Christmas Eve? ›
In the old Christian tradition, the period from St. Martin's Day on 11 December until 24 December was a time of fasting. That's why a simple dish is often served on Christmas Eve - such as carp for example, as fish was allowed to be eaten during the fasting period.
What fish is associated with Christmas? ›
Among the different types of fish eaten on Christmas Eve, salted codfish is one of the most popular and versatile. It has always been considered a humble food because of its ease of storage, low cost, and the fact that it is filling.
