Combo Pack: Feast of the Seven Fishes, Grand Feast Version

Description

We asked Evan S. Benn — an award-winning food journalist, Philadelphia Inquirer editor, the writer who put RTG in The New York Times, and an original curator of our 10 Tins to Try and Why series — to create a Feast of the Seven Fishes combo pack with inspired menu suggestions. He made two: a classic Feast with seven tins that comes in under $100 (the Classic Version), and a Grand Feast with some of his favorite upgraded tins (that’s this one). Both make great gifts for the tinned-fish curious and aficionados alike (or just get one or both for yourself – that’s totally allowed).      

GRAND FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES COMBO PACK 2

THE FEAST, AND THE FISHES  

Course 1: Anchovy Pepperoni Cup, with Codesa Serie Oro Anchovy Fillets in Olive Oil: I went to a restaurant recently that serves crispy-edge pepperoni cups with ranch dressing and basil, and it was a revelation. We’re riffing on that (thank you, Bad Roman!) to open our feast by adding a Codesa Serie Oro anchovy to the top of our ’roni cups with ranch and basil. It’s an umami wallop of a starting bite — beer, sparkling wine or club soda suggested as a palate cleanser — that doesn’t hide the flavor of a world-class anchovy.    

Course 2: Crab Toast, with Cole’s Select Snow Crab: Delicate snow crab plucked from chilly waters off the coast of Chile needs no zhuzhing. Take some buttered, toasted sourdough or slices of a seeded hoagie roll and top with crab into which you’ve folded some fresh dill, a little mayo, lemon juice, chives, salt and pepper. For a variation, skip the dill and mayo and instead add chopped Calabrian chilies with a bit of the oil from their jar.   

Course 3: Razor Clam “Ceviche,” with Conservas de Cambados Razor Clams in Brine: I love whole razor clams — and these from Conservas de Cambados are among the very best: plump and grit-free — and find that thin-slicing them makes me feel like I have “more” on my plate. Cut them into cubes or thin slices, and toss with cucumber, pistachios, nigella seeds, lime juice, lime zest, lime segments, salt, pepper and a glug of good olive oil. Blood orange would also be great in place of lime.   

Course 4: Radicchio and Arugula Salad, with Tiny Fish Co. Chorizo-Spiced Mussels: A red-and-green mix of bitter veg serves as the jump-off for this course’s star: big, smoked mussels in a chorizo-like sauce of sherry vinegar, paprika, cumin, garlic and other spices. Pour the tin juices right over the salad, add a squeeze of lemon and a glug of olive oil, and you’ve got a festive course that could double as a workday lunch. Shaved parmesan on top is encouraged but not required.  

Course 5: Calamari and Peppers, with Güeyu Mar Calamar de Otro Planeta: The deeply savory, almost smoky flavor of these grilled pieces of squid in its own ink sauce are hauntingly good with pasta or rice, but a little contrast of texture takes it to another level. Sauté red and green peppers — it’s a Christmas Eve feast, after all — in olive oil with a generous pinch of salt, pepper, and a squeeze of tomato paste. Use bell peppers if you wish, or upgrade to Jimmy Nardellos and jalapeños for a sweet-spicy medley. After a few minutes in the pan, heap the peppers on a plate and top with the squid from another planet — sauce and all.

Course 6: Pasta Fra Diavolo, with Ar de Arte Scallops with Garlic and Chili Pepper: I reach for bucatini when making a spicy red-sauce pasta, but you can use spaghetti or any noodle you prefer. A word on that red sauce: The simpler the better. Stick with crushed tomatoes, basil, more garlic that you think you need, generous plucks of red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and olive oil. Hit it at the end, off the heat, with the gorgeous Ar de Arte scallops and their sauce, which is going to play perfectly with your spicy pasta.  

Course 7: Grilled Potatoes, with Real Conserva Portuguese-style Cod: I follow David Leite’s Leite’s Culinaria for any sort of Portuguese recipe, especially cod. I adapted his sheet-pan technique for roasted cod with lemon and potatoes for the grill, layering sliced potatoes with butter, thyme and lemon slices. Grill on a parchment-covered baking sheet over indirect heat for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes get golden brown and crispy. Add a spoonful of Real Conserva cod to each potato stack. Whoever winds up eating the single black olive from the cod tin is the Feast of the Seven Fishes winner. 

— Words and photography by Evan S. Benn

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