In less than one week, many Italian-Americans will celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes, which takes place on Christmas Eve (December 24th). For any stories on last-minute holiday shopping, I wanted to share some of the local small businesses in the Bronx Little Italy where New Yorkers and visitors can find fresh catch for the upcoming holiday meal.
The Feast of the Seven Fishes, or “La Vigilia”, is an Italian-American tradition that commemorates the midnight birth of Baby Jesus. The long tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve dates from the Roman Catholic tradition of abstaining from eating meat on the eve of a feast day. Today, while many families put their own twist on the meal, some of the traditional fishes that the feast (and Arthur Avenue fish markets) boast include baccala, shrimp, branzino, octopus, calamari, mussels, eels, clams, and lobster.
Some fish markets in the neighborhood where you can stock up on all you need for the feast include:
· Cosenza’s Fish Market – For over 100 years, Cosenza’s, located at 2354 Arthur Avenue, has been serving the Arthur Avenue community for over a century and is known for its alfresco raw bar on the sidewalk outside its store, where you can sample their ice-chilled, freshly shucked products on the sidewalk out front of their store for only about $1 each. Inside, they serve everything from hard shell crabs to fresh octopus.
· Randazzo’s Seafood – As a family-owned traditional fish market and staple of the neighborhood since the late 1920s, Randazzo’s seafood is sourced fresh daily and locally. Setting up shop in the Italian enclave of Arthur’s Avenue soon after emigrating from Sicily to New York, the family prides themselves on friendly service and an old-world Sicilian charm. Randazzo’s even offers free fish cleaning, descaling, and preparation of your purchase so you can speed up the process of cooking the lengthy seven-course meal.
