Feast of the Seven Fishes

• 8 ounces kosher salt
• 
½ cup sugar
• 
2 oranges, zested and juiced 
• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds, toasted and ground

• 1 tablespoon chili flakes
• 
1½ pounds flounder fillets (or another light white fish like sole)

• ⅓ cup white balsamic vinegar

• 4–5 ribs of celery, finely diced, plus leaves, roughly chopped
• 
6 large basil leaves, torn

• ¼ teaspoon Calabrian chili oil
• Olive oil, to taste

Combine salt, 4 ounces sugar, orange zest, fennel and chili flakes. Press mixture into fish and cover entirely. Place fish in dish, and cover in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour.

Wash off rub with water and pat dry. Place fish on a clean dish. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Combine orange juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon of sugar, celery, basil and chili oil.
Add salt, to taste.

Remove fish from refrigerator. Brush platter or plate with olive oil. Place fish on platter, and slice as thinly as possible. (Cut straight down, not on angle.) Drizzle with olive oil. Top with marinade. Serves 6.

Illuminati 2017 Costalupo (Trebbiano d’Abruzzo). Ultraripe aromas of tropical fruit, Satsuma orange and perfume waft from the glass. This is plush and ripe in feel, boasting a wealth of yellow apple, pear and sweet orange flavors, with a mild vein of acidity offering balance.

• 1 quart peanut or grapeseed oil, for frying
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons fine cornmeal
• Coarse salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 pound cleaned sardines
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed slightly
• 1 sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 sprig fresh sage
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Fill a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch over halfway to top with oil. Clip on a thermometer and heat to 325°F.

Combine flour and cornmeal on plate, and season with salt and pepper. Place sardines in a perforated or fine-mesh strainer. Toss with flour-cornmeal mixture. Shake off excess.

Place sardines in fryer basket or on a mesh strainer, and slide carefully into hot oil. Fry, stirring to cook evenly, just until golden brown and crisp. After 2 minutes, add herbs.

Remove sardines with spider strainer. Place on sheet pan covered with wire rack or paper towels to drain. Season with salt. Serve immediately with lemon wedges. Serves 4.

BiancaVigna NV Brut (Prosecco). Refreshing, fun and refined, this crowd-pleasing sparkler offers ripe Bartlett pear, green apple and a hint of nectarine drop. Crisp acidity and a lively perlage give it a vibrant edge.

• 1½ pounds squid, cleaned
• 1 pound medium-sized shrimp, cleaned
• 1 pound octopus, cleaned (can also purchase high-quality canned version)
• ½ cup parsley, chopped
• 1 medium size red onion, chopped small
• 5–6 pieces celery, center stalks only, diced
• 1 red sweet pepper in vinegar, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 lemons, juiced
• ½ cup green and black olives, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Boil squid (15 minutes), shrimp (3 minutes) and octopus (1 hour) individually. Strain and place into bowl. Refrigerate until chilled.

Slice squid into ½-inch rings. Chop shrimp and octopus in small pieces. Mix with remaining ingredients together in large bowl. Serves 8–12.

Mastroberardino 2017 Nova Serra (Greco di Tufo). White spring flower, ripe orchard fruit and white almond aromas take center stage. On the round, fresh palate, a light mineral note adds depth to mature yellow apple, juicy pear and tangy lemon zest.

• Pinch of saffron
• ¾ pound fresh sardines, 5-inches each (about 3–4), cleaned, boned, heads removed and chopped into ½-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ½ cup parsley, chopped
• Olive oil
• 1 pound bucatini
• Canola oil
• 1 large head fennel, white part and stalk diced, fronds chopped and reserved
• 1 cup golden raisins
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup pine nuts, toasted
• Juice of 1 medium orange

In medium-sized pot over medium heat, add saffron to 1 quart water. Warm until saffron begins to release its color. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, marinate sardine pieces with ⅓ tablespoon chopped garlic, one-third of parsley and just enough olive oil to coat sardines. This can be prepared 1 day in advance.

In large pot, boil fresh water and cook pasta until not quite al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain and pour pasta onto sheet pan to prevent sticking or clumping. Drizzle with olive oil and let cool.

In sauté pan large enough to accommodate pasta (two pans may be used, if necessary), coat surface with 2:1 ratio of olive and canola oil. Over medium-high heat, add sardines and sear, about 1–2 minutes. Add remaining garlic, fennel, raisins and salt. Sauté for 3 minutes, or until it just starts to brown but fennel maintains crunch.

Add pine nuts and half of remaining parsley. Use orange juice to deglaze pan, scraping up any brown bits with wooden spoon. Once juice has cooked down, about 1 minute, add pasta and saffron water. Cook about 3 minutes, or until pasta is cooked to desired doneness and ingredients emulsify into sauce.

Add fennel fronds and remaining parsley. Serve in warmed bowls. Serves 6.

Graffetta 2017 Grillo (Sicilia). Aromas suggesting crushed tomato leaf, citrus and exotic fruit leap out of the glass. On the medium-bodied palate, tangy acidity perks up juicy grapefruit, white peach and pineapple packed in syrup.

• 2 pounds baccalà, boneless
• 1 large onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and sliced thin
• 24 Calabrese olives, pitted, liquid reserved
• 1 24-ounce can cherry tomatoes, run through a food mill to separate seeds
• ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley

In large, deep-rimmed baking pan or dish, immerse baccalà in water for 3 days, changing water twice per day. Dice into 1-inch cubes.

To make ragù, sauté onion and garlic until tender. Add jalapeño, olives and a dash of olive juice, and cook until just tender. Add tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes, skimming off any foam.

Add baccalà. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until fish breaks apart and becomes incorporated into thickened sauce. Serve over polenta. Top with parsley. Serves 6–8.

Rocca di Castagnoli 2015 Chianti Classico. This opens with aromas of black-skinned berries, cooking spices and aromatic herbs. On the savory palate, polished tannins and fresh acidity accompany black cherry, crushed raspberry and clove. Drink through 2022.

• 1 pound carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 pound beets, roughly chopped
• 1 pound green beans, roughly chopped
• 2 pounds yellow potatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 pound cauliflower, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds mussels
• 1 pound scallops
• 12 extra jumbo shrimp
• 2 1¼-pound lobsters
• 2 pounds halibut
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• Olive oil, to drizzle
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Boil all vegetables separately, until just tender. Let cool.

When cool enough to touch, dice all together, place in large bowl, and add olive oil. Can be prepared 1 day in advance and refrigerated overnight.

Steam mussels (5 minutes), scallops (7 minutes) shrimp (5 minutes) and lobsters individually (11 minutes). Set each aside. Reserve liquid from mussels.

Heat oven to 400°F.

Drizzle halibut with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap in parchment paper with wine. Place in shallow baking dish, and cook for 25 minutes. Set aside.

• 3 hard-boiled eggs
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1 bunch parsley
• 5 teaspoons sea salt
• 3 tablespoons chopped black olives
• 4 fillets salt-packed anchovies (2 whole)
• 1 3-inch piece sourdough bread, soaked in red wine vinegar

Combine first four ingredients in blender. Add next four ingredients and blend again. Squeeze out excess vinegar in bread, and add to the mix. Blend until smooth. Season, to taste.

• 6–7 slices sourdough bread, ½-inch thick

Place bread slices in red wine vinegar and mussel broth until soaked through. Gently press out liquid from sourdough slices.

On large oval platter, arrange slices next to each other to create layer. Add layer of halibut, and coat with a thin layer of salsa verde. Top with layer of crushed vegetables. Continue creating layers in a round or oval shape. Top with salsa verde and add more along sides.

Add mussels in their shells around outside base of cake. Place scallops around center of cake. Add shrimp atop and around the edges of cake. Place lobsters atop cake as if they’re fighting. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Serve in slices. Serves 8–10.

La Ginestraia 2016 Pigato (Riviera Ligure di Ponente). Aromas of field flower, yellow stone fruit and beeswax float out of the glass. The fresh elegant palate offers ripe apple, pear and citrus while a dollop of vanilla provides backup. It’s balanced and interesting, with crisp acidity and a lightly mineral, savory finish.

• Olive oil, for coating
• 2–3 pounds whole fish, like trout, sea bream, or bass, cleaned and gutted, head on
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• Several sprigs of thyme, rosemary, parsley
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt

Heat oven to 400°F. Rub baking dish with olive oil, and add fish. Use tip of small paring knife to make slits in skin, and along the underside. Stuff each slit with garlic slice. Stuff the inside with herbs and salt. Drizzle outside with olive oil. Cook for 25–30 minutes. Serves 4.

Produttori di Manduria 2017 Aka Primitivo Rosato (Salento). Coral pink in color, this rosato offers raspberry and watermelon on the nose, with tangy, tart red fruit taking center stage on the palate. It’s light in body, with a healthy vein of acidity that helps extend a sunbaked stone finish.