Feast of the Seven Fishes: Vodka-Braised Calamari with Celery and Tomatoes

It’s almost time for the Feast of the Seven Fishes! Stemming from the Catholic tradition of abstaining from meat on Christmas Eve, many Italians create elaborate meals featuring seven seafood dishes. If you’re in the mood for a less-traditional preparation, try this calamari dish that I created this weekend.

My inspiration for this recipe arrived while I wrestled with whether or not to make a bottle of chile-infused vodka—I wondered what I could do with the spicy booze other than pour it into bloody marys, and I decided to try cooking calamari in vodka with some chiles. The result? A fantastic, fresh-tasting sauce that would be a delight on any Christmas Eve table! If you’re bored with the same old calamari recipes, give this one a shot!


Vodka-Braised Calamari with Celery and Tomatoes

16 oz. / 455 g dry linguine
3 slices streaky bacon (optional)
1 T. butter (if omitting bacon, increase to 2 T. butter)
2 leafy stalks celery, minced (reserve minced leaves)
2 shallots, minced
2 serrano chiles, minced
2 bay leaves
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/3 c. golden raisins
1 T. capers in salt
1 c. vodka
1.5 lb. calamari (I prefer a 50/50 mix of tubes and tentacles)
Generous splash olive oil


First, cook the pasta in heavily salted water. In the meantime, if using the bacon, cook the bacon slices in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until crisp, then remove and place on paper towels. Do not drain the bacon fat from the pot. Add the butter and let it melt (if not using the bacon, simply add the butter to the pot and let it melt), then add the minced celery stalk (keep the minced celery leaves set aside for later), shallot, chiles, and bay leaves. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes or until the shallot and celery are translucent.

Next, add the tomatoes, raisins, capers and vodka. Stir, scraping up any browned bits of bacon from the bottom of the pot. Lower heat to simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes.

When the pasta is just about ready and the tomatoes have simmered in the vodka, add the calamari to the pot with the vodka and tomatoes and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes.

Drain the pasta from the cooking water and add the cooked pasta to the pot with the vodka and calamari. Add a generous splash of olive oil, and stir gently until blended. Serve the pasta in individual bowls, and garnish by sprinkling with the minced celery leaves.

* To purchase ingredients used in this recipe, click the picture below:



* Nutritional info: serves six. 610 calories, 13.5 g fat, 68 g carbohydrates, 30 g protein.