This has always been one of the 7 fishes served on our Italian tables.
We enjoy this traditional seafood banquet and absolutely love these gourmet treats during the holiday like baccala and make a fresh tomato sauce for this dish using Mom's Marinara Sauce Recipe.
I am truly blessed to have a family that kept the traditions from generation to generation and my children will do the same.
For this family, the traditional Christmas Eve recipe that printable, scroll down to the recipe card and print it off.
Christmas Eve Traditions
A real tradition in my family every Christmas Eve. Mom, from Bari, use to prepare this that night, dad would be so impatient as it was his favorite.
Another one of those dishes, when I was a small child I would shun away from. Now, I only wish I could go back in time knowing the art it was to watch her make this so perfect, tender and delectable as she did, then to learn exactly what she put in hers.
After many years of trying to master her recipe, I finally got a taste that brought tears in my eyes to have a part of her in our home for this holiday season.
After all, Christmas Eve is a time for the family to be close, making memories for their kids to pass on, this one will be it for me.
Roll and Tie
These stay together pretty easily in the pot when simmering.
I usually tie them with butcher string or use a toothpick like mom used to.
Either way, the stuffing stays inside and the calamari is tender and flavorful.
Mom's Recipe
I have had her recipes that say ingredients on index cards for years now, there were never amounts written down, until now.
Couple that with even more traditions with the Christmas Eve vigil of awaiting the arrival of Gesu Bambino then add in the Italian fondness for turning any occasion into a reason for cooking and eating in and you have the Feast of the Seven Fishes on the table.
On Christmas Eve, my mom and Grandma would prepare baccala (salt cod), fried smelts, shrimp, spaghetti con aglio e olio with anchovies, eel, and the dish I would like to share with you today which is stuffed calamari (squid)
So Many Childhood Memories
This is a memorable treat for me, some of my family remembers Mom's stuffed calamari for every Christmas Eve, my kids will now learn our many years of traditional 7 fishes and this dish will now be added with love!
A real tradition in my family every Christmas Eve.
Mom, from Bari, use to prepare this that night, dad would be so impatient as it was his favorite.
Another one of those dishes, when I was a small child I would shun away from and now I love it.
Now, I only wish I could go back in time knowing the art it was to watch her make this so perfect, tender, and delectable as she did, then to learn exactly what she put in hers.
These traditions have their roots in Southern Italy and owe their origins in part to the Roman Catholic practice of abstaining from meat on certain days of the week.
It's funny how as we grow older, how much more you think and relive those traditions we remembered as a child, as it becomes more important as an adult.
Ingredients You Will Need
- squid tubes
- boiled eggs
- bread crumbs
- grated cheese
- parsley
- salt pepper
- minced garlic
- tomato sauce
Tools You Will Need
- knife
- cutting board
- 5-quart saucepan
- toothpicks
- bowl
- spoons
Other Fillings to Use(wine is used to moisten):
- Sauteed spinach with breadcrumbs white wine
- Minced Mushrooms, breadcrumbs white wine
- Minced baby shrimps with breadcrumbs and white wine
- Anchovy fillets, arugula with breadcrumbs, and white wine
- Note: use the same herbs and seasoning in the recipe below omit eggs
Tips
- Clean squid ahead of time and refrigerate in water
- Use only the best-canned tomatoes like San Marzano
- Don't overstuff the tubes or they will burst
- Perciatelli is a favorite pasta to serve
- Simmer slowly for best results in the tomato sauce
- For larger tubes double the filling as needed (we use medium-sized tubes)
The Sauce and Stuffing
The sauce over the pasta is the best flavor with simmered calamari stuffed. It slow simmers and the squid is super soft and easy to cut with a fork.
The sauce is in a light marinara sauce and she used fresh plum tomatoes.
A must make tradition every year here and in many Italian homes at Christmas.
Stuffed Calamari Pin for later
Love Seafood? Try These Favorite Recipes:
An Italian Christmas Eve
Cioppino
Seafood Chowder
Seafood Marinara
Baked Haddock with Shrimp Salsa
Baked Codfish with roasted vegetables
Best Ever Fish Fry
Stuffed Squid (Calamari) In Tomato Sauce
Yield: 8
prep time: 25 Mcook time: 2 hourtotal time: 2 H & 25 M
This is one of the 7 Fishes served on Christmas Eve in an Italian household called Stuffed Squid which is a calamari in tomato sauce then served over pasta.
ingredients:
- 20 cleaned calamari/squid tubes (This will stuff 20 small tubes. Make a double batch if you have large tubes.)
- 2 cups bread crumbs Italian flavored
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup Romano grated cheese
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 6 hard-boiled eggs finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper
- pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup olive oil or more for sauteing first
- Marinara Sauce (that's what I use) or
- Traditional Sunday Sauce(without meat )or your favorite sauce
- Pasta of choice boiled in saltwater
instructions:
How to cook Stuffed Squid (Calamari) In Tomato Sauce
- In a medium-size bowl mix bread crumbs with all seasonings.
- On the side of the squid, the opening cut a small slit to open the tops wider.
- Stuff the squid using your fingers to get down to the end of the squid being careful not to rip them open at the bottoms and leave expanding space at the tops.
- After filling all the squid, secure the tops of each one with toothpicks. I like to brown mine first before adding to the pot of sauce.
- I saute them in olive oil with some minced garlic until browned. (You don't have to do this step if you don't want to.)
- I then drop them into a 5-quart pot of tomato sauce and cook for three hours on low or more until the squid is soft and tender.
- At least 1 hour and 30 minutes, sometimes longer depending on how soft they are, you need to test them.
- Serve the squid over linguine, perciatelli, or your favorite pasta.
- Differences?
- The word calamari is the plural form of the Italian word for squid, Calamaro. It's calamar in Spanish.
- The name derives from the Latin word calamarium for "ink pot."
- Since calamari seems to sound more palatable than the word squid, you will most often see squid recipes listed as calamari on restaurant menus, recipes, etc.
- It's one of those words that just "sounds better" or "has class," according to some people.
- Whether you eat calamari or squid, you're eating the same thing.
Calories
320
320
Fat (grams)
11
11
Sat. Fat (grams)
4
4
Carbs (grams)
13
13
Net carbs
5
5
Sugar (grams)
7
7
More Holiday Recipes To Try
Christmas Eve ROUNDUP!
Fried Calamari
Stuffed Calamari Pin for later
Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2011. It was edited and re-published in 2020.