Many Italian Americans celebrate Christmas Eve with a big family feast teeming with savory seafood stews, chilled shellfish, rich pastas and gorgeous baked fish. The multi-course meal from il mare is known as the Feast of the Seven Fishes or Feste dei Sette Pesce.

The tradition's origin story is obscure, but what's clear is that many Italian Americans, including some of TODAY's favorite chefs like Anthony Contrino and Anthony and Elaina Scotto, can whip up an spectacular seafood feast.