Bill Granger recipes: Our chef creates an Italian-inspired fish feast for Christmas Eve

Bill Granger's Italian friends introduced him to the Roman Catholic custom of a lavish fish supper on Christmas Eve. Here, he gives the tradition his own spin…

Salmon crudo with grapefruit, pomegranate, dill and red-onion salad (Laura Edwards)

I love the Roman Catholic tradition of eating a fish-based meal on Christmas Eve. As I've learnt from Italian friends, this is their most important meal of the season. The one where all the stops are pulled out, and competition between different factions of the extended family gets fierce. It's basically their turkey with all the trimmings, but instead you'll be guaranteed fried salt cod and vegetables in batter, a selection of fish and seafood-based pastas or risottos, or even a rich, bubbly octopus stew.

I'm not sure my Christmas-obsessed family will ever let me get away with not delivering the turkey, gammon and everything else that goes with them, but I see no reason why we can't adopt one more tradition…

I'm making it my own, though. There will be no frying in the Granger household this Christmas Eve; instead, the fish will be kept light and fresh, with plenty of bright, intense flavours borrowed from around the world.

Bill's restaurant, Granger & Co, is at 175 Westbourne Grove, London W11, tel: 020 7229 9111, and 50 Sekforde Street, London EC1, tel: 020 7251 9032, grangerandco.com. Follow Bill on Instagram at bill.granger

Salmon crudo with grapefruit, pomegranate, dill and red-onion salad

This starter has lovely fresh, clean flavours to open the palette.

Serves 6

1 pink grapefruit
1 red onion, sliced with a mandolin
Juice 1 lemon
1 tsp caster sugar
¼ tsp crushed chillies
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
500g very fresh skinned salmon
Few dill sprigs, snipped
Seeds ½ pomegranate

Peel the grapefruit and cut the flesh into segments. Do this over a bowl to collect the grapefruit juice; reserve the segments. To the juice, add the red onion, half the lemon juice, the sugar, chillies and oil. Add the grapefruit segments and season with salt. Gently toss to combine. Cover and keep chilled until needed.

With a sharp knife, thinly slice the salmon. Arrange the slices between 6 plates. Squeeze over the remaining lemon juice and season with salt. Toss the dill and pomegranate seeds into the grapefruit salad. Divide between the plates of salmon and serve.

Baked sea bream with clementines, fennel and beetroot

This is so simple, yet bursting with bright, intense flavours and interesting textures. The yoghurt marinade gives the fish – which should weigh about 550g each – a crisp, charred skin that makes it seem almost barbecued. Delicious.

Serves 6

150g Greek-style yoghurt
1 tbsp cumin seeds
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ tsp salt
3 whole sea bream, cleaned
3 fennel bulbs, sliced
4 large beetroot, peeled and sliced
4 clementines, unpeeled, sliced
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 tbsp maple syrup
Juice 1 lemon
½ tsp crushed chillies

Baked sea bream with clementines, fennel and beetroot (Laura Edwards)

Combine the yoghurt, cumin, cayenne and garlic. Stir in the salt. Using a sharp knife, cut diagonal slashes along the sides of each fish. Rub with the yoghurt mixture and keep chilled until needed.

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas7. Arrange the sliced fennel, beetroot and clementines in a large roasting tin. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, maple syrup, lemon juice and chilli. Toss this dressing through the vegetables and season with salt. Bake for 20 minutes.

Give the vegetables a stir. Lay the fish over the veg. Drizzle with oil and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, till cooked through and charred. Serve immediately.

Almond panna cotta, spiced apricots and sour cherries

The nuts, spiced fruit and Christmas pudding shape give a nod to Christmas tradition, but with a much lighter result.

Serves 6

500ml double cream
100g golden caster sugar
6 sheets gelatin, soaked in cold water
500ml unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g almonds, sliced

For the spiced fruit

100g golden caster sugar
125g dried apricots
60g sour cherries
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise

Almond panna cotta, spiced apricots and sour cherries (Laura Edwards)

Heat the cream and sugar in a small pan over a low heat, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. Strain the soaked gelatin and squeeze out any water. Add to the hot cream, stirring until dissolved. Stir in the almond milk and vanilla extract. Strain into 6 x 180ml dariole moulds. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 4 hours, or until set.

For the fruit, place the sugar in a pan with 200ml of water. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the dried fruit and spices and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

To serve, dip the moulds in hot water to loosen the panna cotta then turn out on to dessert plates. Spoon over the dried fruit along with some of the syrup. Top with sliced almonds and serve.