At-Home Fish Fry: 18 Recipes to Make During Lent (2024)

FAQs

What is Lent fish fry? ›

Typically, food at a Lenten Friday fish fry is served at a church hall or other community center and involves fried (or baked) cod, perch, or similar fish. The food is usually prepared and served by members of the church.

Porgies, croaker, spots, blue fish (my favorite), flounder; it all made it into the bubbling oil and fried to perfection. These days, I like Whiting. It's a white, firm-fleshed fish with a neutral flavor and is perfect for frying. The skin crisps up nicely and is mild in flavor too.

Dip the fish fillets into the paste, coating both sides evenly. Carefully place the coated fish into the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove the fish from the oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve hot with your choice of dipping sauce and enjoy!

Don't skip the flour coating since it provides a delicious crispy texture, protects the fish from soaking up too much oil, and also keeps the fillet in one piece. For best results, use a heavy-bottomed pan, as it distributes the heat evenly.

Eventually, cod replaced herring as the preferred type of fish. It didn't hurt that cod tasted better and lasted longer than herring after preservation. In the end, this choice of food for meatless Fridays was good for the health of Catholics. Fish are rich with proteins, vitamin D, and more.

Typically, food at a Lenten Friday fish fry is served at a church hall or other community center, and involves fried (or baked) cod, perch or similar fish. The food is usually prepared and served by members of the church.

White-fleshed fish such as cod, tilapia, and haddock are great for frying. They're perfect for adding different seasonings. Oily fish like mackerel or sardines might overpower other flavors when fried. They don't get as crispy.

The best fish for frying is white, mild, lean, and has a sturdy texture that stands up well to the hot oil. Great choices include cod, haddock, tilapia, and flounder.

In terms of a flour dredge, I recommend soaking your fish in buttermilk 2-3 hours prior to frying. Buttermilk slightly tenderizes the fish but also makes certain flour can adhere to the fat for an even, crispy crust when frying. You can indeed use regular milk, if in a pinch, with similar results.

I suggest adding a fair amount of salt and pepper, and also chili powder if you like it hot. ANY COMBO OF SPICES WORK, be liberal. MIX UNTIL hom*oGENOUS.

What seasonings are in Louisiana Fish Fry? ›

This rich, flavorful appetizer featuring Garlic Butter Sauce, Panko Bake, and Cajun Seasoning is such a crowd-pleaser, you might as well go ahead and double this recipe.

Use a whisk to beat the batter until smooth. Dip fish pieces into the flour, turning to coat all sides, and shake off excess flour. The flour will help the batter stick to the fish. Next, dip the fish into the batter, turning to coat all sides.

Dip fish fillets in egg mixture; dip in flour to coat.

What Breading Ingredients Make the Crispiest Fried Fish? The base of the breading mixture will be a cup of all-purpose flour and a cup of yellow corn meal.

Fish, Fridays & Lent

It simply meant abstaining from eating the flesh of warm-blooded animals—since the thinking goes, Jesus was a warm-blooded animal. Fish, though, which are cold blooded were considered okay to eat on fasting days.

In the U.S., the history of fried fish stems from the Catholic tradition of abstaining from meat during Lent. People turned to fish for protein during the 40 days of Lent. The practice lives on today in Friday fish frys.

German and Polish Catholic immigrants settled in Milwaukee in the 1860s and began the tradition of the Friday fish fry. During Lent, they didn't eat meat on Fridays, instead eating the fish they caught in Lake Michigan.

Fingerlings: As soon as the fry grow up to 10-15cm size or roughly equal the size of a finger, it is known as a fingerling. Fingerling is the proper size for stocking in table fish production ponds. It takes about 30-60 days for the fry to grow up to fingerling size.