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

FAQs

What is Lent fish fry? ›

Across Wisconsin, churches, community centers, and charitable organizations fling open their doors on Fridays during Lent—when Catholics abstain from eating meat—to sling plates of fried fish, along with potato pancakes, coleslaw, bread, and drinks.

Fried Fish Tips

First, keep the oil at 375°. If frying in batches, bring the oil back up to temperature before adding more fish. Don't overcrowd the pan with fillets, resist the urge to move the fish around once it's in the oil, and fry it long enough. Also, don't cover the skillet or fryer when frying the fish.

Chill fish filets in ice water. Pour Louisiana Fish Fry Breading Mix into a container, leaving enough room to cover the fish. Remove a filet from the ice water and let it drip dry a bit. Dredge the filet in the fry mix, making sure fish is completely covered.

Sides for fried fish can include a variety of options that complement the dish's crispy texture and savory flavor. Some popular choices include coleslaw, hush puppies, french fries, potato salad, and macaroni and cheese. These sides provide a balance of flavors and textures that enhance the overall dining experience.

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.

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.

Best Oil to Fry Fish. Thanks to its neutral flavor, affordable price, and high smoke point, canola oil is the most popular oil for frying fish. Peanut, cottonseed, and coconut oil are also great fish frying oils.

For how to fry fish that's just as crispy as what you get at a fish and chips restaurant, dip pieces of fish in a beer batter or several coatings of egg and seasoned flour before you fry it. It will come out a crisp, golden brown.

Should I use flour or cornstarch to fry fish? ›

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. This gives the fried fish the classic gritty breading texture. Corn starch is essential to fish breading.

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.

In the mid-1960s, the Catholic church changed the rules around abstaining from animal meat every Friday of the year and just required parishioners to do so on Fridays during Lent, but by then, “going out for fish” on Fridays was simply an integral part of Wisconsin life.

When they have developed to the point where they are capable of feeding by themselves, the fish are called fry. When, in addition, they have developed scales and working fins, the transition to a juvenile fish is complete and it is called a fingerling, so called as they are typically about the size of human fingers.

Eating fish for Lent is a tradition that comes from Catholicism. According to religious teachings, Jesus died on a Friday. In honor of this sacrifice, religious practices dating back to the first century indicated that followers of the faith weren't allowed to eat the flesh of warmblooded animals.

Fish. A fish is a Lenten symbol for the obligation to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and to abstain from all flesh meat on every Friday in Lent.