Go fish: Fresh options abound for Lent

By Mike Pound
THE JOPLIN GLOBE (JOPLIN, Mo.)

February 05, 2008 09:54 pm

— If you talk to folks of a certain age, they will probably be able to conjure up some less-than-tasty memories of meatless Friday dinners during Lent.
They might mention, with some appreciation, frozen fish sticks or perhaps frozen fish fillets. But they might also mention, with a little less appreciation, their mom’s tuna casserole topped off, of course, with potato chips. Or they might even mention, with something bordering on horror, their mom’s fresh-from-the-can salmon patties.
That, as they say, was then and this is now.
Today, the choices available to folks observing the tradition of meatless Fridays during Lent (which spans the next 40 days) are as varied as they were limited 20 years or so ago. You can still stop by the frozen-food section of your local supermarket and pick up a box of fish sticks or, if you’re so inclined, whip up a batch of canned tuna casserole. But more and more folks tend to drift over to the meat department and pick up a seafood delight with just a little bit more, shall we say, freshness to it.
Mike Johnson is the manager of the meat department at Price Cutter. Johnson said the choices available to Friday fish eaters today are miles removed from the choices available to his parents when he was growing up.
As Johnson talked, he pointed to the seafood-laden trays behind the glassed-in counter in his meat department. On the far end were large, fresh red salmon fillets, next to slices of orange roughy, cod, red snapper, basa, tilapia, catfish and tuna. Alongside the fresh fish were heaping portions of shrimp — large and small — frog legs, crab legs and lobster tails. Next to the counter was a large tank filled with live lobsters.
There were no fresh fish sticks behind the glass.
“Seafood is always a big seller here, but it really seems to pick up during Lent,” Johnson said.
Salmon, he said, is a particularly strong seller. Johnson said the great salmon flavor coupled with its relatively inexpensive cost makes it an attractive option for people looking to feast on fish.
“A lot of people will serve it blackened or add some spices to it,” he said.
As a rule, more people tend to turn to white fish, which has a mild flavor, Johnson said. Among the more popular white fish are orange roughy, tilapia, cod and basa.
Befitting our Midwestern location, he said catfish is always popular.
“We are pretty much located in the catfish capital of the country,” Johnson said with a laugh.
A confirmed fish lover, Johnson said one of the attractions of seafood is the fact that it’s relatively easy to fix and can often be prepared in a matter of minutes. In fact, the worst thing you can do to seafood, he said, is to overcook it.
Johnson said he receives fresh seafood shipments, packed in ice, three times a week, ensuring that the fish he sells is as fresh as possible, also ensuring, perhaps, that the days of fresh-from-the-can salmon patties are a thing of the past.
The following recipes are among the numerous seafood recipes that can be found online.

Tilapia sautéed in garlic butter and smothered with jalapeno relish
2 tilapia fillets
1 tablespoons butter/margarine
1 tablespoons jalapeno juice (drained from can)
1/3 cup of diced jalapenos (pickled)
1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Combine butter, jalapeno juice, red wine vinegar, garlic powder and onion powder. Heat butter until melted then stir to mix thoroughly. Dip fillets completely in butter. Place fillets in warm frying pan and pour remaining butter mixture over the top. Place jalapenos evenly in open areas of pan and sauté while fillets cook. Turn fillets once only. Turning more than that may cause fillets to break apart. When the fillets are done cooking, smother the top with sautéed jalapenos.
Source: American Tilapia Association

Grilled orange roughy
4 to 6 orange roughy fillets
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Combine lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk in oil. Marinate fish 30 minutes. Drain and reserve marinade. Grill or broil five to six minutes per side. In the meantime, simmer marinade to 1/2. Serve over fish. Sprinkle with chives.
Source: www.cooks.com

Bloody Mary salmon
1 pound salmon fillets
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup spicy Bloody Mary mix
Place salmon fillets in a medium baking dish, and season with salt and pepper. Pour spicy Bloody Mary mix over the fillets. Cover, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Preheat the broiler. Broil approximately seven minutes, until fish is easily flaked with a fork and surface is lightly browned.
Source: www.allrecipes.com

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