Fish & Chips on Friday!
Happy Ash Wednesday! Well, I don’t think “Happy” is really the appropriate word there, but you know what I mean. Today, marks the beginning of the Lenten season for many Christians. Now, my mom always taught me not to discuss religion or politics, and that’s a great rule for a blog too. But Fish & Chips during Lent is a cultural phenomenon to me, so I will try to do this in a non-polarizing way! If Lent is something unfamiliar to you, here are some FAQs that I found to get you up to speed.
Growing up in Rhode Island, it seemed that everyone was Catholic. I was one of about six Episcopalian kids in my school. While some Episcopalians do give up certain foods or luxuries during Lent, it is not Church Law for us – that I know of, anyway. However, during my childhood and teen years, I was surrounded by friends and neighbors who did give up certain things for Lent and who did not eat meat on Fridays. It was almost catchy, and so I have, from time to time, decided to give up something (chocolate, cursing) or to go meatless on Fridays as well.
In my hometown of Lincoln, RI, there was a small Fish & Chips shop that did only that: they made Fish & Chips. On Fridays during Lent, the line of customers went out the door and around the corner. It is interesting to note that the first Fish & Chips shop was opened in 1860 in London by Jewish proprietor, Joseph Malin.
Fast forward to today and you find me making a healthy Fish & Chips dinner every Monday night in our house. The reason it has become a Monday night tradition is three-fold:
- My kids like fish (I know, I’m lucky) so they eat it without compaint
- The clean-up is super-easy
- A plate re-heats nicely a couple of hours later
You see, on Monday nights, I dash out at the dinner hour to go and teach Pilates. It is not an easy hour to leave and it means that my husband has to oversee dinner, clean-up, bath and bedtime solo. But teaching this class is something that I truly enjoy doing, so we make it work.
Every Monday, I head to my local seafood store and choose one of the following:
- Tilapia (NuVal score of 82)
- Haddock (NuVal score of 64)
- Cod (NuVal score of 81)
To prepare the fish, I first wash it and pat it dry. Then, I use my Pampered Chef oil mister to spray a light coating of canola oil on the fillets, dredge them in bread crumbs, and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Next, I drizzle some lemon juice on the breaded fillets. Finally, I spray the fish with cooking spray to make it a little crunchy. My daugher prefers her fish sans crumbs, so I put it in a little foil packet with just the oil and lemon juice.
As for the “Chips,” we always have Cascadian Farms Shoe String Fries which get an incredible NuVal score of 81. These too go in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
To round it out this nutritious meal, we complete it with a favorite vegetable such as broccoli (NuVal score of 100) and skim milk (NuVal score of 91). The only thing that scores low is the ketchup – it gets a 3. Ouch!
So, if you abstain from meat for religious reasons (or non-religious reasons!), try out this healthy option. I’m quite sure it is more nutritious than the deep fried Fish & Chips they were serving at the popular shop in my hometown!
Trade-Up Tuesday Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #7, Leena, of Living Leena Loca (love the name of her blog!). She has won my Fat Tuesday/Winter Olympic GiveAway!
Question of the Day
What, if anything, are you planning to give up for Lent?
or
If you had to give up something, what would be the hardest for you to give up?
Posted by: Melissa 14 comments
Posted in: Fish
Tags: Fish, Fish & Chips
