It is Lent. Cod is selling like crazy every Friday night. I am Catholic so I am buying.
I grew up Protestant; meatless Fridays are relatively new to me. My mom said she always knew I would become Catholic. I guess it was a giveaway when I thought it was “cool” to make the sign of the cross at our dinner prayers with my (Catholic) grandma Pfister (Little Grandma).
Just after college, Brian and I were dating and both living on the north side of Chicago. He introduced me to the Lenten fish fry. Again, this was pretty “cool.” I loved going to the Duke of Perth across the street from my first apartment. We would walk in, work our way past the crowd of faithful Friday vegetarians, grab a brew, and after a long wait–eat the perfectly prepared cod.
Once I became Catholic, meatless Fridays were a good excuse for sushi and fish tacos. Why was this so much fun? Isn’t Lent suppose to be a time of fasting and somber reflection? While a fish fry or sushi night are hardly dishes of sacrifice, not eating meat does make me conscious—conscious of the fact that it is Lent and I need to do something different. And different is cool; for me that is loving two sides of one faith.
Faithful Fish Tacos
canola oil
1 ½ cups golden ale (any brand will do)
3 cups flour
2 pounds tilapia
¼ head of cabbage – shredded
4 lime wedges
crema or crème fraiche for garnish
Cilantro for garnish
cherry tomatoes for garnish
tomatillo salsa for garnish (recipe below)
s and p
corn or flour tortillas (I suggest the brand El Milagro)
Heat a large fry pan over moderate heat, add the canola oil until 1 inch thick. Make sure there is no chance the oil could spill out of the fry pan. Cut the tilapia into small strips. Mix a 1:1 ratio of golden ale and flour in a large bowl (I used 1 ½ cups of each.) Pour the remaining 1 ½ cups of flour into a separate bowl. To cook the fish, dredge the fish through the flour and then the beer batter mixture; place in fry pan. Cook approximately 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove and place on paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Heat the tortillas in the microwave (use paper towels).
Make a buffet of all of the ingredients and let guests construct their tacos.
Tomatillo Salsa
5 tomatillos (found at Whole Foods)
2 poblano peppers
1 serrano pepper
1 ½ cloves garlic
½ lime (juiced)
handful of cilantro
s and p
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove the husks and stems from the tomatillos. Add the tomatillos to the water and par boil (boil slightly longer than blanching). Remove the tomatillos from the water and let cool for about 5 minutes. Roughly chop the poblano and serrano peppers (only add the seeds if you are looking to make the salsa very spicy). In a food processor add the garlic and pulse until chopped. Add the peppers and cilantro leaves to the food processor—chop. Roughly chop the tomatillos by hand, then add the tomatillos and lime juice to the food processor. Combine the ingredients until pureed. Add more lime juice if necessary. Season with salt and pepper.