18 Delicious Fish Recipes For Lent

Lent is the 40 day period of time that occurs between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday (if you're thinking to yourself "wait that is more than 40 days," Sundays are not included in the total). During these few weeks, it is customary for many Christians to make sacrifices or commit to positive behaviors in order to better themselves or think more about God. The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis explains that on Fridays during Lent, most Catholics will also avoid the consumption of meat as a way to pay tribute to Jesus and the sacrifice followers believe he made for them. So if they aren't eating meat, what do Catholics eat on Fridays?

While some meals will be vegetarian, it is common for Catholics to eat fish on Fridays during Lent. If you're abstaining for the season, read on below to discover some of our favorite fish recipes that are the far from boring — by Easter Sunday, you won't even miss meat.

Yes, geflite fish is usually associated with the Jewish religion, but that doesn't mean people of all creeds can't enjoy the tasty starter. This recipe for salmon and halibut gelfite fish involves grinding up the two fishes and forming them into quenelles, or torpedo shaped patties. The patties are then poached lightly until just cooked in a flavorful broth featuring parsley, white wine, onion, thyme, fennel, and lemon. After, the fish is stored in the fridge in the broth to further absorb the flavor.

When you're ready to enjoy, the gelfite fish are strained and served chilled with horseradish and fresh dill.

Recipe: Salmon & Halibut Gelfite Fish

Fish and chips is a true British classic for a reason ... it's delicious! This recipe involves frying up beer-batter cod or haddock, as well as some homemade french fries. (They key to perfectly crisp fries with a soft interior is to first blanch them in oil at a low heat and then fry again on high.) We recommend going all in and serving with homemade tartar sauce and a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten up this fried meal.

Recipe: Fish & Chips

This recipe calls for pan frying skin-on black cod (which is similar in taste and texture to sea bass, if you've never had the pleasure of eating it before) in a nonstick pan with plenty of oil to achieve that crispy, crackly skin. Serve the fried cod topped with morel mushrooms and fresh asparagus for a dish that is perfect for spring.

Another reason we love black cod, aside from how great it tastes? Black cod is a sustainable fish, making it one of the best to choose for the environment.

Recipe: Pan-Seared Black Cod with Morels & Asparagus

Traditional Vietnamese bánh mìs are crispy baguette sandwiches made with pickled vegetables, chiles, pate, and pork. This recipe substitutes the meaty ingredients for crispy tempura red snapper, making it appropriate to eat during Lent. The sandwich is also topped with peppery watercress and sour tomato jam for an extra kick of flavor.

Our tempura batter is extra light and airy from the addition of seltzer water or club soda, leading to a perfect crisp.

Recipe: Tempura Red Snapper Banh Mi

This simple recipe packs in the flavor without packing on too many extra calories. Because this fish is baked we can avoid all the unnecessary oil used in frying. The tilapia is breaded in a simple parmesan cheese, lemon, and breadcrumb crust and baked until crispy. While many recipes call for breading to be applied with whisked eggs, this recipe instead uses flavorful mayonnaise to make the breading stick to the fish.

Recipe: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Simple but flavorful meals are our favorite. This recipe from Alison Roman's cookbook, "Dining In", for swordfish steaks with a delicious caper, anchovy, and garlic butter sauce will help you get dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes without sacrificing on flavor. Quickly sear the swordfish and add butter, garlic, anchovies, and capers to the skillet. Spoon the flavorful sauce over the fish and serve with your favorite easy side dishes.

Recipe: Swordfish Steaks Recipe From "Dining In"

This recipe calls for freshly cooked beluga lentils, seasoned with mint and lemon and topped with a zippy sauce made from sautéed figs, white wine, and whole grain mustard. Then salmon is thrown on the grill, along with more figs, to draw out the flavor and accomplish a nice char. The whole dish is garnished with more mint and lemon.

Recipe: Grilled Salmon With Fig Mustard & Lentils

This recipe for Pouhn-Pa is a Laotian poached fish dish mixed with charred and smashed vegetables served over rice. The black bass is poached in a flavorful broth made from the fish head and bones, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, and galangal root. Meanwhile, eggplant, chiles, garlic, jalapeños, and shallots are charred in a skillet before getting mashed with a mortar and pestle. All of these components are combined and served over rice for a delightfully funky, slightly spicy meal.

Recipe: Laotian-Poached Black Bass (Pouhn-Pa)

There are few things better in this world than beer-battered fish tacos! This recipe calls for a Mexican lager (like Negra Modelo) to be incorporated into the batter for the fried fish. Fresh halibut is coated in batter and fried before being placed in flour tortillas and topped with all the fixings: chipotle mayo, shredded red cabbage, red onion, crushed tortilla chips, pico de gallo, and hot sauce. Serve with lime wedges for a bright, fresh pop of flavor.

Recipe: Beer-Battered Fish Taco Recipe

Want a quick dish that will make you feel extra fancy? This recipe calls for branzino poached in white wine and Pernod in the oven. Then using the remaining poaching liquid, a beurre blanc is made from butter, olive oil, soy sauce, and yuzu sauce for extra brightness. This flavorful fish is served with peppery red mustard greens and vinegar seasoned grated cucumber for acidity and balance of flavors.

Recipe: Poached Branzino With Beurre Blanc

Made from pistachios, dried mint, sesame seeds, hazelnuts, fennel seeds, and other ingredients, dukkah is an easy way to add a whole lot of flavor and texture to your dish. The halibut in this recipe is crusted with the nut and spice blend before being baked until the crust is crispy. Served alongside a couscous salad made with eggplant, zucchini, peppers, lemon juice, and herbs, this fish recipe seriously delivers on flavor.

Recipe: Dukkah-Crusted Halibut

Made with fresh salmon, this recipe uses dill and capers to take your fish burger patties to the next level. These salmon burgers are served on soft King's Hawaiian rolls and topped with homemade pickle relish for a sweet addition to the otherwise briny mix. Topped with iceberg lettuce for a nice crunch, the complexity and well balanced flavors will keep you coming back for more.

Recipe: Salmon Burgers With Sweet Pickle Relish

On a busy weeknight, there is nothing easier than a one pan meal; the trick is to cook the different elements in stages so everything is done at the same time. This sheet pan snapper with potatoes and fennel provides a ton of flavor without having to spend hours in the kitchen. Place potatoes, fennel, capers, and olives on a sheet pan and roast until tender. What that is cooking, you'll create a delicious sauce with orange zest, lemon juice, thyme, garlic, and mayo. When the potatoes are almost done cooking, spread the sauce on the fish, top it with parmesan cheese, and add it to the sheet pan to complete your meal.

Recipe: Sheet Pan Snapper With Potatoes And Fennel

Made with sashimi grade red snapper, the fish for our flavorful poke is marinated in coconut milk, lime juice, garlic, jalapeños, and ginger, before being served with pickled red onions, cilantro, and macadamia nuts. The whole thing takes about an hour and a half to make, but if you're pressed for time you can make the picked red onions a day in advance or purchase them from a store, which cuts the active cooking time down to around 40 minutes total.

Recipe: Red Snapper Poke

This simple roasted orange roughy dish comes together in about 30 minutes and is sure to please a crowd. First, roast up cherry tomatoes with herbs until they begin blister and become juicy. Then remove the dish from the oven for only a moment, so that you can add your orange roughy right on top of the tomatoes before return the baking dish to the oven to finish cooking. Serve with rice for a quick, filling meal.

Recipe: Easy Baked Orange Roughy

This Vietnamese baked snapper dish is also called cha ca-style snapper. The recipe calls for skinless red snapper to be marinated in Greek yogurt with minced shallot, garlic, ginger, jalapeños, lemon juice, dill, turmeric, fish sauce, and sugar. It will need to sit for at least two hours, but can be left overnight.

When you're ready to eat, cook your rice noodles and bake the marinated fish, then mix up your nước mắm (this can also be made ahead, or you can save the leftovers for up to two weeks). Assemble the bowls by topping the chilled rice noodles with lettuce, cilantro, dill, cabbage, green onions, pickled red onions, peanuts, nước mắm, your baked fish, and crispy spring roll sheets.

Recipe: Vietnamese Baked Snapper

This six ingredient meal comes together in less than 30 minutes. The dish is made similar to how you would cook a risotto, by gradually adding in broth and stirring constantly, but trust us, the labor of love is worth it. 

If you can't find Spanish fideos pasta, feel free to use angle hair instead. This simple meal is sure to be a new favorite.

Recipe: Fideos With Calamari

This surprisingly flavorful sandwich calls for charred bluefish seasoned with a combination of paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dried thyme, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Served on a brioche roll and topped with lightly seasoned avocado, a tomato slice, lettuce, and a semi-homemade citrus aioli (we combine pre-made mayo with marmalade and lime zest), you'll never think of bluefish as boring again.

Recipe: Blackened Fish Sandwich