Loaves And Fishes

Ok, so I was raised Catholic and once I made my confirmation I felt that it was my graduation from going to Church. However I find myself following the rules of Lent each year. I always give up something, this year it is shopping for anything except groceries and toiletries; and abstain from eating meat on Fridays. The meat thing is very difficult for me because I really love meat and when I crave something it is predominantly red meat. As a child I remember having frozen fish fillets and pancakes on Lenten Fridays and not really liking those dinners, and seriously how many tuna fish sandwiches can you eat. So this year I have decided to step it up and make a new fish/seafood dish each week.

I love seafood, shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops, but amazingly not lobster. The main focal point of my family’s grocery store is the lobster tank and everyone goes gaga over these stupid sea bugs. That is not to say that I won’t eat lobster if it is served to me, but don’t come to my house expecting to be feed that over-priced and pain in the ass food. I just don’t feel that you get your monies worth and it is way too much work for so little reward. But we sell a ton of these creatures and will continue to carry them to make everyone happy. I prefer to have other seafood and would eat the crap out of shrimp if I could, but after the shrimp-fest that was last spring I discovered that that food might be low in fat but high in cholesterol. How unfair!

This year I have been trying different recipes with mussels and have discovered that I really like them. I have also found that they are not too expensive and super easy to make. I really enjoyed them as Fire Breathing Mussels. Begin by sautéing three finely chopped cloves of garlic and a half teaspoon of red pepper flakes in olive oil for about one minute. Add one twenty ounce can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, one tablespoon of red wine vinegar and a half teaspoon of sugar to the mix and cook over medium heat for about ten minutes. Add about two and a half pounds of mussels in their shells to the pot, cover and cook until they open, about five minutes. You can serve this over pasta or with hunks of crusty bread to soak up all that flavorful broth.

I also enjoy Mussels Scampi, which is made the same way as Shrimp Scampi, one of my favorite meals. Sauté two cloves of minced garlic in two tablespoons of butter until softened, about a minute. Add a half cup of either dry vermouth or white wine, the juice of one lemon, a tablespoon of capers, cook this for a few minutes and then throw in two and a half pounds of mussels, cover and cook five minutes or until the shells open. Serve this over pasta or with the crusty bread again.

I will admit that I recently cheated and bought shelled frozen mussels for my recipes because eating them out of the shell is kind of a pain in my opinion.

Moving on to fish, which is a food that we only ate during Lent when I was a kid because my dad is allergic to it. So over the last few years I have been trying to eat more of it and try new varieties of fish. I have found that I really am not crazy about salmon or swordfish but really like the light and flaky white fishes. I have yet to try fresh tuna and have a question about tuna fish. If my dad is allergic to fish why can he eat canned tuna fish but not fresh tuna? Hmm makes you think about what they are putting in that can.

Ok so the Church probably frowns upon this next recipe, but I love it anyway, Fish Puttanesca. Typically it is made as a pasta dish and historically it was made by Italian prostitutes but with the addition of fish it is a good Lenten meal; sorry Pope Benedict. Begin by mixing two tablespoons of olive oil and a half teaspoon of anchovy paste until well blended then stir in one pint of halved cherry tomatoes, a half cup of chopped black olives, three tablespoons of capers, three minced cloves of garlic salt and pepper and a half teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Make four packets out of aluminum foil and drizzle a little oil onto each, place a piece of white fish into each packet, top with the tomato mixture and close each packet tightly. Bake the packets at 400 degrees for about 17 minutes or until the fish is flaky. I serve this with crusty bread, surprise surprise.

Even though Catholics are supposed to be abstaining from eating meat on Lenten Fridays as a form of repentance it does not have to feel like a punishment. Hopefully these few recipes inspire people to break out of the pancake and fish stick box to try some new things and grow through the required abstention. I think that the fact that I have given up the joyous activity of shopping should be enough repentance for this season; I shouldn’t have to suffer through dinner also.




Fire Breathing Mussels

2 ½ lbs Cleaned mussels
3 cloves Garlic, minced
½ tsp. Red pepper flakes
1 20-oz can Fire-roasted tomatoes
1 Tblsp Red wine vinegar
½ tsp. Sugar

Sauté the garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil for a minute, add the tomatoes, vinegar and sugar and cook about 10 minutes. Add the mussels and cook for 5 minutes or until opened. Serve over pasta or with bread.


Mussels Scampi

2 Tblsp Butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup Dry vermouth or white wine
1 Lemon juiced
1 Tlbsp Capers
2 ½ lbs Cleaned mussels

Sauté the garlic in the butter until softened, 1 minute or so. Add the vermouth/wine, lemon juice and capers, heat this through and add the mussels, cover and cook 5 minutes or until opened. Serve over pasta or with bread.


Fish Puttanesca

2 Tlbsp Olive oil
4 filets White fish, any variety
½ tsp Anchovy paste
1 pint Cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup Black olives, chopped
3 Tlbsp Capers
3 cloves Garlic, minced
½ tsp Red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper

Combine the oil and anchovy paste well, add the tomatoes, olives, capers, garlic, red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper, mix this well. Make 4 packets out of foil, drizzle oil on them, place fish in each and top with tomato mixture. Close the packets tightly and bake at 400° for 17 minutes. Serve with bread.