From Frazzled to Fast Friday Meals for Lent and Beyond
Six out of 10 of the roughly 51 million adult Catholics in the United States abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent. A statistic much harder to find is how many of those six are short on time when it comes to preparing and cooking meatless meals at the end of a long week of work, volunteering, raising children or any of a zillion other demanding activities.
Too often—and needlessly—the result is a last-minute stop at the drive-thru for fish-filet sandwiches or a harried dash through the grocery aisle hoping the fish sticks aren’t sold out.
What really can pour on the guilt for these would-be seafood chefs is that most know that quality seafood is packed with vital nutrients, so much so that organizations like the American Heart Association recommend eating two servings of fish a week. Unfortunately, this does not include the high caloric, heavily breaded, salty, fried options mentioned above.
And then there is the problem o variety. Many people manage to eat healthy or semi-healthy on fish Fridays, scrounging up a can of tuna. But how soon is it before chairs at the table are mysteriously empty when family members can’t seem to face yet another tuna sandwich or casserole?
The good news is there are innovative healthy seafood dinners your family and friends will love that can go from prep to plate in minutes, even novice cooks. The three suggestions below will make preparing and cooking seafood so quick and easy, you should start thinking about what you’ll spend all your extra time!
1. The perfect mix. Did you know you can get multiple kinds of seafood in one package that cooks simultaneously in a matter of minutes, yet looks like you were at the fresh seafood counter then stuck in the kitchen for hours? Just head to the seafood section and look for the package marked Seafood Medley. In it, you will find a combination of shrimp, calamari, PEI mussels in the shell, bay scallops, and split king crab. These pre-mixed combinations can be used to produce delectable dishes such as Seafood Manhattan Chowder, Seafood Fruits de Mer and Seafood Fried Rice that will leave friends and family wondering how you managed to create such an elaborate feast—and on a Friday to boot!
2. On-call calamari. The days of having to go out to your favorite Italian restaurant to get firm, flavorful calamari are over. This delicacy, also available in your freezer aisle, offers a wide variety of options from appetizers to entrees, whether raw or wrapped in a perfectly seasoned breading. Have a friend or family member who loves breading but prefers gluten-free? Forget the hours of reading package ingredients. Choose lightly dusted gluten-free calamari. No matter which variety you choose, calamari can go from freezer to perfection in less than two minutes. Calamari offers such versatile, fast fixin’ that you might want to buy extra; it’s sure to be a favorite any day of the week.
3. Fabulous fish Fridays. When it comes to healthy, nothing beats Omega-3-packed, vitamin-rich fish. But when you think about how each Friday in Lent, you’ll have to go to the store, then the fish counter to see what’s available, figure out who is coming to dinner and how much to buy, get it wrapped, head to the checkout—not to mention prep and cook it—your will to eat right vanishes. The answer is again in the freezer. Premium fish, such as branzino, one of the hottest fish in the market, is flash-frozen, so its texture and taste are as fresh as if you bought it that day. Plus, it comes in easy-access, pre-portioned servings so you can grab what you need without over—or under—estimating. As versatile as it is tasty, you can serve it grilled (ready from freezer to plate in minutes). Or, since you don’t have to worry about spoilage, pick up a few weeks’ worth so you can spend the time you save trying new recipes.
This Lent and beyond, forget the drive-thru and fish sticks. Save time and your sanity and give your tastebuds a treat.