Cooking with Ron_Spring20_Ed-final.qxp_Copy of profile_sTEFAN_fall05.qxd 3/1/20 11:39 PM Page 20
food | cooking with ron
BY RON MIKULAK | PHOTOS BY ANDY HYSLOP
I
remember from my childhood that Catholics were once required to abstain from eating meat on Fridays — thus creating a vibrant market for fish sticks in American high school
cafeterias. This dietary proscription is no longer in effect of course. But to some extent the tradition endures, and most Catholics continue to eat fish on Friday during Lent. On page 16
of this issue, F&D offers a guide to the myriad parish Lenten Fish Frys around the Louisville Archdiocese. Here, I’d like to consider two questions. First, how did this piscatorial calendrical tradition begin? And second, besides, frying it in oil, what are some other ways to cook fish?
Tracing the Tradition
The 40 days of Lent alludes to the 40 days of fasting and prayer that Jesus underwent in the desert. Until recent times, fish was regarded as poor peoples’ food, for anyone could, supposedly, fish for free in rivers or oceans. Thus, eating "poor people’s food" was regarded as an emulation of Jesus’s life of poverty. Nowadays, avoiding meat in favor of fish seems an odd way of emulating the humility and poverty of Jesus, what with commercial fish stocks declining and prices rising. Cod, sole, and farmed catfish, trout and salmon are still moderately priced, but wild-caught sea bass, cobia, haddock and orange roughy have become luxury items demanding premium pricing. However interesting the historical argument that equates “fasting” with eating fish, or the economic status of the contemporary fishing industry may 20 Spring 2020 www.foodanddine.com
be, for today’s home cook the most important culinary question is: With all due respect to the socializing and fund-raising potential of parish Fish Frys, what can I do with fish beyond deep-frying it?
Frying is Fine, but not for All Fish
Frying fish in oil, usually coated in batter, breadcrumbs or cornmeal, is a universal method of cooking. Done correctly, using very fresh fish, hot clean oil and careful technique, fried fish can be tasty indeed. But frying is not the best cooking method for all fish, nor is eating lots of fried foods a notable component of a healthful diet. To add a bit of variety to the Lenten menu, let’s consider a few ways to prepare other fish than white-fleshed cod, in ways other than frying.
Three Alternatives for Lent: Tuna, Salmon, and Mussels
Tuna, for example, is a fish you don’t even have to cook to enjoy — if you buy it in a can or jar. And if you do buy fresh tuna, it can be prepared quite simply and quickly by sautéing, grilling, or broiling it with minimal oil. Many find it is best when seared on the outside with the interior left barely cooked. Of course, fresh tuna is delicious whether as sashimi or cooked well done. For a light meal, the classic Provençal dish salade niçoise (French pronunciation: [niˈswaz]) accommodates tuna as its focal point, whether canned or cooked in any manner. Salade niçoise is composed, not tossed, allowing for a range of creative arrangements of ingredients. It is as common a luncheon choice in southern France as chicken salad is in the southern United States. Served with a bowl of mussels as a starter, perhaps, and crusty bread to sop up the cooking juices, it makes a sophisticated, light Lenten supper. We picture below a salade niçoise made with high-quality canned tuna, but we also explain how to cook a fresh fillet if you prefer.