![\"Fish](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/adobestock-fish-fry.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPHOTO: ADOBE STOCK<\/p>\n
Ash Wednesday falls on Feb. 18 this year, so Fish Fry season can\u2019t be far behind.<\/p>\n
Catholic or not, chances are good you\u2019ve brought home a few to-go boxes of crispy fish, salty fries and sour cole slaw from a local church, fire hall or scout pack in your time. In an immigrant-heavy city such as ours, religious conviction quickly becomes cultural tradition. Makes a killer fundraiser, too. Praise Cod!<\/p>\n
And did you know \u2026<\/p>\n
Fasting<\/p>\n
In the early centuries of the Catholic Church, Lent wasn\u2019t just about skipping meat on Fridays. Fasting rules often limited believers to one meal a day, with no meat, dairy, or eggs for the entire 40-day season. Compared to that, a plate of fried fish, fries and coleslaw feels downright decadent.<\/p>\n
Why Fish?<\/p>\n
Fish became the default Lenten protein because church law defined meat as flesh from warm-blooded animals. Fish \u2014 cold-blooded and widely available \u2014 didn\u2019t count. That technical distinction shaped centuries of menus and helped turn Friday fish into a lasting culinary tradition rather than a temporary loophole.<\/p>\n
Fried, Please<\/p>\n
Frying fish wasn\u2019t originally about flavor \u2014 it was efficient. Hot oil cooked large quantities quickly, fed crowds cheaply, and masked inconsistent fish quality. Churches and community halls could serve hundreds of meals in a short window, making fried fish the most practical choice for Lenten gatherings.<\/p>\n
High Heat<\/p>\n
Looking for the single biggest factor in good fried fish? It isn\u2019t the recipe \u2014 it\u2019s oil temperature. Fish fried below about 350\u00b0F absorbs oil and turns greasy; too hot and the coating burns before the fish cooks through. Consistent heat is why experienced fry cooks obsessively watch thermometers and fry in small batches.<\/p>\n
Rest<\/p>\n
Great fried fish doesn\u2019t go straight from oil to plate. Letting it rest briefly on a rack \u2014 not paper towels \u2014 allows excess oil to drip away while keeping the coating crisp. Paper towels trap steam, softening the crust. A short rest sets the batter and preserves that just-fried crunch everyone wants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"And did you know … PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK Ash Wednesday falls on Feb. 18 this year, so Fish…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":115450,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,75,74],"class_list":{"0":"post-115449","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh","8":"tag-pittsburgh","9":"tag-pittsburgh-headlines","10":"tag-pittsburgh-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115449\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}