Fish tacos, poke bowl, or fried fish?
During the 40 days of Lent, Christian tradition calls for abstaining from eating meat on Fridays as a penitential practice and to remember the sacrifice of Christ.
Lent begins on March 2, Ash Wednesday.
It’s not that hard to find a good fish deal in the state. But while many area churches have traditionally offered very reasonably priced seafood meals on Fridays during Lent (except on Good Friday, which is April 15 this year and traditionally a day to fast) some have had to cancel or alter the meals in the past two years due to the pandemic.
A good place to get fish tacos any time of the year is Agave Mexican Grill, which has its flagship restaurant on Second Street in downtown Lewes and a newish location on Del. 1 near Rehoboth Beach.
The Lewes location is open Wednesdays through Sundays and the Rehoboth site is operating daily, beginning at noon.
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One of the standout dishes on the Agave menu has long been the fish tacos, $23.
The kitchen sandwiches grilled Mahi Mahi between two puffy tacos and slathers the crunchy tortillas with jicama slaw, pico de gallo and Mexican lime cream.
We also recently had very good crunchy fish tacos at Chuck Lager America’s Grill at 4500 New Linden Hill Road in Pike Creek. The $12 plate includes three tacos with fried breaded cod filet, avocado, Sriracha aioli, coleslaw and pickled red onion.
Santa Fe Mexican Grill at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave. in Wilmington sells two Baja fish tacos for $15. The kitchen folds fried Mahi Mahi between flour tortillas along with purple cabbage, radish, avocado and jalapeno aioli. Black beans are served on the side. The tacos also can be made with lettuce wraps instead of flour tortillas.
Another good fish option is a poke bowl, the Hawaiian-style rice bowls with raw fish. Delaware now has five Poke Bros. franchises with a sixth site coming soon to Rehoboth Beach.
Prices for Poke Bros. build-your-own-bowls, which can be made with shrimp, raw and marinated tuna, and salmon and squid, cost about $12.
If you’re looking for a classic fish fry, St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church, 7200 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin, has resumed its dine-in fish fry dinners this year in its parish hall.
Every Friday during Lent beginning March 4, through April 8, dinner will be served from 5 to 7 p.m.
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The menu includes fried fish, baked fish, crab cakes, French fries, macaroni and cheese, green beans, coleslaw, salad, clam chowder, and seafood gumbo.
Single dinners are $17; a double dinner is $23; and a kid’s fish sticks and fries meal is $8. Cash or check only. Take-out is available. Visit smachurch.com
The Knights of Columbus Council #4182 at The Church of the Holy Cross, 631 S. State St., Dover, will be hosting Lenten dinners March 4, 11, 18, 24, and April 1 and 8 from 4 to 6 p.m. The menu includes baked or fried fish, macaroni and cheese or potatoes, vegetables, coleslaw, soup, and dessert; adjusted as necessary weekly. The cost is $10 per person, children under 8 are free, and the price for families is $25.
St. John the Beloved Catholic Church in Milltown and its Knight of Columbus has long hosted a fish fry in its parish hall at 907 Milltown Road during the Lenten season.
But, once again this year, out of an abundance of caution, the Knights aren’t holding dinners but instead will offer takeout fish sandwiches.
“Fish Fry in a Bag” will be available every Friday in Lent: March 4, 11, 18, 25, and April 1 and 8.
The Knights are offering a flounder fillet on a roll with tartar sauce and pickles on the side, a bag of potato chips, a cookie, and a drink for $8. Vegetable lentil soup pints are $5.
Meals can be ordered online at www.tinyurl.com/SJBFish2022 Pick up is in the hall on Fridays from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Orders must be placed no later than the Tuesday before the meal. For more information, email SJBFishFry@gmail.com or call 302-998-7271.
Boy Scout Troop 283 hosts its annual Lenten Fish Fry on March 25. This event is the largest fundraiser of the year for the 21-year-old troop and proceeds help to make the program affordable.
The meal that will be takeout only at the social hall of St. Margaret of Scotland Church, 2431 Frazer Road in Newark.
Meals can be picked up from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Customers can order beer-battered haddock, breaded shrimp, haddock and shrimp combo meal, or macaroni and cheese.
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Each meal, homemade and prepared on-site and ranging in cost from $8 to $20, includes French fries, macaroni salad, coleslaw, tossed salad, roll and dessert.
New England clam chowder is available for an additional cost of $5. Online ordering can be found at fishfryde.org/ff/order-form/ For more information, email 283fishfry@gmail.com
Two other excellent places for fried fish include Stoney’s British Pub at 3007 Concord Pike in Talleyville, and Go Brit!, a British-themed fast-casual restaurant at 18388 Coastal Highway in Lewes.
Stoney’s signature dish is its fish and chips. It’s served at dinner and includes batter-dipped, deep-fried white fish, which owner Mike Stone is just like an authentic British Chip “shoppe,” along with hand-cut chips. Stoney’s is closed Monday. But opens Tuesday at 5 p.m. and at 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sunday.
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British-style fish and chips can be found in Sussex County at Go Brit! in Lewes and its 20-year-old sister operation Go Fish! near the boardwalk in Rehoboth. Both are owned by London native Alison Blyth.
The beer-battered fried fish sandwich is $12 and is served with a side of coleslaw. Both locations also offer traditional British fish and chips. For dessert, don’t forget to order Blyth’s delectable sticky toffee pudding which has been featured on the “Today Show.”
Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico
