My husband is possibly the biggest carnivore I know, so I was surprised one day a couple years ago when he randomly asked me to make seafood for dinner. I thought “Is he trying to eat healthier? I can certainly get behind that!” Well, the answer is no; it turned out that the request for seafood was actually because it was Lent and he’s Catholic as fuuuuuuuuuuuck. Being an atheist who never really knew any Catholics before him and his family, of course I hadn’t even considered this. Still, I was happy to oblige simply because I love seafood. Who doesn’t?
Today is Ash Wednesday for those who adhere to such things, and apparently meat is off the table on this day as well (for Catholics, I learned that recently), so here I am using that as a reason to make some awesome seafood as I go on my merry atheist way.
Today I went to the store in search of seafood on sale, and Harris Teeter delivered! I found EZ peel shrimp on sale for $8.99/lb and tilapia stuffed with crab for $7.99/lb! So now I have enough fresh seafood to last for tonight and Friday!
Tonight, I made the crab-stuffed tilapia with Caribbean rice and steamed broccoli. Since I bought the fish pre-stuffed, all I had to do was bake it at 400 for 15 minutes while making the sides. Lazy perhaps, but I also worked all day and then drove 2 hours round trip to look at a house we might be interested in buying, so I didn’t have much energy left for hardcore cooking anyway.
The crab-stuffed tilapia was amazing! I would highly recommend it if your local grocer offers such a thing at their seafood counter.
The sides aren’t much to brag about culinarily but they complimented the fish well. The Caribbean rice mix comes in a box for $2 and I use frozen broccoli, which I steam in the microwave and season with salt, pepper and seasoned salt (that stuff that makes everything delicious). It all went very well together, and it was healthy, so win win!
My verdict about Catholicism, Lent, and Ash Wednesday haven’t changed: I’ll always be an atheist, but I love my seafood and I’ll happily take any reason to devote more nights to cooking and eating seafood, especially if it makes my husband happy.
Have you ever adjusted your household menu based on your partner’s religion or other unique beliefs? Was it peaceful and easy to do because food is just awesome or has it been a struggle? Tell me in the comments!
Musings of a Dog Mom 