The Lent season gives rise to a great St. Louis tradition, the Fish Fry. But local church parishes aren't the only folks in on the fish. At least since 1962, when McDonald's debuted the Filet-O-Fish, fast-food restaurants have offered Lent-friendly options for patrons.
The granddaddy of them all.
Gut Check figured we'd run down the list in honor of the holiday.
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With fish-fry options galore in St. Louis during Lent, it might be a daunting task trying to figure out where to go. Sure, some popular fish-fry locales distinguish themselves with non-traditional menus, but any way you dunk it in hot oil, there's a lot of deep-fried jack salmon and cod to wade through in this town.
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This year, in an attempt to glean insight, Gut Check talked to a handful of high-profile St. Louisans to see which fries they favor.
See also:
-Gut Check's Guide to More Than 35 St. Louis Lenten Fish Frys -- Map Included!
-Fish Fry Frenzy 2012: Week 4, St. Cecilia Parish Church
-Fish Fry Frenzy 2012: Week 2, Webster Groves Lion's Club Gluten-Free Fish Fry
Gut Check has been pining for fish fry season, which begins this weekend, since at least last Easter. (Maybe longer -- we're of the disposition to start getting nostalgic for things even before they're over.) But we're going to have to postpone our first expedition to the Catholic school cafeterias and church basements of this fair city. That's because we've been waiting an entire year for the Schlafly Tap Room's (2100 Locust Street; 314-241-2337) annual Cod and Cask Festival (running this year 5 p.m. to midnight on Friday and 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday) -- and our one chance this year to devour a plate of plokkfiskur.
image via A pan of the Schlafly Tap Room's plokkfiskur.
What is plokkfiskur, you ask?
Why, it's the food of the gods. The Scandinavian gods, that is. In Valhalla, you can bet that Odin and Freya and Loki and all the rest get to eat this stuff every day.
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View St. Louis Fish Fry Frenzy Guide in a larger map
Today is Ash Wednesday, which means one important thing to Gut Check: Lenten fish fry season is upon us! Beginning this Friday, February 15, we have seven weeks to gulp deep-fried, golden-brown breaded fish and swig beer in fish fry destinations around St. Louis.
Submitted for your approval, St. Louis, we've rounded-up a list of more than 35 local parishes, community centers, VFW halls and more hosting fish frys this season, complete with a fancy Google map to make fish-fry hopping easier.
See also:
-Fish Fry Frenzy 2012: Week 4, St. Cecilia Parish Church
-Fish Fry Frenzy 2012: Week 2, Webster Groves Lion's Club Gluten-Free Fish Fry
-Fish Fry Frenzy 2012: Week 1, First Unitarian Church of St. Louis
Parroquia Santa Cecilia (906 Eichelberger Street; 314-351-1318), a.k.a. St. Cecilia, is the unofficial church for Mexican-American Catholics in St. Louis. Families come together for its Lenten events and bring to the table an entire new universe of fish-fry fare, with the emphasis on fare, as opposed to fish. St. Cecilia fish fries are perhaps best known for their chiles rellenos, big-ass mildly spicy poblano peppers jammed full of cheese, then dipped in batter and fried till the exterior browns and the cheesy depth-charge inside achieves molten status. Praise the Lord and pass the cervezas; these calorie bombs are addictive to the very last gooey bite.
Rease Kirchner
Beginning Today, Friday, March 9, the Webster Groves Lion's Club will hold a fundraising barbecue every second Friday and Saturday through October (excluding July) from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m in the parking lot of Sappington Farmers' Market (8400 Watson Road, 314-843-7848). Today, Friday, March 9, and Saturday, March 10, in honor of lent, the barbecue expands to include a gluten-free fish fry, offering gluten-free fish dinners and fish sandwiches. While fish is inherently gluten-free (as are meat and seafood products in general), the batter used to coat fish before it's deep-fried often contains wheat and gluten ingredients.
Liz Miller
Vegan felafel, pita bread, veggie chili and dolmas aren't traditional fish fry fare, but then, little about the menu at the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis (5007 Waterman Boulevard, 314-361-0595) UnFish Fry could be described as traditional. This annual vegetarian dinner not only takes meat off the menu, but also fried food in general. The decidedly healthier, Mediterranean-inspired eats include the above mentioned entrées, as well as mac 'n' cheese, dolmas, green beans, cole slaw, salad and applesauce, and the usual buffet of baked goods for dessert.
Liz Miller Vegan chili at the First Unitarian Church UnFish Fry
Friday, February 24, marked a special day for Gut Check: The beginning of fish fry season. We asked you to share your favorite fish fries with us, and combined the results with a list of our own to create a map of our favorite fried fish destinations. On each of the six spectacular Fridays leading up to Easter Sunday, Gut Check will brave long lines, crowded cafeterias, heightened cholesterol levels and the potential disappointment of sold-out signs to find the deep-fried, breaded best that St. Louis has to offer.
Gut Check's map needs your help!
In years past, Gut Check has chronicled the many Lenten fish fries happening around St. Louis. This year, we're reaching out to you, dear readers, to share the location of your favorite local fish fry. The most creative submission will be chosen by Gut Check on Friday, February 24, and rewarded with a $20 gift certificate to Porter's Fried Chicken, for, might we suggest, the catfish, battered cod or Jack salmon?
Robin Wheeler
To enter, simply submit the name and address of your favorite fish fry location in the comments section below, along with at least 100 words explaining why it takes top honors. Be sure to also include your name and email address, as Gut Check will contact the winner to claim his or her prize.
Update: Congrats to commenter Sal E., who submitted the fish fry at St. Cecilia's Parish (906 Eichelberger Street, 314-353-2455).
Here's a secret, one you probably already know: Not every Jew keeps kosher. As a matter of fact, some eat an awful lot of treyf and believe that life isn't worth living if it doesn't include cheeseburgers, bacon and sausage pizza. Oh, and barbecued ribs.
A sign on the wall just outside the St. Richard's School cafeteria.
But when the Jewish Light, St. Louis' Jewish weekly, decided to expand its interfaith horizons and rate the Lenten Friday fish fries at local Catholic churches and declared the one at St. Richard's Catholic Parish in Creve Coeur the best, it touched off what we professional journalists refer to as a shitstorm among the paper's readers.
"What Jewish values are presented by comparing which fish fry has the best shrimp and catfish?" wrote Joan and Jules Stiber.
"In the Jewish universe, Friday night is for Shabbat, not fish-fry hopping," Ellyn Goldman Ross put in. "St. Louis Jewish families choose their own ways to recognize Friday night as the beginning of the Sabbath. But it is really offensive to have a Jewish institution organize against traditional ways by reviewing Friday-night dining at area churches."
Naturally Gut Check, a connoisseur of fish fries, as it happens, had to check out St. Richard's.
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