Break Out the Tarter Sauce: Here Are The QCA’s Best Places for Fish for Lent

If you’re part of the Catholic Church, then you know that Lent and its accompanying fast days are upon us. This means all Catholics are encouraged to go without meat on Fridays throughout the season, which typically starts around Ash Wednesday and lasts until Easter Sunday.

The Religious Reason

According to USCatholic.org: "Some say that forgoing meat was forgoing a luxury, as meat was relatively rare for most people. This certainly would have been true in the ancient Mediterranean world in late winter—our time of Lent. Today this hardly seems true, since seafood is the luxury and hamburger costs pennies. And besides, the tradition is to abstain from meat, not necessarily to eat fish.  Eating vegetables suffices."

Why Fish?

Eating fish has several benefits over other types of proteins. The first is that it’s high in lean protein and low in saturated fat, making it a great option if you’re trying to lose weight. Fish is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help improve your heart health when eaten regularly.

Then Again...

Unless you deep fry that bad boy in the hot, artery clogging, yum yum juice.  That's how I like it.  In fact...the best fish fries around are the ones that source the fish locally.  So local that the guy who caught that very fillet you're dipping into tarter sauce is sitting at the bar swigging Schlitz and making rude comments toward "the bar maid."

That's how you know it's good!  But it doesn't have to come from a foul mouthed grandfather half cocked on a bar stool...

We've Got You Covered

To help you get your fish fix, we’ve compiled a list of places in the Quad Cities Area that offer fish on Friday’s during Lent. So, whether you’re looking to stick to your religious beliefs or just enjoy a great piece of fish...we've got  you covered.