3 Succulent seafood recipes for Lent

Michele Borboa, MS is a freelance writer and editor specializing in health, fitness, food, lifestyle, and pets. Michele is a health and wellness expert, personal chef, cookbook author, and pet-lover based in Bozeman, Montana. She is also...

Meat-free Lenten recipes

Whether you're giving up meat for the entire Lenten season or just on Fridays, you won't feel deprived when you sink your teeth into these succulent seafood recipes, featuring wild salmon, halibut and shellfish.

Pistachio cranberry-crusted wild salmon recipe

Wild salmon is a healthier choice than farmed fish and delivers a delicious dose of omega-3s. Even better, this heart healthy nut-crusted seafood recipe will be on your table in 20 minutes or less.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup shelled pistachios

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon dried thyme

3 tablespoons honey, warm

4 (5 ounce) boneless fillets of salmon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a rimmed baking sheet.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine pistachios, cranberries, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and thyme. Pulse until well-combined.

Rub honey on the top and sides of the salmon fillets. Set fillets on the prepared baking sheet.

Press pistachio mixture on top and sides of the fillets to form a crust (you will have some pistachio mixture left over).

Bake for 10 minutes or until salmon is cooked through (it will flake when pressed with the back of a fork). Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately.

Seafood stew recipe

This is a filling seafood stew dish chockfull of shrimp, onions, potatoes and garlic.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon cayenne or to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1-1/2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

1-1/2 pounds small or medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup chopped green onions, green part only

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Steamed long-grained brown rice

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large heavy-duty pot over medium heat. When hot, whisk in the flour, and continue to whisk until a medium roux is formed (light brown in color), about 10 minutes.

Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until onion is softened. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for one to two minutes.

Gradually stir in broth and bring mixture to a low boil. Add bay leaves, thyme and cayenne. Add a generous pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes. You may have to add more vegetable broth if the liquid gets too thick.

Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Stir the shrimp, green onion and parsley into the stew and continue to cook until the shrimp are just cooked through, three to four minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Remove the bay leaves. Serve the stew over rice.

Cocoa-crusted halibut recipe

Paul A. Young, author of Adventures with Chocolate, inspired this Lenten recipe featuring halibut surprisingly topped with a cocoa nib crust. Of all unlikely places to find one of my favorite fish recipes, Young's cookbook will have you craving chocolate not just every day but for every meal of the day.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

5 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into pieces

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

2 ounces goat cheese

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons cocoa nibs

4 (5 ounce) fillets halibut, trimmed of skin and gray fat

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a food processor, blend the bread and parsley for about one minute. Add the cheese and butter and blend until a smooth paste is formed. Add the cocoa nibs and pulse to combine. Scoop the mixture onto a sheet of waxed paper and cover with another sheet of waxed paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the mixture out until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Place in the refrigerator until firmly set.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Season halibut with salt and pepper. Take the waxed paper-covered crust mixture out of the refrigerator and set it on the counter. Keep the waxed paper in place and set each piece of fish on top. Using a sharp knife, cut around each piece of fish, leaving a small margin of extra crust on all sides.

Transfer the halibut to the prepared baking sheet. Peel off the top sheet of waxed paper from the crust. Place a piece of the crust on top of each halibut fillet.

Bake for six to eight minutes or until halibut is cooked through. Use a spatula to transfer halibut to a serving platter. Serve immediately.