A Weekly Report on Cincinnati's Lenten Fish Fries...
I'm not Catholic. I just happen to like fish.
Having been raised in Philadelphia, we grew up with fresh fish, always beautiful and fresh. Not just the bland supermarket varieties like cod and flounder, but the more colorful and flavorful fish such as bass, perch, catfish, and crab, a giant undersea assortment apropos to a big coastal city with scores of fishmongers. On our many vacations to the beaches along the east coast, we learned to fish from piers, crab at my aunt’s house, and collect mussels in the bays not far from my grandmother’s beach house in North Carolina. We’d always eat what we caught.
Five years ago, my partner and I moved from Philadelphia to the much more landlocked Cincinnati. Fish was something jetted into Ohio, or trucked in frozen at best. It was mostly foreign to the region. People didn’t really eat it as much here, vocally announcing their dislike of all things from the sea. I mostly stayed away from it, wary of its origins, until I discovered good sources. I discovered Cincinnati’s local forms of sustenance, like Skyline and its orange cheese, or Dewey’s with its gourmet but definitely not Italian pizza. Fish wasn’t something I sought out here – it was just wrong to want it in a region so far inland. But I missed fish.
What I didn’t realize was that Cincinnati, so very German Catholic Cincinnati, bites the bullet and eats fish for religious purposes, during a six week period called “Lent”, the six week period we, in our house, also call “Fish Fry Season”.
During my first year came Lent. Driving around the city, I noticed signs for Fish Fries on many churches, VFW’s, and fire halls. “People actually eat fish here?” I said to my Northern Kentucky-born partner. “Only for religious purposes”, he said, as he explained how each Friday during Lent, Catholics are asked to not eat meat, and since it was a church requirement, many organizations held fish fries as fundraisers. Hmm. “Want to check out the church around the corner tonight for dinner?” “Sure.”
So, my first fish fry was in our neighborhood, and I was, no pun intended, hooked. The commanding Saint Francis De Sales Catholic Church, at the corner of Madison Road and Woodburn Avenue, in East Walnut Hills at what’s commonly referred to as DeSales Corner. DeSales’ Fish Fry is one of the best in the city, I’ve found.
For its fried fish dinner, DeSales starts with fresh whiting, and hand batters each piece it fries with a corn meal batter. Three or four pieces are served on a platter, with your choice of mac and cheese or fries, all served with cole slaw and your choice of wheat or white bread. It’s plain food but it’s all homemade and there’s a lot of it. The mac and cheese is creamy and cheesy and served from big vats with a crispy top. The cole slaw tastes like my mom's.
Baked varieties of fish, pizza, or just a “Fish slider” are available as well as the fried dinners. Look for a newer looking school structure sort of behind the church, it’s a busy place. Place your order at the window, and pay, they give you a ticket, go find a seat and listen for your number. When you hear your number, raise your hand and one of the school’s students will deliver your meal. Drinks include canned sodas and coffee and are $.50 extra. Raffles happen on the stage, take a chance on the Split-the-Pot!
The DeSales’ Fish Fry is one of the hidden gems of the city, always delicious and plentiful! We always try to get there at least two times during this six week cycle. The food is consistently good and made fresh each week. We've taken many friends there who had no knowledge of fish fries, and they've even gone back on their own!
Each week until Easter, my faithful Doug and I will be scoping out the best in Cincinnati fish fries. Tonight? I think we’re going to the West side to St. William for week two. Stay tuned.
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