Last call: Fish fry recipes, STL Fish Fry 2024 Round-up and St. Vincent de Paul Charity Dinner Auction

By Suzanne Corbett, STLSportsPage.com Travel/Food Editor

(Fish fry round-up and St. Vincents Dinner compiled by staff)

Lenten fish fry season ends on Good Friday, this Friday. Sad news for fish fry lovers. But it doesn’t have to be because frying fish isn’t that tricky once you know how.

Anyone wanting to host their own fish fry at home can master the art of deep-fried fish. Just follow a few basics. Basis which begin with the oil.

Whether you’re frying fish to feed a congregation or a family, choose an oil with a light flavor and a high smoke point such as peanut, safflower or canola oil, and keep it at the right temperature. When oil begins to smoke. It’s a sign it has gotten too hot and is breaking down, which will affect food flavors. To monitor the oil’s temperature, invest in a good thermometer.

A chef’s number one tip is don’t overcrowd the fryer or pan. Fry fish in small batches. Large batches can lower oil temperature, which makes for a disaster resulting in poorly cooked, greasy-tasting fish. Overcrowding can also knock off breading.

Before frying anything gather the right tools – long handled tongs, slotted spoons and or a fry basket. To prevent food from sticking to those tools, dip them in the hot oil just before using. Once fish is fried, the trick is to keep it crisp. Whether the fish is fried at home or is carried home from the local fry, keep it crisp and hot by arranging pieces in a single layer on a rack placed on a baking sheet in a 200-degree  oven. Air fryers are also great to re-crisp and reheat fried fish.

To make your first home fish fry a success, I’ve included a couple of my favorites from past cooking classes.

Southern Fried Catfish with Lemon Chili Tartar Sauce

1pound skinless catfish fillets
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons lemon pepper
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
vegetable oil for frying
tartar sauce

Cut fillets into smaller pieces if needed. In a shallow bowl or plate, combine cornmeal, lemon pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Dip the catfish into the cornmeal mixture, coating well. In a large skillet, heat 2 inches of oil to 360F over medium-high heat. Add fish to the hot oil, a few at a time, making sure not to crowd the pan. Cook until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove and drain on a paper towel-lined platter. Serve with Lemon Chili Tartar Sauce and Hushpuppies. Makes 4-6 servings.

Lemon Tartar Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon pickle relish, drained
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
1 1/2 tablespoons minced capers
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and the zest of one lemon
Tabasco to taste

Mix all the about ingredients together and chill.

Bayou Fried Shrimp

3 pounds unpeeled, large raw shrimp
2 cups milk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon Creole or yellow mustard
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (can use fish fry mix)
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
Vegetable oil

Peel shrimp, leaving tails on. Butterfly shrimp by making a deep slit down back of each from large end to tail, cutting to but not through inside curve of shrimp. Devein shrimp, and place in a large bowl.  Whisk together milk, egg, mustard  and creole spice.  Pour mixture over shrimp. Let stand at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. Combine fish fry mix and 1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning. Dredge shrimp in flour and shake off excess. Arrange on baking sheets and chill for 10 minutes.

Pour oil to a depth of 3 inches into a Dutch oven; heat to 350 degrees. Fry shrimp, in batches, 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden brown; drain on wire racks over paper towels.

Most Christian religions celebrate Lent and according to the US Catholic Bishops: “It’s a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter. During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting.”

Many people of many faiths give up something for Lent and one of those things is often eating meat during Lent so Catholic churches set up fish fries to provide a place to congregate and eat fish rather than meat on Friday nights.

The Arhdiocese of St. Louis Facebook page encourages : “In Lent, Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays. Here in St. Louis, our Friday Fish Fries have been a Lenten tradition for many years..”

The photo, right, from their post, shows a fish fry dating back 1916.

While many are deciding if they will eat meat or fish, there are others in the city of St. Louis who have no choice in what they eat as they may be homeless or living in poverty. That is where churches like St. Vincent’s de Paul located in Downtown St. Louis come in. They provide many ministries for the homeless or those living in lower economic conditions. Read on about how you can help the ministries of St. Vincent’s as well as find some fish fries to check out on Friday nights.

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A Few Lenten Fish Fries Around St. Louis:

St. Ferdinand’s has been frying fish since 1953. Hand cut fried cod fish is the specialty a
is sold as dinners or by the pound. Good Friday at 2:30 pm – 7 pm | Dine-in or carryout. 1765 Charbonier Road, Florissant, Missouri

St. Francis of Assisi Parish, renowned for its hand breaded jacks. Also on the menu, beer battered cod filets, square fish filets, catfish and shrimp. Doors open at 4pm, with fish frying until 7pm.  Located at 4556 Telegraph, St. Louis, MO 63129

Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church Fishfest has great fried fish with choices that include Spicy catfish, Fried tilapia and Shrimp  Po’Boys . IT also has a variety of sides and Serbian desserts. Best yet, you get to dine in style when dining in – on real china. Dine-in or carry out 5 – 7:30 pm. Located at 1910 Serbian Drive St Louis 63104

St. Pius V Church, 3310 S Grand Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63118 – Every Friday of Lent February 16th – March 22nd 4:00 – 7:00pm​  Full Plate $12   *   Half Plate $8 

American Legion Post 365 – Collinsville  1022 Vandalia St., Collinsville, IL 62234., 3-8 p.m. Fridays $9 to $14, cash or check only.

St. Cecilia Catholic Church, 906 Eichelberger St., St. Louis, MO 63111,  4:30-8 p.m. Fridays from Feb. 23 through March 22, $15

St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, 8732 Magdalen Ave., Brentwood, MO 6314,  4:30-7:30 p.m. Fridays, Feb. 16 through March 22,  $8 to $15

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church,  12550 South Forty Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141, 4-7 p.m. Feb. 23, March 1 and 8

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish,  1115 South Florissant Road, St. Louis, MO 63121,  4-7 p.m. Fridays, Feb. 16 through March 22, $10

If you know of any others, feel free to let us know.

St. Vincent de Paul Charity Dinner/Auction April 20, 2024

If you are looking for a fun evening out which will impact many people, consider the St. Vincent’s de Paul Charity Dinner/Auction. The event will take place int the Parish Hall of St. Vincents, one of St. Louis’ beautiful old churches– which dates back tot he 1800’s.

To accomodate the growing Catholic population in St. Louis, in 1838, St. Louis Bishop Rosati formed four parishes for the city: St. Patrick’s to the North, St. Francis Xavier to the West, Holy Trinity (later to be St. Vincent De Paul) to the South and the Cathedral in the center. 

Julia Soulard donated the land  and the cornerstone was to be laid on May 5, 1839 but rain caused all sorts of problems and delayed the construction eventually causing that first location to be abandoned and the church was built a block south in 1843. The people who built it were like the parishoners today: hard working people who don’t give up on their causes.

St. Vincents has many outreach programs and they take care of the people in their zip code.

There are many ways you can help with their dinner and auction: buy tickets, become a sponsor, volunteer.

For more information on the St. Vincent de Paul Parish Dinner/Auction, Saturday, April 20, 2024: http://www.STVDP2024.givesmart.com

To find out about sponsorship opportunities: call the parish office at (314) 231-9328 or email tpwells@sbcglobal.net

To learn about St. Vincent de Pauls outreach programs: www.stvstl.org

Outreaches St. Vincents Provides:

Food Pantry is open Tuesdays & Thursdays
9:00 am – 1 pm by appointment ONLY.
To be a Client you must live in the zip code area of 63104.

Clothing Window is operated by St. Vincent’s Ladies of Charity.
Open on Tuesdays from 12:00 – 1:30 pm 

Meals Program is organized by Kitchen Manager Bobby Trampier & our Volunteers are organized by Pat Poehling. Our Meals Program provides a hot & filling meal for our Guests.
The Meals Program is from the 22nd – 1st of every month.
No RSVP required!

Sandwich Window is made possible by generous donations & Kitchen Volunteers. We are able to provide “sack lunches” to over 100 individuals daily.
The Sandwich Window is open
Mon – Sat 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Utility Assistance is made possible by St. Vincent’s Community Outreach (vco) We are able to offer Emergency Assistance & Furniture Vouchers to Residents that live in St. Louis, MO 63104.