As a child, it was always fish that graced the dinner table for his family on Friday. He remembers especially the fried fillet of flounder coming to the table. Father Joe said his favorite dish, however, was "a tuna fish salad with some egg and some celery served cold along with warm stewed tomatoes and home-fried potatoes." That's a meal he still enjoys today, with a combination of ingredients and a comforting taste that "tickles his fancy."
While growing up, the church required both fasting and abstinence at times during Lent, meaning the one meal permitted had to provide enough protein to carry you through the day. Fish, in some form, was the perfect medium.
The requirement to eat fish on certain days was relaxed around 1966 when Father Joe was a young priest. His pastor at the time announced that even though the rules had changed, they would continue to eat fish in the rectory on Fridays during Lent. The young priest, not wanting his pastor to have too much control over his life, then announced he could do that since he liked fish, but he would first always have a big slice of ham. And that was exactly what he did at the first Friday meal. The next Friday meal, the pastor served steak. Father Joe now eats fish two or three times per week, especially on Fridays.
Lydia Saburn, 78, a parishioner at St. Joseph's, prefers to cook traditional dishes such as clam pie, oyster fritters and cod chowder. Saburn makes her clam pie by simmering "potatoes that are diced pretty carefully" along with onion and celery in some clam juice for the broth. She thickens it by adding some flour. Saburn uses a store bought pie shell for the crust. Her husband just said the other night that Saburn hadn't made a clam pie in a long time. Saburn is now on the hook for an Ash Wednesday clam pie.
Dominic Alcaro, owner of Barbera Seafood &Produce in Atlantic City, knows which fish sells best during Lent and how to cook each one. "Fluke, red snapper fillets and Chilean sea bass are our big sellers, while the Italians prefer fish like whiting. And of course, salmon is always popular." You would expect him to have a recipe or two for a good way to cook fish for your family. Alcaro explains his favorite method, "Take a piece of fluke fillet and coat it with some olive oil, dice up some garlic, dice up some onion, chop some fresh parsley and squeeze a tomato over the top. Wrap it in some aluminum foil and finish in the oven 15 minutes. It's one of the healthiest, good eating fish there is." It's hard to argue with Alcaro's technique. Oyster Stew 1 ounce unsalted butter 12 oysters, shucked, reserve oyster liquor 16 ounces light cream or milk Dash of Worcestershire sauce Dash of Tabasco (or to taste) Salt and white pepper Pinch of cayenne Directions: Melt butter in small sauce pan. Add oysters to butter and cook for 1 minute, just until the edges begin to curl. Add remaining ingredients including oyster liquor and bring to simmer for 2 minutes. Add some crumbled oyster crackers for texture. By MICHAEL HUBER For The Press
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