Lenten Season in Latin America: 5 Seafood Dishes to Enjoy as Catholics Abstain From Meat

It is now Lenten season, and as Holy Week approaches, Roman Catholics typically abstain from eating meat, especially on Good Friday.

That means that vegetable and seafood dishes have become even more popular than usual due to the abstinence from meat.

5 Seafood Dishes to Enjoy During Lenten Season, Holy Week

Most seafood dishes are enjoyed during the Lenten season or Holy Week. So, here are some yummy seafood dishes famous in Latin America to eat during the period of sacrifice.

Ceviche

Ceviche is the most iconic fish dish in Latin America, originating from Peru. It has many variations and has spread worldwide, but the concept remains the same. According to Amigo Foods, the dish is raw fish marinated in citrus juices over several hours and then served raw.

Technically, the fish is not raw anymore as it is cooked in acid, though many still find the idea of eating raw fish to be a bit daunting. However, the taste of this iconic dish is refreshing and a great way to abstain from meat for a few weeks.

Fish Tacos

Another iconic fish dish is from Mexico. According to NPR, fish tacos originated in Mexico's Baja California state. It is basically what it says on the tin, tacos filled with fish, and you cannot go wrong with them. So, if you are craving tacos during Lent and cannot eat meat, why not try this fish variant?

Acaraje

This Brazilian street food may be made from black-eyed peas but has some very big shrimp flavor. It uses onions and ground-dried shrimp to give it an extra punch. These are made into dough balls before being deep-fried in Brazilian palm oil. After cooking, these fritters are split in half and filled with vatapa, a creamy paste made from finely ground peanuts, shrimp, and coconut milk.

Sopa de Locos

According to Taste Atlas, Sopa de Locos, or Abalone Soup, originated in Chile. The dish is made with a combination of abalone, stock, milk, onions, bell peppers, oil, bread, grated cheese, butter, parsley, and salt, making this dish a hearty meal in the southern hemisphere during the Lenten months. Cheese is often grated on top of this dish and paired with bread soaked in milk to warm a person up.

Chupe de Pescado

Peru's most popular Lenten dish is Chupe de Pescado. This dish is traditionally served during Lent and is made with various ingredients, mainly white fish, which is usually cod in this case.

Its other ingredients include flour, olive oil, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, squash, peas, lima beans, corn, mint, oregano, hot peppers, fish stock, eggs, queso fresco, bread, butter, and evaporated milk. It is often served with buttered bread on the side.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: How to Make Ceviche - From Munchies