Friday Five: Fish dinners (perfect for Lent!)

Happy Friday to you and yours!  And, more importantly, happy spring!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Exclamation points for miles and miles.

I love winter through and through but, after a day last week with temps in the low 60s and my first run outside in months, I'm so ready for spring.  In a perfect world, we'd completely skip spring and make a bee line to summer, season of farmer's markets, infinite playtime outside, vacations, and ice cream for dinner.  But, I suppose I'll settle for spring.  This is what they call compromise, right?

After last weekend's separate but equal man-cation & me-cation, Matt and I have an open weekend and plan to spend it together.  There's been talk of a lunch date at a new-to-us restaurant, antiquing (his choice) and shopping (her choice), and possibly a show at a local theater company. 

Saturday and Sunday may be up in the air, but tonight's dinner is set in stone -- fish!  Matt is Catholic and always requests some kind of fish on Friday nights during Lent.  Being the accommodating humble wife that I am, I'm happy to indulge his preference.  Since so many of you also take part in this seasonal tradition, I thought it'd be a great time to share five of my favorite fish recipes.  Toss those bland frozen fish dinners and try one of these homemade dishes, bursting with fresh flavors. 


1. Fish tacos with mango salsa - I'm a magnet for fish tacos and, after sampling them at over 10 restaurants, my favorite kind involves two key components: grilled fish and fresh & juicy salsa.  Check and check!

2. Sun-dried tomato parmesan salmon -This is so not your mama's salmon (sorry, all you mamas!).  The flavor of the breading is so unexpected and bold thanks to the sweet sun-dried tomatoes and salty parmesan cheese.  Sure to knock the socks off anyone who tries this for the first time!

3. Greek tilapia with feta tomato orzo - Reliving this recipe through the pictures has me wondering why it's been months since I made this.  The Mediterranean spices and fresh lemon really liven up the tilapia.  But, if we're being totally honest here, the feta tomato orzo is totally the star of the show.  Good luck stopping at one serving!

4. Salmon tostadas - Another round-up of recipes, and yet another mention of this recipe.  It made my top 10 recipes of 2013 and, to date, remains my favorite salmon recipe ever.  I could wax on about the finer points of this dish for enough pages to write a dissertation, but I'll keep it short and leave you with this: make this right now!

5. Homemade fish sticks - Last but not least, I couldn't share a collection of fish recipes for Lent without including at least one that involves frying.  This formula is simple and produces the crunchiest fish sticks I've ever had.  Make dinner a family affair by getting everyone to form an assembly line (save the frying for the grown-ups, please!) and be amazed at how full of flavor homemade fish sticks can truly be.

Enjoy the weekend!  See you on Monday for one heck of a cookie recipe... ;)