Lent begins March 5. Though you may plan to give something up, you won’t be sacrificing quality when you get your meals from Strack & Van Til.

Save time and make your life easier with Lenten Meals Made Easy, including the Friday Night Fish Fry in the Seafood Department. Available every week during Lent, this special includes the Fantail Shrimp Dinner, Tilapia and Shrimp Dinner or Swai and Shrimp Dinner. Each comes with a half pound of seafood, a half pound of fries and a quarter pound of coleslaw—all for $6.99 per dinner.

Other varieties are catfish, ocean perch, orange roughy, tilapia, lake perch and more. Starting at $7.99, you’ll get the half pound of seafood, half pound of fries and quarter pound of coleslaw.

“Many of our customers say our selection is the best in Northwest Indiana,” says Strack Van Til Meat and Seafood Department Director Gary Teachman.

For a tasty appetizer or side, bring home an order of hush puppies, breaded green beans, mozzarella sticks and sweet potato fries.

Avoid the hassle or mess of frying your fish at home and let the Seafood Department do the work. “Choose your favorite fresh fish, choose from three types of breading and we’ll fry it for you for an additional charge of just $1 per pound,” notes Teachman. “We’re happy to prepare your meal the way you like it.”

For a quick and simple dinner, pop a Steamable Bag in the microwave for 4 to 6 minutes and you’ve got ready-to-eat deliciousness. Options include seasoned salmon or seasoned tilapia with vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots) and seasoned shrimp with vegetable or rice.

Want more speedy meal solutions? Freshly made omega-3-packed salmon burgers in zesty dill, Cajun, spinach feta and garlic parmesan varieties will hit the spot.

Reel in more Lenten options in the Strack &Van Til Deli Department. There you’ll find a hot and fresh or heat-and-serve breaded fish sandwich on a bun with American cheese—also served as a meal with macaroni and cheese and creamy coleslaw.

Freshly tossed salads with greens such as spinach, kale and traditional romaine and iceberg lettuce are a healthy, meatless alternative. Enjoy coleslaws, pasta salads, tuna, egg or seafood salads. Customer favorite Bang Bang Shrimp and pasta salad is made from tender shrimp, sweet “krab” meat, crisp celery, water chestnuts and seashell pasta dressed in creamy, sweet chili garlic aioli with a splash of lime.

“You’ll love our flavorful, filling and satisfying meatless soups — alone or in addition to your Lenten meal,” says Deli Director Kristin Snow. “Choose from chunky clam chowder, rich lobster bisque, creamy tomato and broccoli cheddar.”

Ready-made seafood, tuna or egg salad on bread or a flaky croissant and ready-to-use hard-boiled egg six-packs are ideal Lenten staples. Macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, potato wedges and other easy heat-and-serve items also are available in the Deli Department.

Try the Creamy Broccoli Rotini Pasta Salad Kit, made with tender pasta, fresh vegetables and a sweet creamy dressing, or the Rotini Vegetable Salad Kit with tri-colored rotini pasta in a zesty Italian-style dressing with fresh vegetables and ripe olives.

Cheese lovers can treat themselves to specialty options, build a traditional grilled cheese sandwich or a create a gourmet variety with cheddar, Brie and a dollop of red pepper jelly. Select from deli cheese pizzas or fresh mozzarella that’s perfect for Caprese salad or on tomato bread. V&V Supremo shredded Chihuahua cheese makes a delicious quesadilla

Shrimp Quesadilla

 (Adapted from simplyrecipes.com)

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound medium-small raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 tsp. chipotle or chili powder
• Pinch salt
• Pinch ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. lime or lemon juice
• 2-1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil (divided, 2 tsp. and 1/2 tsp.)
• 1 Tbsp. chopped red onion
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• Salt and pepper
• 2 medium flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup. shredded V&V Supremo shredded Chihuahua cheese
• 1/4 avocado, sliced
• Dollop sour cream or crema fresca

Instructions

Toss shrimp in a small bowl with 1/4 tsp. chipotle or chili powder, pinch of salt, pinch of pepper and a Tbsp. lime or lemon juice. Let marinate for 10 minutes, then drain juice.

Heat 2 tsps. olive oil in a fairly stick-free skillet (cast iron works well) on medium-high heat.

Add shrimp, cook for 1/2 minute on each side and remove to a bowl.

Shrimp shouldn’t be completely cooked through; they will continue to cook during the next step.

Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Add a small amount of olive oil (about 1/2 tsp.) or butter and heat pan on medium-high.

Place one flour tortilla on skillet and flip a few times, 10 seconds between flips. Air pockets should begin to form. Remove first tortilla and repeat with the second. Leave second tortilla in the pan and reduce the heat to medium.

Sprinkle tortilla with shredded cheese and distribute shrimp on top of cheese. Add chopped onion and cilantro and place the other tortilla on top.

Flip quesadilla over when bottom tortilla is nicely toasted, and cheese has begun to melt. Remove quesadilla from pan when the now bottom tortilla has toasted sufficiently. You can also use one tortilla instead of two and fold it like an omelet. Cut like a pie into six pieces with a pizza wheel. Place on serving plate with avocado slices and sour cream, garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and squeeze a bit of lime juice over everything.