Lent is here and it’s time to visit your local Strack & Van Til Food Market’s Seafood Department and Deli Department for meatless options that are Lenten meals made easy.

The Seafood Department is offering a Friday Night Fish Fry, featuring flavorful fish and seafood selections. Catch this special every week during Lent. Choose from the Fantail Shrimp Dinner or Fish and Shrimp Dinner. Each comes with ½ pound of seafood, ½ pound of fries and ¼ pound of delicious coleslaw—all for $5.99 per dinner.

Other varieties include catfish, ocean perch, orange roughy, tilapia and lake perch. Starting at $6.99, you’ll get ½ pound of seafood, ½ pound of fries and ¼ pound of coleslaw.

Crunchy hushpuppies, savory breaded green beans, gooey mozzarella sticks and tasty sweet potato fries are perfect as appetizers or sides and are available.

If you want to skip the hassle or mess of frying your fish at home, let the Seafood Department do all the work. “We’re happy to prepare your meal the way you like it,” says Strack Van Til Meat and Seafood Department Director Gary Teachman. “Choose your favorite fresh fish, and we’ll fry it for you for an additional charge of just $1 per pound. You can even choose from three types of breading.”

Fishing for other easy meatless meals for Lent? Look no farther than the Strack &Van Til Deli Department. Reel in hot and ready Panko-breaded pollack patty fish sandwiches topped with American cheese and served on a steamed bun. Want to make it a meal? Add two small sides, and it’s just $6.

Freshly tossed salads with a variety of greens such as spinach, kale and traditional romaine and iceberg lettuce, are a healthy, meatless option. Enjoy coleslaws, pasta salads, tuna, egg or seafood salads, including the deli’s special Bang Bang Shrimp and pasta salad. This customer favorite includes tender shrimp, sweet “krab” meat, crisp celery, water chestnuts and seashell pasta dressed in creamy, sweet chili garlic aioli and a splash of lime.

“You’ll love our meatless soups. Flavorful, filling and satisfying, they’re delicious on their own or as an addition to your Lenten meal,” says Deli Director Kristin Snow. “Choose from comforting favorites such as chunky clam chowder, rich lobster bisque, creamy tomato and heavenly broccoli cheddar.”

Ready-made seafood, tuna or egg salad spread on bread or a flaky croissant and ready-to-eat hard-boiled egg six-packs make the perfect Lenten staples. Macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, potato wedges, potato pancakes, deli-fresh potato cakes and other easy heat-and-serve items, are all available in the Deli Department.

Cheese lovers have multiple choices for Lent in the Strack & Van Til Deli Department. Try the deli’s cheese pizzas and cheesy garlic Giacobbino’s Flatbreads or toss a Caprese salad with fresh mozzarella that’s also delicious on tomato bread. Chihuahua cheese creates the perfect quesadilla, and specialty cheeses are ideal for building a gourmet three-cheese grilled cheese sandwich, as in the recipe below:

 

Grilled Three-Cheese Sandwiches (Taste of the South Magazine)

Yields: 4

Ingredients

¼ cup mayonnaise

8 slices white sandwich bread

4 slices yellow American cheese

4 slices Colby-Jack cheese

4 slices cream Havarti cheese

4 Tbsp. salted butter, divided

Instructions

Spread mayonnaise on half of the bread slices. Layer with one piece each American, Colby-Jack and Havarti.

Cover with remaining bread slices.

In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, melt 2 tablespoons. butter over medium heat. Add two sandwiches; cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn, and cook until cheese is melted and both sides are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Repeat procedure with remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the remaining two sandwiches.