Traditionally, no meat is eaten on Good Friday, but rather fish. This custom, like the holiday itself, comes from Christianity, although it is not a holiday in the true sense of the word. It is a fasting day commemorating Jesus. But also many non-religious people follow the tradition and abstain from meat on the Friday before Easter.
All about the fish for Good Friday:
Why do we eat fish on Good Friday, but not meat??
Originally Meat was very expensive and did not come on the table every day, but on holidays it usually did. However, Good Friday is a day of mourning for Jesus, so celebrating is strictly forbidden. In all German states there is therefore a ban on dancing on Good Friday (although not all day everywhere). To this abstinence also belongs the sexual abstinence Reproduction, from which also the meat comes out, which otherwise comes on the table. The rule that fish is allowed comes from the Misconception, That fish do not reproduce sexually, but are part of the water and simply appear there, for lack of biological knowledge.
Moreover, the fish is one of the earliest symbols of Christianity. The greek word for fish is "Ichtys", which is the first letters of "Iesos Christos Theou Yios Soter". This means "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior". Therefore early Christians used the Fish symbol, to recognize each other. Therefore, tradition says that one should abstain from "animals of heaven and earth", so fish is excluded from that.
Easter is the Lent The Easter meal is over, so it’s free again for meat and, what many are particularly happy about, chocolate.
Healthy custom
Before we really feast again on Easter, we can do something good for our bodies on Good Friday. Fish contains many valuable Proteins, which are good for us and important for muscles, organs and blood. The proteins make you full and really boost our metabolism. It also provides us with Omega-3 fatty acids, which our body cannot produce by itself. They strengthen the cardiovascular system and are good for our brain. Also the in the fish contained Vitamins, Minerals and iodine are good for our body.
Cod belongs to the low-fat fish varieties and contains only a few calories. It works well for a very light Good Friday dinner. The protein contained in the cod and other lean fish Iodine is important for the functioning of the thyroid gland and is said to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Salmon and Herring are very fatty fish, but contain many valuable saturated fatty acids. Salmon also contains a high level of Vitamin D, which promotes calcium deposition and thus strengthens bones.
Pollack and Trout Contain very little cholesterol and help you keep your cholesterol levels down before the Easter holidays. You see: A meal with fish for Good Friday is healthy!
Recipes with fish for Good Friday
To make most popular edible fish for Easter, salmon, pollack, redfish, cod, trout or carp are all good. With the right recipe, you can make these fish a real treat even on this fasting day. Classic side dishes to accompany the Good Friday fish are Boiled potatoes or a delicious Potato salad with dill. But also a light leaf salad or mixed steamed vegetables go well with. We have put together some recipes to make your Good Friday menu a success. Not quite as abstemious as tradition would have it, but delicious!
Apple soup with smoked salmon
(makes 4 servings)
Ingredients:
- 100 g of smoked salmon
- 1 leek
- 1 apple
- ½ onion
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 50 ml of cider
- 450 ml of broth
- 250 ml cream
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup sour cream
- chervil, salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Cut the smoked salmon into fine strips. If you work with fish more often, it is worth buying a fish knife. Cut the leeks into lozenges, the apples into cubes and chop the onion.
- Cook half of the salmon al dente in salted water for the garnish. Meanwhile, saute the onion in the butter until translucent, then add the rest of the leeks and half of the apple cubes and saute them as well. Deglaze everything with the cider. Then fill up the pot with the broth and add the bay leaf. When all the ingredients are soft boiled, add the cream.
- Remove the bay leaf and puree the soup. Season it with salt and pepper.
- Fill the soup into soup plates and garnish with chervil, leeks and apple cubes. Add the smoked salmon strips and serve the soup with sour cream.
Redfish with spring vegetables and wild garlic pesto
(makes 4 servings)
ingredients:
- 4 redfish fillets à 180 g (with or without skin)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 spring onions
- 100 g sugar snap peas
- 100 g radishes
- 200 g mushrooms
- 1 bunch wild garlic
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt
- 50 g Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
- Finely chop the spring onions and snow peas. Clean and halve the radishes and mushrooms. Put wild garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan in a blender and puree everything, but not too fine, there should still be small pieces in the pesto.
- Saute mushrooms and radishes slowly in a pan over medium heat, add spring onions and sugar snap peas and cook. Season with salt and pepper and add butter to taste.
- Fry the redfish fillets in a hot pan on the flesh side ca. 2 minutes, then turn them over and finish frying on the skin side (if you have fillets with skin).
- Arrange the redfish on the vegetables and serve everything with the wild garlic pesto.
Herb cod
(makes 2 servings)
Ingredients:
- 1 clove of garlic
- 150 g crème fraîche
- Herbs of Provence
- salt
- Pepper
- 200 g tomatoes
- 2 cod fillets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Preparation:
- Squeeze the garlic, mix it with crème fraîche and herbs de Provence and season with salt and pepper.
- Remove the stem end of the tomatoes and slice them. Dab the fish fillets dry with kitchen paper and cut each fillet crosswise into 3 equally sized pieces. Salt and pepper these.
- Grease 2 small casserole dishes (ca. 18 x 12 cm) with the oil. Fill in the herb cream. Layer the tomato slices and the fish pieces alternately in the mold.
- Cook the fish in a hot oven at 200 degrees (top and bottom heat) on the middle shelf for 20 minutes. Rice goes well with it.
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