Otsego County, New York’s Best Lenten Fish Fries

For those that observe Lent, fried fish on Friday is synonymous with the season. In Otsego County, they can be found just about everywhere.

Get our free mobile app

There are a couple of reasons why observers eat fish but not other meats on Fridays during this time. According to the teachings of Christianity, as Jesus died on a Friday, fasting became a way to honor his sacrifice. This fast didn't mean eat nothing, it meant that observers were to not eat meats from warm blooded animals. Fish are cold blooded animals and therefore approved for consumption.

Eating fish on Fridays was also a driver for global fish harvesting. According to NPR: "But fish—well, they’d been associated with sacred holidays even in pre-Christian times. And as the number of meatless days piled up on the medieval Christian calendar—not just Fridays but Wednesdays and Saturdays, Advent and Lent, and other holy days—the hunger for fish grew. Indeed, fish fasting days became central to the growth of the global fishing industry."

Sure, you could make fish at home, but it's usually best when someone else cooks - less mess! Here in Otsego County, there are more than a few options. One name that kept coming across my desk is Council Rock Brewery in Cooperstown. Matthew R. said on our Facebook post: "Haven’t tried it yet myself, but one of my colleagues has been trying to get me to check out Council Rock Brewery in Cooperstown. She says the fish has the perfect amount of crunch and the fish tastes so fresh. She told me she’s been all along the coast from Maine down to Florida and has never had a fish fry as good as theirs. She went last Friday and said she’s been dreaming about it ever since."

Additionally, the Oneonta Veterans Club does a fish fry every Friday in March. St. Mary's Church in Oneonta will be frying for the next four Fridays in the old school building. Also, the Schenevus Valley Lodge in Schenevus will be having a fish fry on March 15th.