Friday Fish Day

In my mind, Friday has always been the day to enjoy eating fish. I suppose that growing up Catholic has a lot to do with that feeling, although sometime before my teen years, the Catholic church changed fasting on all Fridays to only fasting on Fridays in Lent. Of course, ‘fasting’ actually meant not eating red meat. 

The religious symbolism of a fish actually predates Christianity. Many Pre-Christian groups in Europe, Africa, and Asia variously associated the fish with female sexuality, the womb, resurrection, and life. In Egypt, the goddess Isis came to be seen as the Great Fish of the Abyss. In some places, the  fish  was seen as the Great Mother. The Greek word delphys, meaning womb, became dolphin, or ‘fish with a womb’. Pisces is one of the oldest signs of the Zodiac, and may represent the rescue of Aphrodite and her son Cupid by a fish. The Scandinavian Goddess, Freya, whose name gives us Friday, is also associated with fish. All these stories show just how widespread the fish symbol actually was.

Early Christians adopted the fish symbol, made of two overlapping crescent moons (which in ancient times may have represented a woman’s cycle). Gradually the sexual overtones of the symbol were lost, and the fish came to represent Christ, the son of god. (The Greek word, Icthys, was seen as an acronym, with the Greek letters standing for Jesus Crhist, Son of God, Savior.) Early Christians also used the fish symbol as a sort of secret sign of where they might meet during the times when Christians were persecuted. It has been said that if a Christian met another person, he might draw one half of the symbol. If the stranger drew the second half, they could trust each other as true believers. 

I was surprised to learn that the Catholic church’s rule of fish Fridays actually had political and economic origins in conjunction with the religious stricture. As the Christian calendar filled up with fast days, the fishing industry grew. Then Henry VIII broke with the Catholic church over his divorce of Catherine of Aragon and marriage to Anne Boleyn. He established the Church of England, and put himself as the head of it. Eating fish on fast days was seen as ‘popish’ or following the now disdained Pope, head of the Catholic Church. It was no longer popular or politically correct to eat fish, and the fishing industry suffered.

Then Henry’s son, Edward, became king in 1547. He reestablished the eating of fish on certain days as law, to benefit the nation and the fishing industry. The practice of eating fish on Fridays became so ingrained in Western culture that even in the twentieth century, school lunches offered a fish or meatless option on Fridays. Even today, community fish fries are always on Fridays.

Whether you eat fish on Friday (or any other day) for religious, political, or economic reasons or simply because fish is good for you, there are numerous recipes for preparing fish throughout the ages. 

The following recipe is from Colonial America. All the original thirteen colonies had coastlines. Therefore, the fish industry and consumption of fish was a strong tradition throughout, though not often associated with Fridays.

To Caveach Fish

Cut the fish in pieces the thickness of your hand, wash it and dry it in a cloth, sprinkle on some pepper and salt, dredge it with flour, and fry it a nice brown: when it gets cold, put it in a pot with a little chopped onions between the layers, take as much vinegar and water as will cover it, mix it with some oil, and stop the pot closely.This is a very convenient article, as it makes an excellent and ready addition to a dinner or supper. (Randolph, 64)

Note: Caveach comes from the Spanish escabeche, which means pickled fish. Caveach, unlike the possibly related ceviche, cooks the fish before pickling, whereas ceviche is raw fish  marinated in lemon or lime juice. 

Modern Recipe:

• Approximately 2 lbs fish, cut in 2-4 inch chunks (I used haddock. The colonial recipe does not specify what kind of fish.)
• 1/2c. Flour, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper.
• Oil or butter for frying

Marinade:

• 2 c. vinegar
• 1 t. Cinnamon
• 2 T. long black pepper (peppercorns may be substituted)
• 1 t. Ground mace
• 1 onion, chopped
• Enough water to cover the fish

Dredge the fish in flour and fry just until done. Mix the vinegar, cinnamon, pepper and mace. Put the fish, layered with the onions in a sealable container. Cover with the marinade, adding up to one cup of water. If more water is needed to cover the fish, add half water and half vinegar. The more vinegar to water you have, the stronger the pickle.

Chill for at least 4 hours. The taste improves if the fish is left in the pickle left overnight, or up to several days. Serve cold or warm. (Don’t heat the pickled fish in a microwave, since that will make it tough. The best way to reheat it is to fry it gently, covered, with some of the pickle to keep it moist.