Is it possible to eat seafood during Lent?

Lent is a period during which certain dietary restrictions apply. He is rightfully considered the strictest.

On certain days of Lent, believers eat raw food, that is, they adhere to dry eating. Fish is consumed on holidays. On weekends, in turn, certain relaxations begin to work. Journalists studied whether it is possible to drink wine during Lent. Separately, the opinion of the clergy on the consumption of squid, shrimp and mussels during Lent, which this year began on March 15 and will end on May 1, is reported.

Is it possible to eat seafood during Lent?

Squid, shrimp and mussels are low-fat types of seafood that are also low in calories. By consuming them, you can easily add proteins to your diet without adding fat. You can count about 140 calories per 85 grams of octopus and only 1.8 grams of fat. Squid is a very good source of iron. Lack of iron can lead to weakness, fatigue and anemia.

You will also find calcium, potassium, phosphorus and selenium in these seafood. It provides the body with many important vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin A, various types of vitamin B, and various omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 is an important nutrient that reduces the likelihood of heart disease. It also reduces the likelihood of cancer and depression. This gives our immune system a big boost and helps children's brain development.

Squid, shrimp, mussels and octopus also contain taurine, which is an organic acid that acts as an antioxidant. Taurine protects the body from stress. This substance is also believed to help prevent heart disease, although there is still no conclusive research for it. Some studies have also shown that taurine improves blood sugar levels. Also, these seafood contain relatively little cholesterol (about 45 mg per 100 g) or about a third less than meat and even fish.

Recipes for Lent

You've probably always heard that fish is good for you, right? I bet you don't know exactly how good it is for you! Fish is an important source of vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal functioning of our body. Plus, fish is an excellent source of lean animal protein and omega-3 fatty acids! For our purposes today, let's look at the vitamins and minerals found in fish that are essential for our good health.

Vitamin A – This vitamin is essential for normal growth, bone and tooth formation, and cell building. It prevents poor vision and helps in the treatment of many eye diseases. Fatty fish, especially, helps in the accumulation of this essential vitamin.

Vitamin B complex – B vitamins are associated with healthy nervous system development.

Vitamin D – Vitamin D is essential for proper bone development. It also helps in the proper utilization of calcium and phosphorus, which are essential for strong bones and teeth; in combination with vitamins A and C helps prevent colds. For those of us who live in northern climates, we need more vitamin D, which sun exposure can provide. In fact, most people in the north suffer from a lack of vitamin D. Fish is an amazing natural source of vitamin D.

Vitamin K helps prevent internal bleeding and promotes proper blood clotting.

Minerals – Fish is also a good source of minerals such as magnesium, calcium, selenium, zinc, iodine and iron.

Calcium – Fish contains calcium, the most abundant mineral in your body. Calcium is found in a number of shellfish, crabs, lobsters, shrimp and other seafood.

Magnesium is another type of essential mineral found in fish. Magnesium in the body works together with calcium to form the elements that make up your bones. In addition, magnesium helps in proper muscle function, supports heart health, and may prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

Selenium is a powerful antioxidant that protects against cell damage and may help counteract the negative effects of mercury.

Zinc and iron are essential for cell growth and immune system health.

Iodine helps maintain thyroid function.

Iron plays an important role in the production of red blood cells.

What is fasting?

How wrong are those who believe that fasting is fasting and equates it to a diet. In fact, this period in the life of a believer has completely different, spiritual goals. The meaning of fasting is repentance, maintaining physical and spiritual purity. But here everything is ambiguous. Everyone must decide on their diet individually on these days. For some, giving up meat is already a feat, while others can easily eat only porridge for a long time. Therefore, you need to plan your own menu in accordance with your own strengths. After all, the purpose of fasting is not to determine what can be eaten and what cannot be eaten. Its goal is abstinence and repentance. If you can refuse seafood, then do not eat it.

Popular recipes

Among the recipes, it is worth choosing those that a particular family likes most. In particular, you can cook cabbage soup with mushrooms. This is simple and straightforward food.

Cabbage soup with mushrooms

Ingredients:

50 g - dried mushrooms;
2 pcs - onion;
3 tbsp. - oil;
200 g - cabbage;
salt and pepper - to taste.

Preparation takes little time.

Mushrooms are soaked in water for 3 hours. This allows them to become soft
The onion is fried until slightly translucent.
The cabbage is cut into thin strips and lightly squeezed. Then she rushes to the onions in the frying pan.
Mushrooms in water are placed on fire.
Then vegetables are added to the soup.

The result is delicious, rich cabbage soup that will help cope with hunger. It is permissible to prepare this recipe when it is allowed to cook food and add oil.

Seafood: what is it?

Is it possible to eat seafood during Lent? Complex issue. Let's first define this term. The generalized name includes several varieties. These include crabs, squid, mussels, and shrimp. Science claims that they belong to achordates, that is, bloodless living beings. It turns out that they can be eaten during fasting. But the church has a different opinion. She recalls that the main criterion for lean food is products of plant origin, while seafood belongs to the animal kingdom. Just like fish, which is considered a semi-lenten food.

Summing up

However, we should not forget that strict fasting primarily exists for monastic life. It is prescribed by the monastery charter. For ordinary people, there are concessions. The severity of fasting is determined either by the confessor or by the fasting person himself.

Therefore, in order not to feel guilty, it is better to approach the priest and ask: “Can I eat seafood during Lent?” If he gives a blessing, then feel free to eat seafood.

In addition, when deciding to fast, you should remember some rules. Pregnant women need to be very careful, because they have to think not only about themselves, but also about the unborn child. Sick people should consult their doctor. Relaxation is given to young children, as well as those who are on the road. There is one more clarification. It is not recommended for students and those people who engage in mental work to give up eating fish, and therefore seafood.

Important nuances

For some categories of citizens there are relaxations during Lent. These include people:

performing heavy physical work;
undergoing a period of recovery after serious illness.

This category also includes pregnant and lactating women and young children.

When consuming seafood, you must be sure to observe moderation and not get carried away with this food.

Strict ban

A strict ban on eating seafood is in effect during the first week, as well as during the Holy Week of Lent.
On these days, you should eat plant foods. On the tables of believers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, in addition to cereals, only fruits and vegetables can be present.

Accordingly, seafood should also not be consumed at this time.

Days to eat seafood

Shrimp can be eaten on the same holidays of Lent when it is allowed to eat fish:

on Lazarus Saturday;
on Palm Sunday;
at the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Orthodox holidays on which shrimp are allowed to be eaten.

Seafood Recipes for Lent

Christian believers are advised to avoid complex and elaborate dishes; excessive attention to food distracts from spiritual issues. But this does not mean that the food should not be tasty; there are simple recipes for preparing interesting seafood dishes during Lent.

Crab salad for Lent

You can prepare a dietary salad from sticks that contain real sea crab meat. The algorithm looks like this:

200 g of sticks are cut into small pieces, diagonally or into simple squares;
finely chop 3 medium cucumbers and 4 bunches of green onions;
mix the ingredients in a salad bowl;
season with a can of canned corn and stir again;
at the last stage, add 100 g of simple crackers and season with lean mayonnaise.

Salad with real crab sticks - a simple meatless dish

After final mixing, the salad is ready to eat.

Squids for Lent: delicious recipes

Believers can treat themselves to recipes for cooking squid during Lent. They can be used to make not only cold salads, but also hot dishes.

Stuffed squid with mushrooms

To prepare a tasty and healthy second course you will need:

2 pieces of squid;
medium-sized carrots and 1 onion;
150 g champignons;
celery stalk;
several sprigs of parsley;
2 large tablespoons of vegetable oil;
salt and ground black pepper to your own taste.

Carrots and onions need to be peeled and chopped with a knife or using a grater, chopped celery, and then put the ingredients in a frying pan and fry in vegetable oil for 3 minutes. At this time, the mushrooms are cut into small cubes, and then added to the vegetables and fried for another 5 minutes. Then salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with parsley and remove from heat.

Squid stuffed with champignons - a nutritious and healthy lean dish

While the mushroom filling with vegetables is cooling, the squid needs to be defrosted and removed from the film. Then the seafood is stuffed with prepared frying, fastened with wooden skewers so that the filling does not fall out, and fried in a frying pan for 1 minute on both sides.

At the final stage, the squid is placed in an oven preheated to 200 °C for 5 minutes and served.

Shrimp and squid soup

Another recipe suggests making seafood soup. The ingredients you will need are:

300 g shrimp;
2 squid jokes;
1 carrot;
a small spoon of salt;
2 small spoons of chopped parsley;
3 large spoons of rice.

In a saucepan on the stove you need to boil 1 liter of water, add salt, add frozen shrimp and after boiling, boil for no longer than 3 minutes. Then the pan is removed from the stove and the seafood is removed to clean it from the shell, and the broth is filtered and brought to a boil over the fire again. Add rice, boil covered for about 10 minutes, then throw thinly sliced carrots into the pan and cook for the same amount.

You can make soup from shrimp and squid during Lent

At the last stage, you need to add the peeled and cut into circles squid, boil for another 3 minutes and remove from the stove. Place several pieces of peeled shrimp into plates, pour ready-made seafood soup and sprinkle with herbs on top.

Shrimp salad for Lent

Shrimp can be eaten during Lent as part of a nutritious but dietary salad. You will need to take:

ripe avocado fruit;
1 tomato;
70 g shrimp;
olive oil;
lemon juice;
soy sauce;
parsley, salt and black pepper.

Lenten shrimp and avocado salad is very filling

Tomatoes are cut into large pieces, and peeled avocado into thin slices. Boil shrimp in boiling water for 2 minutes, cool and peel. All ingredients are mixed in a salad bowl, poured with 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil, lightly sprinkled with lemon juice and added a small spoon of soy sauce. Then the salad is peppered and salted to taste, decorated with herbs and served.

Cooking methods

There are many recipes for cooking seafood. But to make the dish tasty and aromatic, you must follow some rules.

With lemon

To remove ice from frozen shrimp, place them in a colander and gently wash with boiling water. Then put the seafood in any deep bowl and fill it with hot water. They must be completely hidden. If the shrimp are pink (ready), then they do not need to be cooked. Just wait 1 minute and drain all the water. Then the product should be poured with lemon juice.

Gray (raw) shrimp must be cooked for 5-10 minutes.

With ginger

Boil water in a saucepan, pour lemon juice into it, add a small slice of ginger, a few cloves, black pepper and bay leaf to taste.
Pink shrimp must be completely placed in boiling water, cover with a lid and turn off the stove. After 3-5 minutes they can be transferred to a serving bowl. Gray shrimp should be boiled over low heat for 5-10 minutes with the lid slightly open. As soon as they change their color to pink and float to the surface, they need to be transferred to a plate.

Shrimp with ginger is a nutritious and healthy lean dish.

The finished dish can be sprinkled with finely chopped herbs (dill, parsley, basil), additionally sprinkle with lemon juice and add 1 tbsp. l. olive oil (or sunflower).

Salad

Ingredients:

shrimp - 400 g;
bell pepper (yellow) - 2 pcs.;
fresh cucumber - 2 pcs.;
olive oil for dressing.

Cooking technology:

Cook seafood in advance. Clean them from the shell, remove the limbs and head. Cut each shrimp in half.
Wash the vegetables. Remove seeds from bell peppers.
Cut vegetables into small cubes.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
Drizzle olive oil over the salad and toss gently.

Need to know

There are about two hundred varieties of squid in the seas and oceans. Not all of them are edible. The most common squid in cooking is common squid. The mollusk consists of 80% water, so during heat treatment it significantly decreases in volume.

Squid meat is recommended by many diets; it is rich in various beneficial substances. This is a source of easily digestible protein that can be eaten even by small children. Thanks to taurine, the human body is freed from cholesterol, which helps normalize cardiovascular activity. Iodine stabilizes the functioning of the thyroid gland, and vitamin E and selenium help cleanse the body of toxins. According to many doctors, squid meat is much healthier than animal meat.

Modern cooking offers a lot of recipes for preparing seafood dishes. Shellfish meat goes well with vegetables, fruits, herbs, and rice. Squid is used to prepare snacks, salads, hot dishes, soups and even desserts. To prepare lean squid, you should use only plant ingredients.