As Lent is in full swing, and practicing Catholics forgo most meat options on Fridays, that means a little creativity is in order to get ready for a busy weekend. Traditionally, of course, Christians who observe Lent are honoring the sacrifice Jesus Christ made of his flesh and are forbidden from consuming meat from mammals and poultry; however, fish and dairy are still viable options on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and every Friday in between.
So while the scope of meal preparation is altered slightly, that doesn’t mean a healthy and delicious meal is unattainable. Enter the Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl, an adherent to the restrictions and mouthwatering blend of savory fish and powerful flavors. In just a few minutes of basic prep, you can go from hungry to satiated.
Of course, if cooking isn’t your thing to begin with and it doesn’t matter whether you can eat ribeyes everyday or not, fast food and fast casual restaurants rolled out their annual Lent-inspired menus featuring fish sandwiches. As The Christian Tribune previously covered, “[f]ast food chains across the nation launched what has become a seasonal menu offering in order to cater to their Catholic consumers, reintroducing fish sandwiches for the meat-limited Christians on Friday. Menu items available only during Lent reappeared at chains like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Dairy Queen, and Bojangles from mid-February until Easter Sunday.”
For those that are so inclined to minimize dining-out spending while also maximizing nutrition with robust flavor profiles, a great new recipe featuring kitchen staples like rice, canned tuna, mayonnaise, hot sauce, avocado, and basic spices most people have buried in the back of their cupboards. What’s more, the recipe can be tailored to help clean out a busy fridge with any crunchy vegetables laying around.
The preparation is simple: Prepare any rice according to instructions. Instant rice works well in a pinch, brown rice can add some nutritional weight, or anything from standard long grain, basmati, or jasmine hits the spot. Personally, I like a good jasmine rice or sticky rice to create a more Asian-infused vibe, but there is no wrong way to get that rice steaming!
Next, simply open up the canned tuna (or multiple cans if you want to scale up for the entire family). As the rice cooks, start dicing any vegetables from the crisper drawer that need to be eaten or discarded like cucumbers, carrots, onion, or for that full Asian kick, edamame. These can be cubed, diced, minced – however you prefer to get that delicious veggie crunch.
From a ratio standpoint, I like to go 1:1 on rice and tuna. I don’t measure out exact tablespoons of sauce; once I have scooped out the prepared rice and mixed it slightly into a bowl with the tuna, I just drizzle some hot sauce like Siracha and mayonnaise over the top until I see some nice color and coverage. Toss in the vegetables, mix again, and you’re ready to eat!
The best part about this ‘recipe’ is that it has so many interchangeable parts. You want just cucumbers? Go nuts. You don’t have edamame lying around? No one does! I have found too that a little olive oil instead of mayonnaise still thickens the sauce profile and lets the various hot sauces – Sriracha, Frank’s, Cholula, or any of the countless brands – do the heavy lifting. This same formula can produce endless different results. Bon apetit!