A variety of seafood from Alaska – especially pollock – is heavily featured in U.S. restaurant chains’ limited-time offers during the Lenten season, which began 14 February and runs through 28 March.
Among the numerous nationwide seafood meals available for Lent is a pollock fish sandwich from Jack in the Box, Alaska flounder fish tacos from Taco John’s, an Alaska flounder fish sandwich from Popeye’s, a pollock fish sandwich from Sonic, fish and chips made with Alaska pollock at Wienerschnitzel, and an Alaska fish sandwich featuring pollock from Dairy Queen.
Beyond quick-service restaurants (QSRs), Nordstrom Marketplace Café, which operates 200 locations, is offering Alaska salmon nicoise, blackened Alaska salmon salad, and Alaska salmon Oscar. Bob Evans, which has 437 restaurants, is featuring Alaska cod in its fish sandwich, while 54-location-strong Cooper's Hawk is also featuring cod in its fish and chips and crispy fish sandwich.
Fast food chain White Castle is offering a variety of seafood during the Lenten season – a time when many customers seek non-meat options – the company said in a press release. Its shrimp nibblers are available for a limited time and its panko fish sliders made with Alaska pollock are offered year-round in all of its 345 restaurants.
“The [meals] are proudly made from Alaska pollock as part of a partnership with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute [ASMI],” White Castle said.
Many other restaurant chains also partner with ASMI throughout the year, but especially for limited-time offers during Lent, ASMI Domestic Marketing Manager Leah Krafft told SeafoodSource. In fact, ASMI has a record number of partners this Lenten season.
“As seafood consumption overall has grown, so has the consumer preference for wild and sustainable seafood, with consumers preferring wild four to one over farmed,” Krafft said. “Consumers are overwhelmingly more likely to buy seafood from Alaska over other sources – even more so than when seafood is just marked as wild, so it’s in restaurant chains’ best interest to feature Alaska seafood.”
During the Lenten season in particular, Alaska whitefish species like cod, pollock, and flounder, also known as Alaska sole, are restaurants’ favorites to feature, according to Krafft.
“This is partly because the ‘fish fry’ is a traditional take on seafood prep during Lent, and Alaska whitefish species lend themselves well to breading and frying; their mild flavor works well in everything from fish and chips to tacos to sandwiches,” she said.
At the same time, Alaska salmon still performs well and is a “great option for the health-minded consumer as a topping for salads and bowls,” Krafft added.
Though many restaurants are solely looking to take advantage of a season in which many consumers turn away from meat, experts speaking on a recent QSR panel at the Global Seafood Marketing Conference in Orlando said that there are many year-round opportunities for restaurant chains beyond serving a typical fish sandwich.
Cliff Pleau, a culinary innovator at food and beverage consultancy firm Shaping America’s Plate, suggested salmon as a “gateway” for QSR operators looking to initiate this process, as it is an approachable fish that they can start with before incorporating other species.
Shrimp and cod are also approachable and work well without needing to be fried, and entrees that can seamlessly become a part of most menus include salmon salad, a salmon BLT, spicy cod tacos, and citrus grilled shrimp, Pleau said.
Photo courtesy of Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
