Fish menu for memorial meals
For days when fish is permitted. It also suits families who are fasting but want a more substantial meal.
Days when fish is permitted often fall exactly on memorial dates, and a fish menu satisfies both the rule and the appetite. The fish is cooked that day, not taken out of the freezer in the morning.
Cold starters
- Carp roe, whipped with oil
- Aubergine salad
- Beetroot salad with horseradish
- Olives and pickles
Soup
- Fish soup, soured with borscht
- Vegetable soup with borscht
Main course
- Fried carp with garlic sauce and polenta
- Oven-baked fish fillet with vegetables
- Fish saramură
- Boiled potatoes with dill
Colivă, colaci and dessert
- Colivă
- Colaci
- Lenten apple pie
The dishes below are a starting proposal. The menu is put together with you, over the phone — things get swapped, removed and added as you need.
When fish is permitted
There are days within the long fasts when the observance allows fish: the Annunciation and Palm Sunday during the Easter fast, several days in the Christmas fast, the Transfiguration during the Dormition fast. There are days in the fast of Saints Peter and Paul with the same allowance.
The days don't fall the same each year, and the priest has the full list. Tell us the date of the memorial and we'll check together whether it applies.
Why families choose the fish menu
Two reasons. First, it keeps the observance of the day without making the meal bland — fish is a real main course, not another side dish.
Second, it reconciles the table when part of the family keeps a strict fast and part doesn't. The rest of the meal stays lenten, only the main course is fish, so everyone eats from the same menu.
How it's cooked
Fried carp with garlic sauce and polenta is what's asked for most often at a memorial meal in Moldova. Alongside it, oven-baked fillet with vegetables and saramură, for anyone who wants something lighter.
The fish is cooked that day. It isn't taken out of the freezer in the morning and it isn't fried the day before — with fish the difference is immediate.
Frequently asked
What families ask us
How do I know if fish is permitted on my day?
Tell us the date and we'll check together. The priest holding the service has the full list — if anything is unclear, his word is final.
Does the rest of the meal stay lenten?
Yes. Starters, soup, sides and dessert stay lenten; only the main course is fish. That's how the observance of the day is kept.
What fish do you use?
Carp, most often — it's what's asked for at memorials in our area. Oven-baked fillet or saramură can also be made. Tell us what you prefer when you order.
Can fish be served on an ordinary fasting day?
The observance allows fish only on days when it's permitted. Otherwise we go with the lenten menu, which has its own substantial dishes.