Fishing for It

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Tired of those Filet O’Fish specials on the signs at your local McDonald’s? Craving some real seafood here in the Heartland that doesn’t come out of the freezer at your local megamart?

Relax, Lenten diners, there’s plenty of excellent “chicken” of the sea on local menus, and very little of it is square, breaded, or on a bun. Along with its usual seafood friendly menu, H2O Restaurant and Sushi (1912 Broad Ripple Ave., 317-254-0677) is offering its new “Fluke Roll Up,” which is no mistake—and no throwback to a childhood after school snack. This complex sushi roll includes tuna and avocado with a hit of jalapeno and basil, topped with fluke (a type of flounder), plum sauce and masago—the roe of the small capelin fish.

A special “Flavors of the Sea” menu at Iozzo’s Garden of Italy (946 S. Meridian St., 317-974-1100) highlights chef Kathy Jones’s love of all things tropical and seafood, including seafood pizza with shrimp and crab; soft-shell crab; fresh Lane snapper; and spaghetti with white anchovies. For a starter, don’t miss some crab-stuffed deviled eggs with a kick. The menu is only available through April 7.

While Black Market (922 Massachusetts Ave., 317-822-6757) is gearing up for a new lunch menu and changes to its dinner menu, a recent perch and potato “fry” with delicate, lightly battered perch, a luscious puddle of creamed kale is staying on for a limited time.

A decidedly Latin twist on seafood has been drawing in lively crowds to La Casa de los Mariscos (7940 Michigan Rd., 317-228-9555). Delicate seviche and whole deep-fried snapper headline along with fresh scallop and shrimp cocktails, fish tacos, and stuffed lobster, all with a flair of Mexico’s Pacific coast. Catch this place while it’s still fresh and new.

If you just have to have good old-fashioned fried fish the way you loved it as a kid, Our Lady of the Greenwood School (399 S. Meridian St., 317-881-1300) is hosting its final fish fry of the season this Friday, March 30, from 5 to 7 p.m., and St. Therese of the Little Flower Parish (4720 E. 13th St., 357-8352) will host a fish fry in its social hall, also this Friday, March 30, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. With all of the tasty seafood to be around the city, you won’t have to commit the sins of the drive-thru—at least until after Easter.