Pollock, shrimp prominent in US restaurants’ Lent specials

More U.S. restaurant chains and retailers are utilizing shrimp and other fish in their seafood specials during Lent, and Alaska pollock is gaining popularity. 

Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) CEO Craig Morris told SeafoodSource he’s predicting the 2023 Lenten season will be a banner year for the species. 

“I think wild Alaska pollock sales this year will exceed those of Lent last year,” GAPP. More than half of GAPP’s 15 partnerships are deployed during the Lenten season.

“Soon we will release our annual per capita consumption numbers, and last year saw a significant jump in U.S. demand for Wild Alaska pollock fillet products like these Lent LTOs,” Morris said. “I’m excited to see with our increased production this year how much we improve on even those strong numbers from last year.”

One of the most notable examples is convenience store chain 7-Eleven, which recently brought back the Alaska pollock fish sandwich it featured during the 2022 Lenten season.

Via a partnership with GAPP, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based Trident Seafoods is supplying the fish for the sandwiches, the company's vice president of communications, Alexis Telfer, confirmed to SeafoodSource. The sandwich features garlic- and herb-flavored Alaska pollock fillet topped with American cheese and tartar sauce and served on a brioche bun.

"Trident Seafoods, Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers, and 7-Eleven doing what we do best: partnering to bring healthy, sustainable, low-carbon footprint protein to consumers," Telfer wrote on LinkedIn.

Major national restaurant chains are also utilizing pollock this year. Wendy’s is bringing back its Crispy Panko Fish Sandwich, which is a wild-caught Alaskan pollock fillet coated in crispy panko breading, per Chew Boom. The nationwide restaurant chain began selling the sandwich on 20 February for a limited time.

Columbus, Ohio-based White Castle is utilizing Alaska pollock in its Fish Nibblers and Panko Fish Sliders year-round. For Lent, the restaurant chain is bringing back its Shrimp Nibblers. and debuting Sriracha Shrimp Nibblers. The shareable, restaurant chain said the bite-sized butterfly shrimp are available at participating locations through 9 April.

Multiple other GAPP partners are engaged in pollock promotions, including …

Photo courtesy of Fuzzy's Taco Shop