Lent and Holy Week
Lent recipes, meatless Mexican and Latin dishes for Fridays and Holy Week
Fish, shrimp, egg and cheese dishes, Lenten soups and the desserts of Holy Week, sorted so you can pick tonight's dinner.
In Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela, Lent is when Catholic families skip meat on Ash Wednesday, every Friday and Good Friday, and those days have their own food: fish and shrimp, eggs, cheese, potatoes, cactus paddles and beans. In 2027, Lent starts on Wednesday, February 10, and Good Friday falls on March 26.
Mexican Lent recipes are the best known: potato patties and shrimp fritters, cheese-stuffed chiles rellenos, breaded fish or fish Veracruz style, a red shrimp soup, cactus salad and, for dessert, capirotada, a baked bread pudding soaked in brown-sugar syrup. In Colombia, Holy Week means whole fried fish, fish stewed in tomato and onion, and river fish cooked over root vegetables. In Venezuela, the big dish is pastel de chucho, a lasagna-like bake of sweet plantain, stewed ray and cheese.
Below are all our meatless Latin recipes for Lent, grouped by type of dish, with how long each one takes, what you can make ahead and what to buy at a US or UK supermarket. Where a recipe calls for chicken stock, we say how to make it fully meat-free. For the wider picture, see our guides to traditional Mexican food, Colombian food and Venezuelan food.
Ideas for Lenten Fridays
Seven Fridays, counting Good Friday, are plenty to avoid fish sticks every week. These pairings come from our recipes and from what each one lets you prep ahead.
- A busy weeknight Mexican garlic shrimp takes 25 minutes; serve it with Mexican red rice made with vegetable stock. Or Mexican breaded fish with tilapia or cod in 45 minutes.
- A budget Friday Mexican potato patties with a nopales salad. Boil and mash the potatoes the night before; the canned-tuna version is the classic for Lent.
- A sit-down dinner Start with Mexican shrimp soup, whose base you make the day before, then serve chiles rellenos stuffed with cheese, with the tomato broth made with water.
- A Friday brunch Huevos ahogados, eggs poached in a red tomato broth made with water instead of stock. The broth keeps for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Good Friday with family Fish Veracruz style for 6 in 50 minutes, or a pastel de chucho for 10 assembled the day before, and capirotada baked a day ahead, which slices better cold.
Fish recipes for Lent
If you want one easy start, Mexican breaded fish is it: tilapia, cod or pollock fillets in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, shallow-fried in 45 minutes. Fish Veracruz style bakes or simmers white fish in tomato with olives, capers and pickled yellow chiles, and is the classic of Lenten menus in Mexico City. Mexican Christmas bacalao, salt cod stewed the same way, also belongs to Lent, but it needs 36 to 48 hours of soaking in the fridge first. For a cookout, there's grilled pescado zarandeado, and for taco night, Baja fish tacos in a beer batter.
From Colombia, fried mojarra is a whole tilapia, scored and fried crisp, while pescado sudado steams fish in its own tomato and onion sauce and fish in coconut sauce comes from the Pacific coast, with a sauce you can make the day before. From Venezuela, pastel de chucho uses skate wings, sold at most fish counters, and cazón guisado, a stew of shredded shark, works with dogfish, sold as cape shark in the US and huss in the UK.
LunchMexican Breaded Fish, Crispy Pan-Fried Pescado Empanizado
Mexican breaded fish is tilapia, cod or pollock fillets coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, then shallow-fried at 350°F (175°C). Ready in 45 minutes for 4, with US and UK fish swaps, oven and air fryer options and reheating.
LunchFish Veracruz Style, Red Snapper with Olives and Capers
Fish Veracruz style is red snapper or any firm white fish poached in a tomato sauce with olives, capers and pickled chiles, ready in 50 minutes for 6. Cook times by thickness, oven or skillet, 145°F (63°C) doneness and a party version.
DinnerMexican Christmas Bacalao, Salt Cod in Tomato and Olives
Mexican Christmas bacalao is salt cod stewed with tomatoes, olives, capers, baby potatoes and pickled peppers, 120 minutes for 8. How long to soak it, what 2.2 lb yields, the cost, and a plan for Christmas Eve.
LunchPescado Zarandeado Recipe, Grilled Butterflied Red Snapper
Pescado zarandeado is a whole red snapper split flat, coated in guajillo chile and mayo, and grilled in a hinged basket to 145°F (63°C). Serves 4 in 90 minutes, with charcoal, gas and oven times, US and UK fish swaps and cost.
DinnerBaja Fish Tacos, Crispy Beer-Battered Fish with White Sauce
Baja fish tacos with white fish in an ice-cold beer batter, fried at 365°F (185°C) until 145°F (63°C) inside, with cabbage and white sauce. 12 tacos for 4 in 45 minutes, best fish by US/UK name, air fryer option and costs.
LunchColombian Fried Mojarra, Crispy Whole Fried Fish
Colombian fried mojarra is a whole tilapia, scored and rubbed with garlic, lime and salt, fried at 355°F (180°C) for 6 minutes a side to 145°F. Serves 4 in 90 minutes, with times by weight, US and UK fish swaps and an air fryer option.
LunchColombian Pescado Sudado, Fish Braised in Tomato Hogao
Colombian pescado sudado is bone-in fish steaks cooked under a lid in a tomato, onion and pepper sauce, on a bed of potatoes with 1 cup of water. Ready in 65 minutes for 4, with US and UK fish swaps and the 145°F doneness test.
LunchColombian Fish in Coconut Sauce, Pacific Coast Recipe
Colombian fish in coconut sauce is firm white fish poached in coconut milk and hogao until it reaches 145°F (63°C). Serves 4 in 55 minutes, with canned or fresh coconut milk, US and UK fish swaps and how to stop the sauce splitting.
LunchVenezuelan Pastel de Chucho, Plantain and Fish Casserole
Venezuelan pastel de chucho layers fried ripe plantain, a dry stew of ray or white fish, and salty cheese, baked 35 minutes at 350°F (180°C). Serves 10 in 120 minutes, with US and UK fish swaps, a make-ahead plan and costs.
LunchVenezuelan Cazón Guisado, Shredded Shark Stew for Empanadas
Venezuelan cazón guisado is small shark soaked in lime, poached 10 minutes and cooked dry with sweet peppers and annatto for empanadas. Ready in 80 minutes for 8 servings, with US and UK fish swaps, costs and mercury advice.
Shrimp, ceviche and seafood
Shrimp gives you the fastest meatless dinners here. Mexican garlic shrimp takes 25 minutes and camarones a la diabla, in a sauce of dried guajillo, árbol and chipotle chiles, takes 40; make the sauce the day before if you're feeding a crowd. When Lent runs into warm spring weather, go cold: Mexican shrimp cocktail, shrimp ceviche, fish ceviche, best made with fish that has been frozen first, and shrimp aguachile, raw shrimp in lime and green chile, eaten straight away.
For one pot in the middle of the table, the Colombian Caribbean coast has two: a seafood stew with coconut milk and cream that serves 4 in 45 minutes, and Colombian shrimp rice, which gets its flavor from a stock made with the shrimp heads and shells.
DinnerCamarones al Mojo de Ajo, Mexican Garlic Shrimp with Lime
Camarones al mojo de ajo, Mexican garlic shrimp, are seared in butter with a whole head of golden garlic that leaves the pan before the shrimp go in. Ready in 25 minutes for 4, with timings for 21/25 or 31/40 shrimp, frozen, and cost.
LunchCamarones a la Diabla, Mexican Deviled Shrimp in Chile Sauce
Camarones a la diabla are shrimp cooked in a guajillo, árbol and chipotle sauce, ready in 40 minutes for 4 with rice. How to set the heat, use frozen shrimp, hit 145°F (63°C) without rubbery shrimp, and what it costs.
SnacksMexican Shrimp Cocktail, Poaching Times and Sauce Ratio
Mexican shrimp cocktail with shrimp poached to the minute for their size and the cooking water stirred into the sauce, ready in 45 minutes for 6 glasses. How it differs from the American version, a 2:4:4:1 sauce ratio and party math.
SnacksShrimp ceviche, raw or cooked, and how long in lime juice
Mexican-style shrimp ceviche with ½-inch pieces cured 20 minutes in lime, or blanched first for anyone who can't eat raw seafood. Ready in 45 minutes for 4, with how to keep it from going watery, amounts for 20, storage and US cost.
SnacksMexican Fish Ceviche, Best Fish and How Long in Lime
Mexican fish ceviche is half-inch cubes of white fish cured 20 to 30 minutes in lime with tomato, cucumber and avocado. Which fish to buy and why frozen, what lime does and doesn't do, how long it keeps, and amounts for 20.
SnacksShrimp aguachile, lime timing and a safer blanched option
Shrimp aguachile with serrano, cilantro and lime, chilled 10 to 15 minutes and on the table in 40 minutes for 4 people. What lime juice does and does not do to raw shrimp, a blanched version for pregnancy, and green, red or black.
LunchColombian Seafood Stew With Coconut Milk
Cazuela de mariscos from Cartagena: shrimp-shell stock, sofrito, coconut milk and cream, with the shellfish added in order over the last 4 minutes. Doneness cues, US shopping swaps and why the sauce must never boil.
LunchColombian Shrimp Rice, Arroz con Camarones with Shell Stock
Colombian shrimp rice is a one-pot coastal rice cooked in stock made from the shrimp heads and shells, with a bell pepper sofrito. Ready in 85 minutes for 6, with US and UK swaps, the 145°F shrimp cue, a coconut version and costs.
Lenten soups and fish stews
Mexican shrimp soup, caldo de camarón, is the Lenten soup in Mexico: fresh and dried shrimp in a red guajillo and chipotle broth with potato, carrot and chayote. The base keeps overnight, so on the day it's 25 minutes. Colombia's fish sancocho is a big pot of fish, plantain, cassava and yam finished with coconut milk, and its river fish stew cooks the fish whole on top of the vegetables; whole tilapia works. Venezuela's fish soup is the eastern-coast version, with red snapper.
Mexico's fava bean soup, sopa de habas, is the classic meatless Lent pot: dried split fava beans simmered with tomato, garlic and a little chile until they fall apart, thick enough to be a meal and even better made the day before.
For a soup without fish, mote de queso is a Colombian yam and cheese soup, and for breakfast there's Bogotá's changua and the Venezuelan Andes' pisca andina, both milk-and-water broths with a poached egg and cheese, ready in 15 and 20 minutes.
SoupsCaldo de Camarón, Mexican Shrimp Soup with a Shell Broth
Caldo de camarón is a Mexican shrimp soup with a broth of toasted shells, dried shrimp, guajillo and chipotle, ready in 75 minutes for 6. Shrimp go in for the last 3 minutes so they stay juicy; plus make-ahead, cost and storage.
SoupsMexican Fava Bean Soup, Sopa de Habas for Lent
Mexican fava bean soup made with dried peeled favas, soaked overnight and simmered until they collapse into a fried tomato and pasilla base. Soaking, pressure cooker timing, why favas stay hard, US and UK swaps. 90 minutes for 4.
SoupsFish Sancocho, Colombian Coconut Fish Soup with Plantain
Fish sancocho is the Colombian coast's fish soup, bone-in steaks poached last in a coconut broth with green plantain, cassava and yam, 90 minutes for 6. Which fish to buy in the US or UK, the 145°F (63°C) test and how to store it.
LunchViudo de Pescado, Colombian River Fish Stew
Viudo de pescado is the Magdalena river's one-pot fish dish: whole fish steamed over plantain, cassava, potato and corn in a covered pot. Which fish to buy in a US or UK market, and the 145°F that tells you it is done.
SoupsVenezuelan Fish Soup, Hervido de Pescado with Red Snapper
Venezuelan fish soup, hervido de pescado, builds its broth from a snapper head, then cooks cassava, yam, malanga and squash in it. 100 minutes for 6 bowls. Fish steaks go in last for 12 minutes, to 145°F (63°C), plus US and UK swaps.
SoupsColombian Mote de Queso, Yam and Cheese Soup
Mote de queso from Colombia's Caribbean coast: white yam boiled until it thickens its own broth, with cubes of salty cheese added at the end. Which yam to buy, which cheese holds its shape and why halloumi works.
BreakfastChangua, Colombian Milk and Egg Breakfast Soup
Changua from Bogotá is an egg poached whole in milk and water with scallion and cilantro, served over dry bread. The temperature window that keeps the yolk soft, why the milk is cut with water and what goes in the bowl.
BreakfastPisca Andina, Venezuelan Andean Breakfast Soup Recipe
Pisca andina is the Venezuelan Andean breakfast soup of potatoes, scallions, milk and water with eggs poached right in the pot, 20 minutes for 4. How to keep the milk from splitting, which cheese won't go stringy and safe egg timings.
Meatless mains with eggs, potatoes, cheese and vegetables
These are the cheapest Lent recipes in Mexican home cooking. Mexican potato patties are made with russets or Maris Pipers and cheese, fried until golden and eaten with salsa or in tomato broth; adding canned tuna gives you the classic Lenten version. Cheese chiles rellenos, roasted poblanos stuffed with Monterey Jack or low-moisture mozzarella, battered and fried, are a meatless standard; use water or vegetable stock in the tomato broth instead of chicken stock. The same swap works for huevos ahogados.
Romeritos are a wild green, closest to samphire, served in mole with potatoes, nopales and dried-shrimp fritters; the recipe thins the mole with chicken broth, so use vegetable stock or water on a Lenten Friday. Serve a nopales salad alongside, and for an easy weeknight try rajas con crema, poblano strips in cream, or enfrijoladas and entomatadas, tortillas in bean or tomato sauce, made with vegetable stock or water.
LunchMexican Potato Patties, Tortitas de Papa with Cheese
Mexican potato patties, or tortitas de papa, are cheesy mashed potato cakes with a molten Oaxaca center and a thin golden crust. Skin-on russets, cool mash and 350°F oil keep them whole. Makes 12, plus tomato broth and air fryer versions.
LunchChiles Rellenos, Egg-Battered Poblanos in Tomato Broth
Chiles rellenos are roasted poblanos stuffed with melting cheese, dipped in whipped egg batter and fried at 350°F (175°C) until puffed. Ready in 90 minutes for 4, with tomato broth, an oven or air fryer version and Anaheim swaps.
BreakfastHuevos Ahogados, Mexican Eggs Poached in Tomato Broth
Huevos ahogados are whole eggs poached in a thin tomato and serrano broth, covered, over low heat until the yolks are how you like them. Ready in 40 minutes for 4, with yolk timings, a salsa verde version, US and UK swaps and a plan for 12.
DinnerMexican Romeritos in Mole with Dried Shrimp Cakes
Mexican romeritos, a salty seepweed simmered in mole with potatoes, nopales and puffy dried shrimp cakes, 90 minutes for 8. What romeritos are, samphire and other US/UK substitutes, a Christmas Eve plan, allergens and storage.
SaladsNopales Salad, Mexican Cactus Salad Without the Slime
Nopales salad made with fresh cactus paddles simmered 10 to 12 minutes, rinsed cold and drained, then tossed with tomato, onion and lime. 45 minutes for 4. De-spining, slime fixes, fresh vs jarred sodium and cost.
LunchRajas con Crema, Roasted Poblano Strips in Cream
Rajas con crema are roasted poblano strips simmered with onion, corn and Mexican crema, ready in 45 minutes for 4 servings. How hot poblanos are, three ways to char them, which cream won't curdle, swaps, costs and freezing.
BreakfastEnfrijoladas Recipe, Corn Tortillas in Black Bean Sauce
Enfrijoladas are corn tortillas dipped in a smoky blended black bean sauce, folded over queso fresco and topped with crema and onion. Ready in 30 minutes for 4. The sauce ratio, canned vs dried beans, sodium, swaps and cost.
LunchEntomatadas Recipe, Corn Tortillas in Fresh Tomato Sauce
Entomatadas are corn tortillas flash-fried, dipped in a simple cooked tomato sauce and folded over queso fresco with crema and onion. Ready in 35 minutes for 4. Fresh vs canned tomatoes, fillings, US and UK swaps and cost.
Meatless tacos, empanadas and tamales
Crispy potato tacos dorados are especially popular during Lent: three large potatoes and one pack of tortillas make 16 tacos, enough for 4. Mexican tuna tostadas pile three cans of tuna with tomato, cucumber, serrano and lime on crisp corn shells, 12 tostadas in 30 minutes, eaten cold. Mexican quesadillas are another 30-minute dinner, and rajas con queso tamales become fully meat-free with vegetable shortening instead of lard and vegetable broth.
In Venezuela, empanadas for Holy Week are filled with stewed cazón or grated white cheese; Colombia's peanut empanadas from Popayán are filled with potato, tomato sauce and peanuts, with no meat at all.
LunchTacos Dorados, Crispy Potato Tacos Folded or Rolled
Tacos dorados, or crispy folded potato tacos, are corn tortillas filled with cold mashed potato and fried at 350°F (175°C) until hard. Makes 16 in 80 minutes, with rolled, baked and air fryer versions, US and UK swaps and a freezer plan.
SnacksMexican Tuna Tostadas, Canned Tuna Ceviche Style
Mexican tuna tostadas made with three cans of well-drained tuna, tomato, onion, serrano, cucumber and lime, piled on crisp corn tostadas. Which tuna to buy, a creamy mayo version, baking your own shells and how long the mix keeps.
SnacksMexican Quesadillas with Corn Tortillas and Oaxaca Cheese
Mexican quesadillas made the comal way, with corn tortillas and 25 g (1 oz) of Oaxaca cheese each, 4 minutes per piece and 12 in 30 minutes. US and UK cheese swaps, fried masa quesadillas, the sincronizada and a party plan for 12.
LunchRajas con Queso Tamales, Cheese and Poblano Pepper Tamales
Rajas con queso tamales with charred poblano strips, tomato and melting Oaxaca cheese in masa whipped until it floats. 24 tamales in about 3 hours. Easy vegetarian swap, Monterey Jack option, steaming without a tamalera and freezing.
BreakfastVenezuelan Empanadas, Crispy Corn Dough That Won't Crack
Venezuelan empanadas are crisp half-moons of precooked corn dough with a spoonful of sugar, fried at 350°F (175°C) for 4-5 minutes. Twenty in 70 minutes once the filling is made, with beef, chicken, cheese or bean fillings and freezer tips.
SnacksEmpanadas de Pipián, Colombian Peanut and Potato Empanadas
Empanadas de pipián from Popayán are filled with yellow potato, ground toasted peanut and hogao, fried in four minutes and eaten with a peanut ají. Why the peanut defines them, and why the filling has to go in cold.
Desserts for Lent and Holy Week
Capirotada is the Mexican Lenten dessert: layers of day-old bread, piloncillo syrup with cinnamon and cloves, salty cheese, peanuts and raisins, baked for 45 minutes. A day-old French loaf or baguette, dark brown sugar and feta stand in well, and it keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Torrejas use the same syrup over egg-battered fried bread and take 55 minutes. A rice pudding sits well next to either.
In Venezuela, Holy Week brings majarete, a chilled corn and coconut pudding, alongside green-mango jalea de mango and coconut kisses. Coconut conservas are close cousins of the coconut sweets that Colombian Caribbean families share with neighbors that week.
DessertsMexican Capirotada, Lenten Bread Pudding with Piloncillo
Mexican capirotada is day-old bolillo bread layered with Cotija, peanuts and plantain and soaked in 1 liter (4¼ cups) of piloncillo syrup. Serves 12 in 105 minutes, with the syrup-to-bread ratio, US and UK swaps and a make-ahead plan.
DessertsTorrejas, Mexican French Toast in Piloncillo Syrup
Torrejas are day-old bolillo slices coated in whipped egg, fried at 350°F (175°C) and soaked 10 minutes in a cinnamon piloncillo syrup. Makes 24 slices for 8 in 55 minutes, with the syrup test, brown sugar swaps and storage.
DessertsColombian Rice Pudding, Creamy by Starch Not Cream
Colombian rice pudding with short-grain rice, a cinnamon stick and condensed milk, ready in 55 minutes for 8 bowls. The 6-to-1 liquid ratio, why the rice is never rinsed and why it thickens as it cools rather than in the pot.
DessertsVenezuelan Majarete, Coconut Corn Pudding with Papelón
Venezuelan majarete is a coconut corn pudding set with precooked corn flour, whisked into cold milk so it never turns lumpy. 40 minutes at the stove, 4 hours to chill, 10 squares, with brown sugar and UK swaps, storage and versions.
DessertsVenezuelan Jalea de Mango, Green Mango Paste Recipe
Venezuelan jalea de mango is green or half-ripe mango pulp cooked with its own weight in sugar to 220°F (104°C), until it sets. Makes 25 squares or 5 half-pint jars in 130 minutes, with set tests, storage and US cost.
DessertsCoconut Kisses, Venezuelan Besitos de Coco with Cane Sugar
Venezuelan coconut kisses, besitos de coco, made with a spiced syrup of 17.6 oz (500 g) papelón and one fresh coconut, baked at 350°F (180°C). Makes 30 in 130 minutes, with macaroon differences, coconut swaps, storage and cost.
DessertsVenezuelan Coconut Candy (Conservas de Coco) with Papelón
Venezuelan coconut candy, conservas de coco, made with 17.6 oz (500 g) of fresh coconut and 14 oz (400 g) of papelón cooked to 234°F (112°C). Makes 25 squares in 195 minutes, with coconut and sugar swaps, cutting, storage and cost.
Drinks to serve alongside
Lent runs from February into April, when much of Mexico and the Caribbean is already hot. Agua de jamaica, a hibiscus cooler, pairs well with chile-heavy food like camarones a la diabla, and often shares the table with horchata. Café de olla, with piloncillo and cinnamon, goes with capirotada.
From Venezuela, papelón con limón, a raw-cane-sugar lemonade, is the drink for mid-morning empanadas; from Colombia, ice-cold lulo juice is the tart contrast to fried dishes like mojarra.
DrinksAgua de Jamaica, Hibiscus Water Recipe with Exact Ratios
Agua de jamaica (hibiscus water) made with 30 g of dried flowers per liter, simmered 5 minutes and steeped 10, ready in 30 minutes for 2 liters. Cold brew, party concentrate, sugar-free, storage and where to buy sorrel.
DrinksMexican Horchata Recipe, Rice and Cinnamon Without the Grit
Mexican horchata made with 200 g (1 cup) of rice, a Ceylon cinnamon stick and an 8-hour fridge soak, for 2 quarts and 20 minutes of work. The exact ratio, how to stop it turning gritty, dairy-free or creamy, a concentrate, party amounts.
DrinksCafé de Olla, Mexican Spiced Coffee with Piloncillo
Café de olla is Mexican coffee steeped with piloncillo and Ceylon cinnamon at 60 g per liter, never boiled with the grounds in. Ready in 30 minutes for 6 mugs, with party math for 24, brown sugar swaps and lead-safe clay pots.
DrinksPapelón con Limón, Venezuelan Panela Limeade Recipe
Papelón con limón made with 125 g (4.4 oz) of papelón per liter, dissolved hot and topped up with cold water and lime, in 20 minutes. Serves 8. Lighter version, sugar per glass, a party batch for 20 and where to buy panela in the US and UK.
DrinksColombian Lulo Juice with Water or Milk, Never Bitter
Colombian lulo juice with water or milk, 280 g (10 oz) of pulp per liter, pulsed so the seeds stay whole, ready in 10 minutes for 4 glasses. Frozen pulp in the US and UK, lulada, party amounts, costs and storage.
Frequently asked questions
What do Mexicans eat during Lent?
Meatless dishes on Fridays: fish and shrimp, potato patties and shrimp fritters, cheese chiles rellenos, red shrimp soup, cactus paddles, fava beans and other vegetables. The signature dessert is capirotada, a baked bread pudding with piloncillo syrup and cheese.
Which days do Catholics skip meat during Lent?
Ash Wednesday, every Friday of Lent and Good Friday. Abstaining from meat applies from age 14; Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are also fast days for those aged 18 to 59.
When does Lent start in 2027?
On Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2027. Good Friday is March 26 and Easter Sunday is March 28.
What is a cheap, quick meatless Latin dinner for a Lenten Friday?
Mexican potato patties, plain or with canned tuna, crispy potato tacos or huevos ahogados with the broth made with water. If shrimp fits the budget, garlic shrimp is on the table in 25 minutes.
Can I use chicken stock during Lent?
The rule is about meat itself, but many families also avoid meat stock on days of abstinence. In our recipes that call for it, such as chiles rellenos, huevos ahogados and romeritos, swap in water or vegetable stock.
What fish can I use for Latin Lent recipes in the US or UK?
Tilapia, cod and pollock work for breaded fish, tacos and ceviche; whole tilapia stands in for Colombian mojarra and river fish; skate wings replace ray in pastel de chucho; and dogfish, sold as cape shark or huss, is the closest match for Venezuelan cazón. Each recipe lists its best swaps.