Summary
Lent 2026 begins on Wednesday, February 18 (Ash Wednesday) and ends on Thursday, April 2 (Maundy Thursday). In this guide: Lent 2026: 40 days of good meatless cooking, Week 1 (February 18-22): Gentle start, Week 2 (February 23 - March 1): Legumes as protagonists.
Lent 2026: 40 days of good meatless cooking
Lent 2026 begins on Wednesday, February 18 (Ash Wednesday) and ends on Thursday, April 2 (Maundy Thursday). These 40 days, beyond religious tradition, are an opportunity to rediscover the cuisine of fish, legumes, and vegetables.
This calendar offers a weekly plan with varied recipes so you don't repeat dishes. Each week has a theme and suggests dishes for fast days (Fridays) and for the rest of the week. You don't have to follow it to the letter: use it as inspiration and adapt it based on what you find at the market.
Week 1 (February 18-22): Gentle Start
The first week is a transition. Simple dishes, accessible ingredients.
- Wednesday 18 (Ash Wednesday): Chickpea stew with spinach and cod. The fasting dish par excellence. Cooked chickpeas, fresh spinach, shredded cod, hard-boiled egg, and a sofrito of onion, garlic, and paprika. Filling and comforting.
- Thursday 19: Spanish potato omelet (meatless, perfect for Lent). Serve with a green salad.
- Friday 20: Grilled cod with salad. Quick and clean. 15 minutes in the kitchen.
- Weekend: Vegetable paella or arroz a banda. Arroz a banda is made with fish stock and served with alioli.
Week 2 (February 23 - March 1): Legumes as Protagonists
Legumes are the pillar of Lenten cuisine. Cheap, nutritious, and versatile.
- Monday: Lentils with vegetables. Carrot, leek, potato, tomato, and a bay leaf. Without chorizo or morcilla. A few drops of vinegar when serving lift the dish.
- Wednesday: Pumpkin cream soup with croutons. Roast the pumpkin in the oven (200 °C, 30 minutes), blend with vegetable broth and serve with bread croutons, pumpkin seeds, and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Friday 27: Cod in green sauce with clams. The Basque classic. The fish stock, parsley, and clams create a sauce that begs for bread to dip.
- Weekend: Galician tuna empanada. Bread dough filled with a sofrito of onion, pepper, tomato, and canned tuna. Bake at 200 °C until golden.
Week 3 (March 2-8): International Recipes
We leave Spanish cuisine to seek inspiration from other fasting traditions.
- Monday: Homemade fish & chips. Beer-battered cod with thick-cut fries. Homemade tartar sauce: mayonnaise, pickles, capers, dill, and lemon.
- Wednesday: Pasta with sardines (pasta con le sarde). Sicilian recipe: fresh sardines, wild fennel (or regular fennel), pine nuts, raisins, and a touch of saffron over spaghetti.
- Friday 6: Steamed cod with ginger and soy. Asian version: steamed cod loin with julienned ginger, scallions, soy sauce, and hot sesame oil.
- Weekend: Simplified bouillabaisse. Provençal fish soup: monkfish, prawns, mussels, tomato, saffron, and a rouille (garlic and paprika mayonnaise) to spread on toasted bread.
Week 4 (March 9-15): Rice and Brothy Dishes
Rice is fish's best friend. This week, four ways to combine them.
- Monday: Creamy prawn rice. Arborio rice, prawn head stock, saffron, and peeled prawns. The rice should be creamy, with enough broth to eat with a spoon.
- Wednesday: Mushroom risotto. An elegant fasting dish. Carnaroli or Arborio rice, assorted mushrooms (shiitake, champignon, porcini), vegetable broth, Parmesan, and butter. Stir patiently for 18 minutes.
- Friday 13: Cod and prawn fideuá. No. 4 noodles, tomato and garlic sofrito, fish stock, shredded cod, and prawns. Bake for the last 3 minutes so the noodles on top get crispy.
- Weekend: Black rice. Rice with squid ink, sliced squid, and fish stock. Serve with alioli. The contrast of the shiny black with the white alioli is spectacular.
Week 5 (March 16-22): Salads and Cold Dishes
With spring approaching, cold dishes take center stage.
- Monday: Catalan Esqueixada. Raw, hand-shredded desalted cod with tomato, onion, green pepper, and olives. Dress with Arbequina olive oil. Spain's most famous cold cod dish.
- Wednesday: Manchego gazpacho (meatless). The fasting version includes cenceña flatbread, tomato, pepper, garlic, and vegetable broth. It's a hot, thick gazpacho, very different from the Andalusian one.
- Friday 20: Cod salad with orange and red onion. Salty-sweet-sour contrast. Dress with picual olive oil and a pinch of cumin.
- Weekend: Couscous tabbouleh with vegetables and seared fresh tuna. Couscous, cucumber, tomato, mint, parsley, lemon juice, and oil. Simple and fresh.
Week 6 (March 23-29): Intensive Week — Preparing for Holy Week
The final stretch. More elaborate recipes to get things started.
- Monday: Riojan-style cod. Cod with choricero peppers, sliced potatoes, and a thick broth. A spoon dish that prepares in 25 minutes.
- Wednesday: Cod croquettes. Thick béchamel with shredded cod, breaded and fried. Estimate 5-6 croquettes per person. You can freeze any leftovers.
- Friday 27: Bacalao al pil pil. Only three ingredients: cod, olive oil, and garlic. The emulsified sauce is pure technique. Practice the circular motion of the saucepan.
- Weekend: Preparation of sweets: pestiños, torrijas, or leche frita. Dedicate an afternoon to Holy Week pastries. Pestiños last up to 10 days in a tin.
Holy Week (March 30 - April 5): The Big Week
The star dishes for each key day.
- Holy Monday (March 30): Lenten stew. Chickpeas, spinach, cod, hard-boiled egg, and a sofrito with paprika. A hearty dish to feed the family.
- Holy Tuesday (March 31): Hake in green sauce. An alternative to cod for variety. Same technique, different fish.
- Holy Wednesday (April 1): Seafood shopping and final preparations. Light dinner: a board of gourmet preserves with crystal bread.
- Maundy Thursday (April 2): Baked cod with potatoes and peppers. A family dish prepared in a single tray. Serve with a green salad.
- Good Friday (April 3): The big menu. Grilled prawns as a starter, bacalao al pil pil as the main course, torrijas for dessert. The most important meal of Lent.
- Holy Saturday (April 4): Use leftover cod in a warm salad with potatoes. Simple and no waste.
- Easter Sunday (April 5): Mona de Pascua. In Catalonia, the godfather gives the mona to the godchild. It's eaten in the countryside or at the beach. Roast lamb for those who wish to break the fast.
Shopping List for the Entire Lent
These are the basics you should always have in your pantry during the 40 days:
- Proteins: Desalted cod (freeze in portions), cans of tuna and sardines, eggs
- Legumes: Chickpeas, lentils, white beans (canned for emergencies, dried for the weekend)
- Rice and pasta: Bomba rice, No. 4 noodles, spaghetti, couscous
- Essential vegetables: Onion, garlic, tomato, potato, pepper, spinach, pumpkin
- Pantry: Extra virgin olive oil, paprika (sweet and spicy), bay leaf, parsley, saffron
- For sweets: Flour, sugar, cinnamon, milk, eggs, honey, day-old bread (for torrijas)
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View Icelandic cod →Frequently asked questions about Lenten cooking
Which days are meatless during Lent?
Catholic tradition dictates abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent. Good Friday is the strictest day of abstinence. In practice, many families extend the fast throughout Holy Week.
Does seafood count as fasting?
Yes. Abstinence is from meat (mammals and poultry). Fish, seafood, eggs, and dairy are permitted. That's why Lent has become the big season for fish and seafood in Spain.
How do I plan Lenten meals if I work?
Batch cook on Sunday: prepare a large stew, a vegetable cream soup, and have desalted cod ready in the fridge. Soups and stews last 3-4 days. Croquettes can be frozen. Cod salads come together in 10 minutes if you have shredded fish.
Can I substitute cod with another fish?
Yes. Hake, monkfish, sea bass, and gilt-head bream work in many cod recipes. But cod has an advantage: its firm texture and intense flavor hold up to strong sauces (pil pil, green sauce, tomato) better than more delicate fish.
How much cod do I need for the entire Lent?
If you cook cod twice a week for 4 people, you need about 200g per person per meal. That's 1.6kg per week, about 9-10kg for the 40 days. Bacalalo's desalted cod can be frozen in individual portions and thawed in the fridge the night before.
What do I do with leftover cod?
Shred it and use it in croquettes, salads, scrambled eggs with cod, or as a filling for piquillo peppers. Cooked cod lasts 2 days in the fridge. Do not reheat bacalao al pil pil (the emulsion breaks): eat it at room temperature or use it in a salad.
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