Karen Wils photo A young Robert with one of his early fish frys.

ESCANABA — Upper Michigan is famous for a lot of things.

Awesome fish fries are about on the top of the list.

Its fish fry season in the U.P. Get out to your ice fishing shack and reel in a few more perch and walleye.

It’s time to get the grease hot, bake some beans and shred some cabbage into slaw.

The traditional “fish fry” consists of deep fried, golden-brown perch, blue gill or walleye. A nice, homemade bun with butter combined with baked beans, French fries, coleslaw and tartar sauce make up the rest of the meal.

So often, native Yoopers will return to the U.P. and want to go out for a fish fry. Many restaurants in Delta County became famous for their Friday night fish fries.

Growing up in north Escanaba, the smell of fish frying meant it was the end of another work week. Cars and trucks lined the street by Skradski’s Bar, Spars and the Corner Bar. Ladies with high heels and lipstick and fellas wearing loafers and slicked back hair, filed into the bars for beer and fish fry on a Friday night.

The month of March brings with it the church season of Lent. During Lent, Christians fast, abstain from eating meat, or do some sacrifice in preparation for Easter. In the olden days, all Catholics had meatless Fridays.

Going without meat and enjoying a meal of fresh fish was no sacrifice for me. I love all kinds of fish and seafood.

My mother made many delicious meals of fish over the years. I think I recall her saying, “I wish I had a nickel for every pound of fish I’ve fried.”

My uncle Bob was an avid fisherman. He and his wife would put on some of the most perfect perch fish frys ever. I remember on messy March Fridays heading through the puddles of melting snow to go to Bob’s for a fish supper.

When my husband and I married, I soon gave David the nick name of “Walleye Willie.” Back in the late 1990s, the walleye fishing was great in our area and David would bring home fish, and we’d have family over for fish frys.

In more recent times, my son Robert has become the fisherman of the family. From the time he was in high school on, he has been putting on awesome fish frys for the family.

Nothing is more fun and relaxing than gathering the crew together to enjoy a fish fry after a long and hectic work week. A fish fry works best if everyone pitches in, someone is the head cook, someone sets the table, someone brings dessert and someone helps do dishes.

The Lenten season is the fish fry season. As good as U.P. fish frys are, I definitely have to find some other sacrifice to do for Lent.

Wishing you all a very peaceful and meaningful season of Lent. Pass the tartar sauce, please.

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Karen (Rose) Wils is a lifelong north Escanaba resident. Her folksy columns appear weekly in Lifestyles.