California Fish Fry Events

Some fish fries are hard to find dates for. We gathered general information but lack specifics on these fish dining experiences:

Fish fries in which organizations such as community clubs--Kiwanis, Rotary and their ilk, and church groups, often Catholic, are an American tradition and great fund-raiser for community causes.

Some of these clubs in California have been cooking fish for as long as anyone can remember--maybe even 60+ years. One such example is Costa Mesa Lions Club event from the Fish Fry Club says their fry has been around before the baby boomer generation got into full swing around 1950. The dedicated service organization has a crowd-pleaser, and why change something that is a proven success? Money raised from their annual event helps fun programs to help schools, needy and the hungry even. cmnhlions.com

Drive 20 minutes north to Seal Beach where you'll find the Seal Beach Lions Club and another delicious fish fry. The club says their fry event has been around longer than Costa Mesa's fry. Since 1943 they've been cooking up a storm each summer as well and their Seal Beach Pier Fish Fry is one of the finest to rival Lobster events in nearby Long Beach, San Pedro and Redondo Beach. Seal Beach ocean-view fish fry next to the Seal Beach Pier at Eisenhower Park is held in mid-July annually.

CAMBRIA

Cambria Annual Fish Fry at Joslyn Center and is sponsored by Cambria Fishing Club. Held on the Central Coast usually after Mother's Day, the event is quite popular around town, and with visitors.

COSTA MESA

Costa Mesa Lions Club Fish Fry. Location: Fairview Park, Costa Mesa. Event is billed as one of the oldest fish fries in California. Includes baby contest and many fun activities, foods and events as a major fundraisers for Costa Mesa Lions Club. cmnhlions.com

SEAL BEACH

Annual Fish Fry 11am- 7pm Eisenhower Park East Sponsored by the Seal Beach Lions Club. Held the 3rd weekend in July sealbeachlions.com

OCEANSIDE - March

Surfers in Oceanside host the Alley Fish Fry in March, bringing together surfboard shapers, designers, and industry pros, as well as the novices and enthusiasts. Note: This event is tough to find so we'll post it when we discover its resurgence.

SAN MIGUEL

San Miguel Lions Fish Fry began in 2006 and helps support Lions Club programs such as free swimming to San Miguel Youth at the community pool. The Lions Club there serves San Miguel, Bradley and Pleasant Valley areas. For more information, call (805) 459-4722.

How did eating fish become associated with church tradition? Meat such as beef was once a luxury and not affordable to all. Fish, however, was the only affordable food that poorest church members could obtain. Anyone could catch a fish and have a meal. Thus a day of eating fish was considered a day that each and every person could afford to eat. Christians now consider fish on Fridays and / or holidays as a form of abstinence, though it may have begun with a much more practical motive--affordability and equality to church-goers. Today fish isn't always the cheapest and most available food.

VENTURA

St. Anthony's Annual Lenten Fish Fry in Ventura, CA is an event where the church and community come to dine on fried fish.