Mike Palermo is pictured Wednesday afternoon in the kitchen of St. John’s Church in Jamestown preparing a fish for the deep fryer. Palermo and his wife, Cosie, are among a handful of volunteers who serve fish fry dinners during Lent. P-J photos by Eric Tichy

The secret to making a perfect fish fry, Mike Palermo noted Wednesday, is going easy on the coating. Fish come out of the deep fryer golden brown and delicious.

“Not too much batter, you have to keep it light,” Palermo said in the kitchen of St. John’s Church in Jamestown, which was abuzz with volunteers on Ash Wednesday.

Palermo and his wife, Cosie, have been helping serve the iconic fish fry dinners for more than 20 years. Both were among a handful of helpers making final preparations hours before the first customers were expected to arrive at the Newton Avenue church.

St. John’s is expected to go through 15 to 17 cases of fish, each weighing 48 pounds, during Lent this year. Fish can be served deep fried or broiled, and shrimp also is available, to go along with several sides including French fries, coleslaw and apple sauce.

The church’s dining area was expected to fill quickly Wednesday.

Pictured are many of the helpers at St. John’s. All told, the church is expected to go through 15 to 17 cases of fish.

“We have a great group here,” Palermo said of the volunteers, each who seem to have their own roles to ensure meal orders are received, cooked properly and then delivered to hungry patrons.

“You always think you’re going to need more help,” he continued, “but then the first day arrives and there’s always enough help.”

Carol Fiscus has been assisting for about nine years. For her, the dinners benefit both the church — proceeds help with services and programs — as well as the community.

For the Rev. Darrell Duffy, serving dinners is a way to bring people together during Lent.

“It’s more than just a fish fry,” he said. “We take a lot of things for granted, we get used to it. Eating is a very natural thing that we do all the time, but during Lent you have people stopping to doing something different with intent. Underlying that intent is a recognition of the reality of God in our lives. We do these things with fish fries, and just all the other stuff, and it helps people reconnect with God on a level.”

Turning to faith also may help those seeking steadiness in their lives.

“People are looking for stability — they’re looking for hope, and they’re realizing that the infrastructure of society and commercialism just doesn’t quite do it,” Duffy said. “It’s not filling the void, so they come knocking on our door and we want to let them know that we are here and we are offering something.”

St. John’s Church, 270 Newton Ave., Jamestown, will continue offering meals each Friday during Lent. To order a meal, which can be enjoyed at the church or taken out, call 716-484-8554.

The Kiantone Independent Fire Department is serving fish fry and chicken finger dinners every Friday through March 31. Meals are available by drive-through at the fire department from 5-8 p.m.

To order a meal, call 716-664-5433 or order online from the fire department’s Facebook page.

Fish dinners cost $15 and include coleslaw, hush puppies and French fries. Chicken finger dinners cost $12 and include French fries, hush puppies and dipping sauce.