Lent-friendly meals with chef, general manager of Osteria by Fabio Viviani

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Lent is here, and while most people think of fish fries on Fridays, the chef and general manager of Osteria by Fabio Viviani have some other options to try on any day of the week.

Executive chef Josh Arnold and and general manager Joe Sark stopped by Daybreak on Saturday to show off a few recipes to News 8’s Hanna Mordoh.

“Fish is really easy. Citrusy hops, herbs oil, that’s it, Cook it. Salt pepper, very light, nice squeeze of lemon over top. You don’t have to go crazy,” Chef Josh said. “There are a lot of pre-made marinades and things like that you can do, but, honestly, a really good cut of fish with just salt, pepper, lemon…you can’t go wrong.”

Some types of fish to try making at home include branzino, monkfish, red snapper, and salmon.

Salmon is incredibly popular both in restaurants and with home cooks. It’s also a healthier option than fried fish.

“Salmon is a really good fish. It’s nice and fatty,” Chef Josh said. “It has all the good fats and everything like that that you want. It’s also one of the easiest ones [to cook] and it kind of takes with whatever flavors you get it.”

Chef Josh suggests keeping the skin on the salmon when you cook it.

“We do keep the skin on the salmon. The skin is actually really good,” Chef Josh said. “It has a lot of really good vitamins and other things and it also just adds a whole lot of flavor to it.”

For those looking to enjoy Chef Josh’s cooking, Osteria by Fabio Viviani is set to open in Carmel’s Market District (11505 N. Illinois Street) at the end of March.

“It is coming up soon; it should be the end of this month,” General Manager Joe Sark said. “It all depends on staffing, so if anyone is looking for a job, then, you know, we’re a good place to look.”

If you can’t dine in once the restaurant opens, you can pick up one of Osteria’s meal kits, Sark says.

“For the seafood option, we have the salmon cacciatore, and we also have the truffle cheese ravioli,” Sark said. “What’s really cool is that on the top, you’ve got a QR code. That QR code will give you all of the nutritional information. It also has a video of Fabio Viviani cooking the dish with these exact ingredients.”

Working with Viviani and his team is a dream come true, says Chef Josh.

“It’s an incredible place,” Chef Josh said. “The restaurant, working with Fabio and his team, is a dream come true. His team is amazing. This is going to be a huge restaurant. It’s gonna be cool.”