Catholics who are abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent have a pass when it comes to one tasty reptile.

Alligator is permissible to eat on Fridays during Lent, the archbishop of New Orleans told an inquisitive parishioner who once sent a letter to the religious leader seeking clarification, according to the Catholic News Agency.

Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond wrote in his 2010 response letter that “the alligator is considered in the fish family,” the same source reported, and “is considered seafood.”

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In the Catholic faith, Fridays during Lent are “obligatory days of abstinence,” according to the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“Abstinence laws consider that meat comes only from animals such as chickens, cows, sheep or pigs – all of which live on land … Birds are also considered meat.”

Since alligators are considered seafood by the church, the following explanation by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops supports Aymond’s claim.

“Fish are a different category of animal. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles (cold-blooded animals) and shellfish are permitted.”

This exemption for cold-blooded animals seems to date back hundreds of years.

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In the 17th century, the then-bishop of Quebec declared that beaver meat was acceptable to eat on Fridays during Lent, since the church deemed the semiaquatic rodent a fish, according to Scientific American.

A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of New Orleans declined to comment on the matter.

Fox News Digital also reached out to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

As for alligator meat, it may be a delicacy in other parts of the country, but in Louisiana it’s a common ingredient in everything from jambalaya to tailgate foods.

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“Alligator meat has a very mild taste and is a versatile substitute in recipes calling for veal, chicken and most seafood,” according to the website for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. 

“Choice cuts of meat, primarily the tail and jaw, can be readily used in any recipe. The body and leg meat can be just as tasty with just a little extra preparation and special recipes. Alligator is also low in fat.”

The meat can also be frozen for up to a year, the website said.

“Due to biomagnification, alligators living in polluted areas can accumulate substantial concentrations of heavy metals,” according to the IFIS Dictionary of Food Science and Technology.

Eric Cook, a New Orleans chef who owns Gris-Gris and Saint John restaurants, told Fox News Digital that alligator meat is “great.”

Cook said a lot of Louisiana chefs are “getting more creative” about how to incorporate alligator meat in their dishes.

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A popular choice in Louisiana, Cook said, is alligator wings. 

He said the “perfect white meat on those little, short legs” can be chopped up into the size of traditional chicken wings, deep-fried and served with hot sauce.

Fried alligator bites and alligator sauce piquant are other popular choices, Cook said.

Alligator meat is “full of protein” and a “sustainable” part of people’s diets in Louisiana, he said.

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“A lot of folks soak their alligator meat in buttermilk or 2% milk,” Cook said, to take some of the gaminess out of the flavor.

He described the flavor profile of alligator meat almost as if a “roasted chicken met a grouper.”

Alligator has become standard fare on menus and at grocery stores in Louisiana, Cook pointed out.

“It’s not weird anymore,” he said.

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