Fish On Fridays: Intro and a recipe

A new series

Aug 14, 2026

This morning, Jonathon Fessenden called and asked if I would consider writing a weekly recipe feature for Missio Dei. Of course, I said yes! While you may know me as a Catholic author, and some may be familiar with the books I have written on herbal medicine…. likely, very few know that I am also a cookbook author. Food was my first passion. I grew up learning to cook from my mother and my grandmother, who cooked in a style that is strongly rooted in our French and Creole heritage, as well as the country cooking of the American southeast.

My other passion that has continued with me from childhood, is fishing. It would not be an exaggeration that for most of my life all I have ever wanted to do was fish and cook! Fortunately, some of my colleagues here at Missio Dei share similar interests - Jonathan and I could talk recipes all day and Phillip Hadden is an avid “angler”, as he calls it. (I’m not that fancy or formal)

So, I figured… what would be better for a Catholic cooking column than “Fish On Friday”?

It has long been Catholic tradition to abstain from meat on Fridays because this is the day our Lord gave up His flesh. He multiples the loaves and fishes to feed the masses. Moreover, among Jesus’ first requests following the resurrection was a meal of grilled fish. Most of the Holy Apostles were fishermen. Fish and seafood inseparable from Catholic traditions surrounding the family table and how we live our faith outside of mass. But, eating the same recipes can quickly become boring.

Luckily for you, that is not an issue for me… I know hundreds of ways to prepare countless types of fish and seafood that will please any palate! I will also throw in some veggies and other meatless dishes for variety and to round out a meal. I will make every effort to provide inexpensive recipes that can be prepared by any home-cook. And, since I just bought some very nice, wild-caught, Carolina shrimp for about $7.00 a lb, and a pound makes enough to feed 4-6 people… I will start with a recipe that is very near and dear to my heart. My family has cooked this meal in varying forms, at least since the Creole side came to the coastal Carolinas around 1700 and began farming rice.

Shrimp a la Creole

1 pound raw shrimp, peeled - deveining is optional and frozen is fine, but buy shell on if you can because peeled shrimp gets freezer burn quickly.

1 medium onion

3 or more cloves of garlic

1 bell pepper or poblano, or a few hot peppers, to taste

Crushed fresh tomatoes or a double sized can of tomatoes

1-2 stalks celery with leaves

1/2 cup white wine

To taste: salt and pepper, parsley, cayenne, crushed red pepper or hot sauce, mint or bay leaf, lemon, Worcestershire sauce, Creole seasoning (I use Tony Chachere’s or make my own).

Chop your veggies. Sweat down the onion, celery and green pepper in some olive oil with a bit of salt. Add the garlic once the onions are translucent. Toss in your tomatoes, herbs and spices and bring to a simmer. Add the wine, lemon and a few dashes of Worcestershire (not too much). Cook the alcohol off for a bit and then taste for salt and spiciness - season to taste. It should be hot, but not painful to the tongue (unless I make it just for myself, in which case I use habanero peppers), and mint really brings out the flavors more than bay so use that if you can.

Add the raw shrimp to the simmering sauce no more than 10 minutes before serving and serve when they are curled and nicely pink. Try not to over-cook the shrimp - leftovers are fantastic but it is nice to experience the shrimp fresh in the first serving, then let them soak up flavor overnight.

Serve over boiled rice.

ENJOY and thank God for His abundant bounty!