The Great Masterpiece Fish Fry

Originally the Fish Fry became popular in Roman Catholic communities to honour the tradition of abstaining from eating meat on Fridays.  Today the modern Fish Fry is most popular in Wisconsin where restaurants hold legendary, weekly Fish Fries every Friday of the month.  The local fishing culture has played a major role in the evolution of the Fish Fry, blending their own traditions with native recipes.  Today you will find a variety of delicious meals including, baked, broiled or fried fish along with a diverse range of side dishes. 

Tim Garforth-Bles, President of Masterpiece Care Corporation and I, Isaac Wells, Activities Manager at Masterpiece River Ridge in Medicine Hat always enjoy our local fishing trips during the summer months.  This past summer we came up with a way to bring our joy of fishing back to share with the residents of Masterpiece River Ridge.  We decided to put our own spin on a traditional Fish Fry! 

This put a little bit of pressure on Tim and I because now we had to catch enough fish to feed everyone.  We decided to give ourselves a few days of fishing to meet our quota.  Off we went to Cavan Lake, approximately 20 kilometres south of Medicine Hat and surrounded by gently rolling hills. This lake has always been great fishing for us and it didn’t disappoint on this trip.  We managed to catch 25 good sized rainbow trout to bring back with us.

On the day of the Fish Fry, Tim and I cleaned all of the fish by hand and separated it into servable portions for our residents.  Then our fantastic kitchen staff joined in to prepare it.  We started by seasoning the fish with sea salt, black pepper, lemon juice and a twist of orange.  Then placed them in tin foil with a little bit of olive oil, wrapped them up and let them bake in their own juices for 20 minutes.  The Management Team, helped with the festivities by serving the meal with vegetables, potato salad and, of course, some wine.  The meal was finished off with a great dessert.

Our Fish Fry was a hit, the residents loved the fresh fish but the most important ingredient of its success was the ambiance - where friends, families and neighbours can relax, enjoy and exchange stories.

Isaac Wells is the Activities Manager at Masterpiece River Ridge, a Retirement Residence in Medicine Hat, Alberta that offers supportive living, assisted living and continuing care.  For more information about Masterpiece River Ridge visit http://www.masterpieceretirement.com/.