For the Fathers We Have Lost

Father’s Day is complicated when your father is gone.

You still want to mark the day. You just need a different way in.

This year I am honouring my dad, Steve Denecky, KC. He passed away the day after Father’s Day last year. He was a lawyer, a farmer and cattleman, a Lion, a Scout leader, and a devoted husband to my mother for 64 years. But he was happiest on a boat with a rod in hand.

He loved to fish. And he loved to eat what he caught.

Every year, my dad, my brothers, and I drove to the West Coast to fish the deep ocean waters near Alaska. We came home with huge coolers full of salmon, halibut, lingcod, red snapper, and crabs. Beautiful fish. Enough for the year in a freezer for our family, friends and dad’s clients.

Over the years, I developed new ways to serve, from simply stuffing on the BBQ to creating elegant meals for special guests.

That is where these recipes come from. Not a cookbook. Not a cooking class. Annual fishing trips with my dad, a full freezer, and a kitchen that smelled like the coast for weeks.

If your father took you fishing, or if he simply loved a great piece of fish, these recipes are for him, too.

Fish was not an afterthought at Edwardian dinners. It was a centrepiece.

In the era that inspired Downton Abbey, every formal dinner included a fish course. Poached salmon with mousseline sauce. Salmon rissoles in puff pastry. Halibut prepared with care and served with intention.

The Edwardians understood what many modern cooks have forgotten: a beautifully prepared piece of fish is quiet, elegant, and deeply satisfying. No fuss. No show. Just good technique and good flavour.

That sounds like the kind of man a lot of our fathers were.

I have seven fish recipes on the site that are worth making this weekend. Here is a quick taste of what is there.

For the ceremonial dinner: Poached Salmon with Mousseline Sauce is the most Edwardian of the lot. Served hot or cold, it works for a crowd.

For something unexpected: Chamomile Tea Salmon marinates the fish in tea, honey, lemon, and lavender. It is delicate, aromatic, and genuinely beautiful on a plate.

For the weeknight cook: Creamy Garlic Salmon is ready in 25 minutes. The fish is the star. Everything else just helps it along.

For halibut lovers: The Hazelnut Crusted Halibut with Boozy Blackberry Sauce is the showstopper. The colours alone are worth it.

For the dad who just wanted fish and chips: This one is for him. Battered, fried golden, served with malt vinegar. No pretense required.

See all seven recipes on the site and find the one that fits your table.

A few simple things can turn dinner into something more.

Pull out a photo. Tell the story of where the fish came from. Let the kids ask questions. If he had a favourite way he liked his fish prepared, get as close to that as you can.

The Edwardians understood that food is ceremony. A meal prepared with care says something that words often cannot.

Your father knew that too, even if he never said so.

What did your father love to eat? Tell me in the comments. I would love to hear.

And if you are cooking for Father’s Day this weekend, I hope the meal is good, and the stories are better.

Pamela

Downton Abbey Cooks — Great food has a history.
Browse the full Father’s Day recipe collection on the site.