The Holy Cross Famous Fish Fry is a Sioux City tradition

Will he feed the army?

No, Metz is the only go-to person at the Holy Cross Famous Fish Dinner, held from 4:30 – 6:30 pm every Friday during Lent, at St. Michael Catholic Parish Center, 2223 Indian Hills Dr.

With more than 40 years of experience as a kitchen manager for Hy-Vee, Metz was clearly the right person for the job.

“I’m the nervous person who takes care of every minor detail,” explains the Bloomington, Minn. native. look at the clock. “If I do my job well, my crew can easily do their job while feeding over 700 people within the next two hours.”

In fact, Metz and his kitchen assistants prepare to start just after noon on Fridays.

By 3 pm, each piece is hand-breaded with special spices before being given a deep-fried dunk. Bags and bags of au gratin potatoes are soaked in a bath of butter and milk in pans before being put in the oven. Containers of gooey mac and cheese are heated in large pots on burners inside the parish center’s professional-quality kitchen.

In an adjacent area, church girls slice into a seemingly endless variety of cakes, pies, brownies and bars handmade by Holy Cross Parishioners.

“We have a set menu of fish, au gratin potatoes, mac and cheese, Cole slaw, a salad bar and a roll with butter,” Metz said. “However, we never know what will end up on our dessert table.”

It was decadent last Friday, with delicious desserts like pecan pie and raisin cream pie up for grabs.

“Everything on our dessert table comes from a family recipe and is offered with love,” says Metz.

The same can be said about the salad station, which also features some unique Midwestern offerings.

“We have some ladies who will always bring their recipe for glorified rice,” said Metz, who described the dish as rice served with pineapple, whipped cream and sometimes maraschino cherries. “You have to be of a certain age to know what glorified rice is but, once you taste it, you’ll love it.”

The real star of the Holy Cross Famous Fish Dinner is the incredibly meaty and moist cod cold from the fryer.

“With six ounces of cod in each order, it can easily serve two people,” says Metz. “We are very generous when it comes to fish.”

That’s to be expected because of the long-standing tradition for Catholics to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday as well as on Fridays during Lent.

It is not unusual for followers to choose a Friday vegan or vegetarian diet; otherwise, fish is often used as a substitute for meat-based dishes.

Due to the popularity of Fish Fridays, locally owned restaurants and national chains have even jumped on the bandwagon with seasonal seafood menus.

This caused Metz to shake his head in disbelief.

“Catholic churches have had frying fish for years,” he said. “Why go to a chain restaurant when you can get the real deal here?”

The “real deal” in St. Michael’s serves handmade food on actual plates.

For on-the-go families, takeout orders are an option.

“Takeout orders are a holdover from the COVID years,” Metz said. “We’ve extended it because it’s proven to be very popular.”

More than food, fish frys are a time for socializing.

“Nothing brings people together better than good food and good conversation,” Metz said. “There’s a lot of the two of us every Friday night.”

Even better, you don’t have to be Catholic to grab a plate at the Holy Cross Fish Dinner.

“We serve Lutheran, Methodist, you name it,” Metz said. “No one has their backs here.”

In fact, everyone was dazzled and filled with this magnificent fish.

“There’s something really special about a fish fry during Lent,” explains Metz. “You come for the food and, then, you stay for the fellowship.”

“Well, you can’t forget about the desserts,” he added. “Our patrons’ desserts are as memorable as the fish.”