When St. Cecilia first began doing parish fish fries for Lent, they followed the standard playbook: cod, jack salmon, coleslaw, and draft beer. In 2008, however, the parish decided to try something different to honor its substantial Spanish-speaking population and launched the “Original Mexican Fish Fry,” a beloved seasonal event that has become one of St. Louis’ most popular cultural traditions. St. Cecilia’s business manager Heather Sieve, who has worked for the parish since 2008 and runs the fish fry, still finds herself overwhelmed by the way that the St. Louis community has embraced the event. She took a moment from prepping for the upcoming season to share the fish fry’s history and some pro-tips for navigating the always-packed extravaganza.
How did St. Cecilia’s Original Mexican Fish Fry begin? In 2008, we did our first Original Mexican Fish Fry. We’d had fish fries prior to that, but it had been four or five years since we’d had one, and when we decided we were going to have one again, we wanted to include our Spanish-speaking parishioners. At that point, we’d become a parish for many Hispanic people, so we definitely wanted to incorporate something they would want to eat. It really just started out as us asking what we can do for our parishioners that works for everybody and also make a little extra money for the parish. Before this, it felt like all of our events were where the Anglos planned everything and the Spanish speakers came to set up and clean up. As our Spanish-speaking population grew, we wanted to switch that focus so that part of our community was being highlighted. We wanted it to be about them and for them to have something to be proud of and show the community who they are and what they can do with their talents.
Find the best food in St. Louis
Subscribe to the St. Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene.
St. Cecilia’s fish fry has become widely popular over the years. How has it grown and changed? During that first year, we only did three of them, every other week during Lent. By the third one that year, it started to grow—nowhere near where it is today, but we were definitely seeing it catch on. So the next year, in 2009, we decided to do one every week. By the second week of that year, it just blew up. We had lines out the door and down the street, and we were like, “Oh, wow. We need to figure something out.” At that point, we couldn’t manage it. We would tell people to try going to a restaurant down the street—we were literally sending them to other places because we didn’t have the capacity to serve them. We still get those lines, but we’ve been doing it so long that we know how to manage it and we can tell people that from this point in line you will wait an hour and a half or however long. We don’t want people to not know how long the wait is going to be.
Are the long lines how the margaritas came about? Yes! At the first ones, we had beer and soda, and then once the lines started, we figured we needed to do something so people are not bored or hungry while waiting. That’s why we started doing the pico de gallo and tamales—so people could purchase them before they ordered food and eat them while they were in line. The margaritas came about one year early on when my mom was helping me get our liquor license. The [people at City Hall] were like, “Do you want a full license or a license for just beer and wine?” I asked them what the cost difference was, and it was the same price. I said, “Yes, absolutely we will do the full one, so we can do margaritas.” It’s how we take care of people in line and keep them from starving, getting thirsty, or just being bored. The music helps with that, too.
What are some of the must-try dishes? When someone purchases a meal, they get two entrées and two sides. We did this so people could try the more traditional fish fry fish and the Mexican dishes. But people have to try the chile rellenos. Honestly, those and the deep-fried cheese quesadillas, which are like empanadas, are the two things you can’t miss. Those quesadillas started because one week early on, we ran out of everything and the ladies were like, “We can make dough, and we have cheese, so we will do this.” That’s seriously the reason they came about. Honestly, I have to laugh because we’ve had so many mishaps over the years. One time, a transformer blew up, and we had no electricity. But people stuck out; we didn’t need electricity to cook, so we kept cooking so everyone just kept going.
What are some pro-tips for navigating the lines? First of all, I always tell people that the first one of the year is typically the least crowded. I think that’s because a lot of people go to their own parish for the first fish fry of the year, then branch out from there. If someone wants to come then, that’s probably their best bet for a shorter line. Otherwise, we start serving at 4:30 p.m., but we don’t let anyone into the building until 3 p.m. because school is getting out around then. My suggestion is the earlier you get here, the better because early on things seem to run faster and online orders don’t start until 5 p.m. People should also know that although we officially serve until 8 p.m., I will cut off the line when it gets too long. If you get here at 6:30 p.m., there is a chance you can’t get in line anymore. Another important pro-tip is to get a refreshment and just be prepared to wait. There is music; get a margarita, a tamale, some pico de gallo, and then just settle in.
How does your online ordering work? We do pre-orders online, though people need to understand that you aren’t ordering what you want; you are purchasing a dinner at a specific date and time. People can go on our website and select the date and time they want to arrive to place their order; the week of the date you purchased a pre-order for, you will get an email telling you where to pick up your meal. You will still have to wait for your order to be prepared, but you do not have to wait in the long line to place your order. We limit this to 40 meals per half-hour because it really slows down the line. We also charge a little more for it: $22 per meal, as opposed to $15 for those who wait in line. We do them every week except for our first week, because the lines are usually shorter. Also, we don’t do curbside pickup. That was something we did during the pandemic, but we no longer offer that. Also, we don’t do the fish fries on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday.
Your fish fries have become such an integral part of St. Louis culture. Why do you think they resonate so strongly? It’s a very festive atmosphere. I think that is part of it, and honestly, everybody loves Mexican food. Every year, we wonder if this level of popularity is going to continue, and every year it does. We have people coming from all over—someone drove down from Chicago, because they’d heard about it from their friends. Originally, this was something we wanted to do for our parishioners, and now people come from all over the St. Louis area. It is such a source of pride for our parish and community. By the end of six weeks, everyone is tired. It’s a lot, and the volunteers put in a lot of hours, so I really try to emphasize to them, “Look at these people; they are here because of what you do and what you provide, and they want to support us.” I want them to feel that sense of pride.
