Your Favorite Fish Recipe could win you a thought-provoking ebook! Investigating Food Used in Novels

Your Favorite Fish Recipe could win you a thought-provoking ebook! Investigating Food Used in Novels
Tuesday, March 31, 2026 by Sally Jo Pitts

Categories: Books & Food / Recommended Books

Investigating Food Used in Novels

This month’s food scene and recipe comes from Chevron Ross’s The Samaritan’s Patient. (Chevron is offering a free ebook to a commenter! Read on for details.)

In this food scene the author gives us a sense of who the main character, Paige Abernathy, is. We see that she follows through on a promise and graciously helps plan, purchase and prepare a lovely meal for the father of her friend.

Here’s the scene:

That afternoon Paige kept her promise to Kathy Wingate. Kyle loaned her his credit card and dropped her off on his way to the shelter. The girls sat at the kitchen table, preparing a grocery list.

“What does your father like to eat?”

“Anything I put in front of him. At least, he never complains. I think he’s afraid of hurting my feelings.”

They walked four blocks to the supermarket, where Paige’s imagination went to work. She selected trout, fresh vegetables, brown rice, olive oil, and as many fresh herbs as she could find. “I wish the stores in this town had truffles,” she complained, settling for mushrooms. “My dad always had to import them.” She added a bottle of white wine and some cooking sherry to their purchases. Paige felt a little sad when the checkout clerk didn’t ask for her ID. Apparently the journey had aged her.

“You’re a natural-born chef,” she assured Kathy, who labored over the cutting board. “He’s going to love this.”

“I’ll just be glad if he gets home on time. Dad never leaves the ER unless he’s sure the overnight staff has everything under control.” Kathy was curious about SerenityShare but feared that talking about it might upset Paige. So she talked around it. “I have some online friends who want to meet me in person. Do you think cyberdating is a good idea?”

“I’ve never tried it. Don’t you like the boys at your school?”

“They’re okay. But there’s a lot of interesting guys on Snapchat.”

“The best advice I can give you,” Paige said, “is to be skeptical about everything on social media.”

Dr. Wingate returned to a house of delicious smells and a dining room lit with candles. “Does this mean we’re not having peanut butter sandwiches?”

The girls seated him at the head of the table and served fresh mushroom soup, trout almondine with rice, baked asparagus, and roasted brussels sprouts. For dessert, a raspberry tart.

“You’ve spoiled me!” he exclaimed, patting his stomach. “I’ll never settle for cheese and crackers again!”

Paige promised to return on Saturday and show Kathy how to make coq au vin.

Chevron shares this scrumptious special fish recipe:

Trout Almondine

For the recipe click here.

More about The Samaritan’s Patient:

Paige Abernathy was once the epitome of high school perfection—beautiful, popular, and deeply in love with Lucas, the most sought-after boy at Alverna High. But everything changes when her mother forbids her from seeing him, and Paige's world takes a devastating turn. After a website she creates inadvertently sparks a wave of teenage suicides, she finds herself at the center of the world's hate and blame.

Fleeing to a homeless shelter to escape an angry mob, Paige is left broken and penniless, cooking meals for those in need as a way to atone.

Her life appears to be on the upswing when a kind businessman offers her a job, but the bounty on her head leads to a tragic shooting, leaving her in even deeper guilt and pain. Determined to make things right, Paige sets out on an eight-hundred-mile journey across Texas, struggling to heal from her trauma and grappling with the consequences of her actions. Along the way, she faces emotional challenges that force her to confront painful truths about herself while searching for redemption and forgiveness.

The Samaritan's Patient is a powerful, thought-provoking novel about the impact of social media, the complexities of mental health and depression, and the difficult journey toward forgiveness. With elements of psychological fiction, crime and investigation, and Christian reflection, this contemporary fiction will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Book Giveaway Offer! Good through April 5, 2026-

For a chance to win Chevron Ross’s The Samaritan’s Patient ebook, Chevron wants to know:

What is your favorite fish recipe? Share in comments below.

About the author:

Chevron Ross is not my real name. The man at the typewriter isn’t me either. I use both to make sure readers think of God when they read the novels He has written through me.

I never meant to become a novelist until God put the idea for Weapons of Remorse into my head. That book and the others that followed have enriched my relationship with God. I hope that by reading these books, you will deepen your own relationship with Him.

Comments

Skipper powell From Panama City, Fl At 4/1/2026 5:40:55 PM

Sautéed grouper is one of my favorites. Season grouper filet with salt, pepper add a little Cavenders if you like, lightly dredge filet in flour before putting it in a pan with small amount of hot olive oil. Cook about 7minuets on each side, adjust heat as needed.

Reply by: Sally Jo Pitts

Grouper is a great fish. This sounds like an easy way to prepare it.

Crystal Stewart From Bruin, PA At 3/31/2026 8:48:31 PM

Fresh Walleye Fish is delicious

Reply by: Sally Jo Pitts

Good to know

Lorraine G From Center Colorado At 3/31/2026 6:50:07 PM

I made a beer battered fish. I can't anymore because I became allergic to all seafood and fish! I can't even be in the same space as it is being prepared.

Reply by: Sally Jo Pitts

Oh no. I hadn't heard of someone developing an allergy to fish over time. Cats maybe, but not fish! What a shame.

Crystal Stewart From Bruin, PA At 3/31/2026 6:25:38 PM

Fresh Walleye Fish is my favorite recipe it's so good really want to win book thanks for chance HOPE I WIN

Reply by: Sally Jo Pitts

I have never had a walleye fish. Thanks for sharing.

Heather Swanson From Ont Canada At 3/31/2026 6:22:54 PM

I use a stick free pan for a piece of salmon skin side down lid on which will poach the fish flip in 15 minutes pull the skin off with tongs then serve with lemon & plum sauce.