St Denis’ Baked Salmon

by Grazia Barletta · Published March 28, 2025 · Updated March 28, 2025

St Denis was a 3rd-century bishop of Paris who was martyred shortly after 250 AD. The earliest account of his life and martyrdom, the Passio Ss Dionysii Rustici et Eleutherii, dates from around 600, although St Denis is mentioned as the bishop of Paris by Gregory of Tours in the 6th century.

Denis (or Dionysius) was dispatched from Italy by Pope Fabian to evangelise Gaul, which is roughly today’s France. Denis thus became the first bishop of Lutetia (now Paris), amid the persecutions under Emperor Decius which had nearly extinguished the fledgling Christian community in the city.

Accompanied by the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius, Denis settled on the Île de la Cité, an island in the River Seine, while Roman (pagan) Paris was situated on the higher ground of the Left Bank, away from the river. Around 900 years later, the great Notre-Dame cathedral would be built on that island.

The effective conversion efforts by Denis and his companions alarmed the pagan priests who instigated their arrest by the Roman governor. After long imprisonment, Denis and his companions were executed atop the city’s highest hill, which is now known as Montmartre (the site of the famous Sacré-Coeur basilica).

After being decapitated, legend has it, St Denis miraculously picked up his head and walked several kilometres while delivering a sermon on repentance. A chapel was initially erected at his burial site by a local Christian woman, which later expanded into an abbey and basilica around which the city of Saint-Denis grew. Today it is a suburb of Paris (also home of the Stade de France). The initial chapel is mentioned by the 5th-century saint Genevieve, a co-patron of Paris.

The feast of St Denis and his companions Rusticus and Eleutherius is on October 9. St Denis’ feast was added to the Roman Calendar in 1568 by Pope Pius V, though it had been celebrated since at least 800.

St Denis is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and the patron saint of those who suffer from headaches, anxiety, fear of water, rabies, and diabolic possession. Certain foods are good to try and help with headaches, including green leafy vegetables, legumes and oily fish. To honour St Denis, I have made a dish of baked salmon with a green vegetable stir fry.

Preparation: 40 min • Servings: 2

Ingredients

2 salmon or trout steaks • Any choice of green veg (baby spinach, broccoli, beans) • 330ml olive oil • chopped garlic and ginger (as much as desired) • salt and pepper • lemon juice

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180°.
Place the fish in a baking dish and grind salt and pepper over the steaks. Drizzle with olive oil.
Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
While the fish is in the oven, place the green vegetables, garlic and ginger in a frying pan and sauté in olive oil.
Plate the fish and squeeze some fresh lemon juice over it, and serve with the stir-fried vegetables.
Enjoy with a prayer to St Denis!

Grazia Barletta is an author, book designer, and food photographer & stylist. She can be contacted at . Follow her blog at www.momentswithgrazia.com and connect with Grazia on Facebook/Instagram: momentswithgrazia

Published in the October 2024 issue of The Southern Cross magazine