St. Peter's Fish and the Temple Tax

“After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?"  "Yes, he does," he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes--from their own sons or from others?"  "From others," Peter answered. "Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. "But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."  Matthew 17: 22-27

Keep in mind that Peter had just recognized Jesus as Christ, the son of the Living God, so, well, he’s family, right?  Be that as it may, it would not have been helpful to push the point, and would only have made life difficult for the “revenue officers”, so provision was made to pay.  There in the mouth of the fish was a shekel, just enough to pay the tax for the two of them.  

Along the way, some marketing genius decided to cash in, if you will, on the story, so you can find the Saint Peter’s Fish on menus across Israel, or as the only course in some restaurants, particularly in the Galilee.  The whole fish (fillets are available and easier to eat, but not the same ) and in some places, sometimes, a coin in its mouth.  I've had it three times, each time whole, each time delicious. 

So yummy! 

All the recipes I found called for fillets, but if you want the real experience, just use a whole fish. 

For a good recipe, visit http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-3463/recipe/