honey & ollie

One of the things I’ve been told is that it is a mitzvah to eat really well for shabbos. That you should try to have a bit of meat on the table, not to mention using your best china and linens to really make it special. I hate to admit it, but, when describing my table settings, “best china and linens” is a bit of a stretch. I guess you could say that we go with the shabby chic for special occasions. We make do with a sentimental piece from here, a special cloth from there, and we work them in with our Target everyday things. It is not particularly elegant, but it works just fine for us, and given that generally we only sit down to a proper dinner one or two nights a week (the other nights tend to happen haphazardly, bowls of soup on the sofa or fending for ourselves as time allows), even a shabby chic shabbos table set with mismatched plates and silver seems special.

As far as having a bit of meat, since #1 Daughter is a vegetarian, that is sometimes a little bit problematic. Making a meat dish for the rest of us means I have to cook a second, pareve main dish, for her. Since she does eat fish, we often go with that. This is one of my favorite shabbos dinner staples. It is totally low fat, delicious, and great for you. It is also stupidly easy. I throw it together about 45 minutes before it is time to light candles, as I’m getting the rest of dinner ready. By the time candles are lit, the oven and stove are both off and everything is ready to serve.

Take some salmon fillets and lay them in an oiled glass baking dish. Generally I do one large fillet per person, because this stuff gets inhaled and there is never any left over (so, if you have cats, like I do, make them their own fillet or they won’t get any).

Juice half of a Cara Cara orange (or a Valencia will work well too) for up to 3 filets, the whole orange for up to 6. Stab your fillets with a fork and then pour the orange juice over the fish. It is super important to poke the fillets first so the juice really soaks in there, and really, do not used storebought OJ with this. Just use a fresh orange, it makes all the difference.

Cover the salmon with a liberal sprinkling of brown sugar on top (this will caramelize and glaze the salmon as it bakes).

Sprinkle with kosher salt.

And that’s it. Seriously. Salmon, the juice of one orange, a little brown sugar, kosher salt. 4 ingredients. It does not get easier than that.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes – whenever it is done, don’t cook it so long that it dries out. If you are so inclined, put it under the broiler for the final 2-3 minutes to crisp up the brown sugar glaze. If you time this right, you can have this done and the oven off right before it is time to light candles and put dinner on the table. It will keep on the stovetop okay for a little bit, but it is best served hot.

I really like this because, fish being pareve, you can make it and serve with either a meat or a dairy meal. It is so delicious and a nice cut of salmon is such a treat, it does feel like you’re really doing it up fancy for shabbos. Plus, it’s so simple and fast, it does make the rest of the pre-shabbos rushing around a little easier. There is always so much to DO!