Fast ’n Easy Salmon

This is the best, easiest salmon recipe you’ll ever find — you can use the mixture for fillets or a whole side of salmon. I prepare my salmon for sushi salad like this, or serve it as fillets with dill sauce (highly recommended if you have the time!), and it takes seconds to prepare. Literally.

Salmon

• salmon
• salt
• sugar
• lemon juice

Dill Dip (optional)

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2–3 cubes frozen dill (depending on how strong you want the flavor — I always use 3!)
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

On both sides of the salmon: sprinkle lightly with salt, sugar (you can go heavier than with the salt), and drizzle with lemon juice.

Massage into salmon to combine the flavors evenly. Bake for around 20 minutes.

Blend dill dip ingredients and enjoy!

—Rochel Samet, writer

Garlic-Mayo Salmon

Mix together 2–3 spoons of mayonnaise (depending how many slices of fish you’re using), a bit of olive oil (I spray a bit from a spray bottle), and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon minced garlic. Use a spoon to spread a thin layer over the salmon. I often top it with dill, Everything spice, or some Mrs. Dash.

If you made the salmon a day or so in advance, take it out one hour before eating to take the chill out and to soften the fish.

Enjoy!

—Goldie Fogel, office manager

Lemon-Pepper Salmon

Our favorite is so, so simple: lemon-pepper broiled salmon. Shake on a heavy layer of lemon pepper and then a lighter layer of garlic pepper. Broil on bottom rack for 18–20 minutes. Voila: crisp and flavorful salmon at your service! It’s so versatile and is great hot or cold. You can use it shredded in salads and tacos too.

— Faigy Grossman, recipe columnist

Almond-Coated Salmon

One of the reasons I love this recipe (originally from a Pesach supplement), aside from the awesome taste, ease of preparation, and the irresistible aroma that fills the house, is that it’s equally good served hot or room temperature, so you don’t have the concern of heating fish and meat dishes together. We served it at my niece’s sheva brachos in New York, and everyone wanted doubles. Serve as an appetizer or main dish. Thanks to my sister-in-law Rochel for this idea.

SERVES 10

• 10 salmon fillets
• 1 full tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ⅓ cup honey, divided
• full ⅓ cup ground almonds (up to ½ cup)

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with Palisades Parchment Paper and spray with cooking spray.

Place salmon fillets on the baking sheet, taking care that they shouldn’t touch (so the sides get crispy as well). In a small bowl, mix together salt, garlic, and olive oil, and smear all over each fillet. Drizzle a little honey over each piece (this is easier if honey is slightly warmed in the microwave). Sprinkle generously with ground almonds. (Alternately, you can put the ground almonds in a flat plate and roll the salmon fillets in it.) Drizzle remainder of honey over almond coating.

Bake for 20–25 minutes or until done. (Twenty minutes is really sufficient, but I like my fish very crispy, so sometimes I bake it for 25.)

Note: If you’re making a lot of fish and are using two baking sheets, switch the trays halfway through baking.

—Brynie Greisman, recipe contributor

Baked Fish ’n Chips

This is a recipe by Faigy G. that ran in the magazine years ago. It’s become part of our supper rotation because it’s a) easy to make; b) close enough to fish sticks that even my non-fish enthusiasts will eat it; and c) close enough to fast food that my bochurim approve of it!

• 4  4-oz tilapia fillets, cut in half lengthwise
• 5 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 5 Tbsp ketchup
• 3 Tbsp sesame teriyaki sauce
• 1 lb frozen French fries
• cornflake crumbs, to coat fish
• 4 whole-wheat pitas
• 1 beef tomato, diced
• 1-2 cucumbers, diced
• 2 large dill pickles, diced

In a large mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, and teriyaki until smooth; reserve ¼ cup for dressing. Add fish to bowl and toss to coat; marinate for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread fries over half. Place in oven and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 10 minutes.

Place cornflake crumbs in a large shallow dish and dredge fish in crumbs until fully coated. Remove baking sheet from oven and place fish fillets across the empty half of the pan. Return to oven and bake an additional 20 minutes.

While fish bakes, slice off tops of pita. Toss together tomato, cucumbers, and pickles. Divide fish, fries, and vegetables among pitas and drizzle reserved dressing over each. Best served hot.

—Chaya Baila Lieber, copy editor

Three-Ingredient Baked Fish

Who wants to spend time in the hot kitchen during the summer? This recipe is as easy as they come — and a kid-pleaser too!

• 2 lb (1 kg) white fish (sole, halibut, tilapia, etc.)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup salsa (in Israel, try rotev l’shakshukah)

Mix sour cream and salsa and pour over the fish, making sure each piece is well-coated. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered.

Great with mashed potatoes — drizzle the sauce that remains in the pan over the potatoes for a flavor boost.

—Bassi Gruen, managing editor

Maple-Soy Salmon

We ate this at Arna Fisher’s house one Friday night. It’s a delicious recipe, and once you make the “sauce,” it keeps in the fridge, so the salmon is always a breeze to prepare!

For the fish, drizzle a side of salmon, skin on, with soy sauce and maple syrup. Spray with olive oil. Broil on high for 10–14 minutes (the top will look charred).

The sauce is also easy: In a container, place ¹⁄₈ cup rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and 1 cube each garlic and cilantro. Shake to combine.

Drizzle sauce on right before serving (or serve on the side). I also like to serve it with lemon wedges.

—Rachel Bachrach, associate editor

Honey-Garlic Gefilte Fish

For gefilte fish with a flavorful twist, try this easy, fabulous recipe. I guarantee it will become a regular at your Shabbos and Yom Tov table!

SERVES 12

• 2 loaves gefilte fish, slightly defrosted
• 2 tsp olive oil
• ½ medium Vidalia onion, diced
• 2–3 cloves garlic, crushed, or 2–3 cubes frozen garlic
• 5 Tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a large loaf pan, approximately 10x4x4 inches (26x10x10 cm). Unwrap the fish loaves and place inside pans. Pat down into the pans with a moistened spatula.

Heat oil in a small frying pan. Add onion and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and honey to onions and bring to a boil. Turn off heat. Pour onion and honey mixture evenly over fish.

Bake for 1 hour, uncovered.

—Rivky Kleiman, recipe contributor

Herbs and Citrus

We eat fish three times a week. I take fresh herbs and slices of citrus and lay it over a two-pound slab of salmon, and then drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

—Naomi Nachman, columnist

Cheddar and Mushroom Cod Dinner

My grandfather is an excellent cook and makes his own bread, chummus, soups — you name it. When I go visit him, I always look through his recipe box for great dinner ideas. When he saw me copying down the recipe for this one-pan fish dinner, he said, “You’ll eat it all in one sitting.” And he was right.

SERVES 4

• 4 fillets of frozen cod, tilapia, or whitefish
• 3 Idaho potatoes, washed and sliced
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 10-oz (280-g) can cream of mushroom soup
• ½ cup milk
• 4 oz shredded or sliced cheddar cheese
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• snipped chives, for garnish
• black pepper, for garnish

Spread sliced potatoes and onions in a glass Pyrex dish. Cover and microwave for 15 minutes on medium heat.

Place fish over vegetables. Combine mushroom soup and milk and pour over fish and veggies. Place cheese on top. Drizzle olive oil around the sides.

Return to microwave for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with snipped chives and a dash of black pepper. Serve warm.

—Sarah Faygie Berkowitz, columnist

Fried Gefilte Fish

My dear friend and an awesome Chabad rebbetzin to boot, Chanie W., served this dish at a Shabbos meal once and while I don’t make it often, when I do, it makes me think of gefilte fish on steroids.

• 1 loaf gefilte fish, slightly defrosted
• flour
• beaten egg
• seasoned bread crumbs
• oil, for frying
• chrayonnaise or garlic mayo

Peel the papers off the gefilte fish loaf. Slice into 1-inch (2¹⁄₂-cm) slices or alternatively for fun, ¹⁄₂-inch (1-cm) cubes. Dredge fish in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.

Heat oil in a frying pan and fry fish in batches, turning over till each side is golden brown.

Serve with chrayonnaise or garlic mayo.

—Chaia Frishman, columnist

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 806)