Who decided Lent should start on Valentine's Day, though???
Now, hey, hey, listen.
I know. Valentine's Day (and Ash Wednesday) have already come and gone. I've talked a little bit about Ash Wednesday across my social media, namely on Tiktok and Instagram, as well as released a little to-do about St. Valentine last week that you can check out—but for this rare occasion, I figured: why not show the thing I made (that you can make, too, this Lenten season)?
And that is a dish of rice, honey-sesame salmon, and a nice fruity side salad. Meat free, can be dairy free if you so choose, full of magical potential, and best of all, super fast to put together! This was definitely a great way to break the Ash Wednesday fast and still pull in some of those bright and lovey themes from Valentine's Day, so let's get into it (and save it for your future Friday Lenten love spells).
Specifically, for our magic, we're looking at apple, clementine, honey, and sesame.
Magic in Honey Sesame Salmon and Salad
Now, of course, there wasn't just one main theme this Valentine's Day, but two, thanks to Ash Wednesday sitting on top of it. I'd done an Ash Wednesday sermon that afternoon already, and I hadn't eaten all day except for dinner (as Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting—and also I was just too busy to eat until dinner), so I was planning for a meal that:
Pulled out some classic love-based ingredients to share with my partner
Highlighted the themes of Ash Wednesday that I'd gotten from that sermon and tradition: the reminder of our body's mortality, our soul's immortality, and the passion we need to live our lives to the fullest for good and in community with others.
For that, I could think of a few things: apples and oranges, especially. While comparing apples and oranges is an age old adage, combining them in a salad not only makes for wonderful bites of sweetness between all the cheese and balsamic vinegar, but also brings us the themes of love and immortality alongside luck, creativity, and love. (Turns out these two things do have something in common magically. Huh.)
And while salmon itself has some really interesting folklore, being a fish of divination, knowledge, life, and luck in several cultures (most notably Irish, Haida, and Ainu), that wasn't my main focus. The main focus here came through in the sesame, a fiery and abundant thing all about luck and passion, and the honey, as golden and bright as liquid sunshine. These two things also contributed that Ash Wednesday theme of living true to ourselves and completing our work, of reminding ourselves of things far beyond this world, and of sweetening our minds towards things beyond the daily grind—things more important than all that we wrap ourselves up in on a day to day basis.
With the energies of Venus and the Sun, as well as a high amount of water and a touch of fire, the main power brought up here have to do with our emotions—processing them, understanding them, and being open and vulnerable with other people. The beauty and relationship building of Venus and water also get support from the Sun, ever the optimist that seems to magnetize goodness its way, and the fire that lights our way and keeps us moving, working towards our dreams, and striving for something bigger than this life.
Honey Sesame Salmon and Salad
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 hours
Makes 2-3 servings
Ingredients:
3 pieces of salmon fillet
16g (1 Tbsp) sesame oil
32g (2 Tbsp) soy sauce
90g (~1/4 cup) honey
10g (~1/2 Tbsp) sriracha or gochujang*
4g (1 tsp) ground ginger
8g (1/2 Tbsp) garlic powder
A pinch of salt
A pinch of MSG (if you have it)
4g (1 tsp) red chili flakes*
16g (1 Tbsp) rice wine vinegar
16g (1 Tbsp) lemon juice
Salad:
Salad bed of your choice (spinach, kale, etc.)
2 apples, diced
2 clementines, peeled & diced
5 Baby Bell cheeses, cut into small pieces
1 onion, sliced thin
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
*If you don't like your marinade spicy, by all means, leave this out!
Directions:
Combine the marinade ingredients in a pan that can hold all your fish filets. Mix them, then put in your fish, basting the top.
Let sit for at least 30min, turning every 15min.
Peel your clementines and chop your fruits into bite size pieces, then add to a bowl.
Add Baby Bell cheese, cut into small pieces, and sliced onion.
Mix with a salad of your choice (I chose spinach).
Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste, then toss your salad and set aside.
When fish is done marinating, cook skin side down in a pre-heated pan on low until color begins creeping up the side of the fish and the underside is starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
Flip the fish, then add the marinade and cook until fish is done, another 5 minutes.
Remove fish and turn heat up to medium, stirring the sauce to reduce it without burning.
Serve with salad, your choice of potatoes or rice, and a drizzle of the glaze over top.
This meal is so quick and easy to throw together (and it doesn't use so many dishes, either)—perfect for when you're hungry and still want to get some good magical food on the table! Give it a try on one of the many Fridays you're trying to go meatless (as Fridays are also the days for love spells). ♥
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Sara Raztresen is a Slovene-American writer, screenwriter, and Christian witch. Her fantasy works draw heavily on the wisdom she gathers from her own personal and spiritual experience, and her spiritual practice borrows much of the whimsy and wonder that modern society has relegated to fairy-and-folktale. Her goal is to help people regain their spiritual footing and discover God through a new (yet old) lens of mysticism.