By Will learning to focus on faces, James sends video, Naomi watches and sees Mama's expressions in grandson. The week was the life. The life was the cooking. The cooking was the love. And the love was the week, and the week was one of the weeks that stack together to become the years, and the years become the life, and the life is the woman at the stove who cooks and writes and loves and does not stop.
I made she-crab soup on Sunday — the anchor, the constant, the practice. The soup was perfect. The perfection was the practice. And the practice continues, one Sunday at a time, one bowl at a time, one life at a time, the woman stirring, the roux thickening, the kitchen warm, the family fed, the love alive.
The she-crab soup was Sunday’s anchor, but by midweek I needed something lighter — something that didn’t ask too much of me while I was still turning over the image of Mama’s expressions moving across Will’s face in that video. Broiled orange roughy has always been that dish: clean, unfussy, done in minutes, the kind of thing you make when the week has already given you everything and the kitchen just needs to be quiet and kind. It lets you feed the people you love without ceremony, which is sometimes exactly the ceremony that’s needed.
Broiled Orange Roughy
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 orange roughy fillets (about 6 oz each)
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler. Set your oven broiler to high and position the rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a broiler pan or rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly grease it.
- Make the butter mixture. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, lemon juice, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, dried parsley, salt, and pepper until combined.
- Prepare the fillets. Pat the orange roughy fillets dry with paper towels and lay them in a single layer on the prepared pan. Brush the tops generously with half of the butter mixture.
- Broil the fish. Place the pan under the broiler and cook for 5 minutes. Remove, brush with the remaining butter mixture, and return to broil for another 4–5 minutes, until the fish is opaque throughout and flakes easily with a fork. Do not overcook — orange roughy is delicate.
- Serve immediately. Transfer fillets to plates and serve with fresh lemon wedges. Pairs well with steamed rice, roasted asparagus, or a simple green salad.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 1g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 280mg