Salmon with Date Syrup and Caramelized Onions

 

I'm still on Passover posts, a month later.  I might have made too many dishes.  After all the cleaning I did to prepare the house for the holiday, it didn't feel like that much cooking.

This one was a prep-ahead that worked wonderfully.  I caramelized the onions and got everything in the dish the day before, then popped it in the oven shortly before guests were expected.

Date syrup is a new ingredient to me.  It's just puréed dates.  It has a sweet, slightly burnt flavor like barbecue sauce, and goes well with all meats.  It would probably work as pancake syrup, in yogurt, and in oatmeal.  I haven't tried that yet, but there's a lot left in the jar.

I've never bought meat or fish at a kosher market before, but I couldn't find a piece of fish I liked at any of the regular markets.  It was about $3 more per pound, but was skinless, fresh, and just a beautiful piece of fish.  And cooking it at 325º because I didn't know how long it would be held was an excellent choice.  Even the leftovers were amazingly tender, moist, and flavorful.  It's probably the best fish I've ever cooked.

1-1/2 lbs salmon fillet
1 yellow onion
2 Tb olive oil, divided
1 Tb butter
salt and pepper
1/4 C date syrup

1.  To make the onions, heat butter and 1 Tb oil in a large skillet or medium saucepan.  Slice onion very thinly and add to the pot.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and cook over medium-low, stirring every 10 minutes, until somewhat caramelized.  They're going in the oven, so don't get them too dark.  Set aside to cool.

2.  Place salmon in baking dish.  Since I had skinless, I lined the casserole with parchment.  Brush with a little oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then smear with the date syrup.  Arrange onions around the edges.  Cover tightly with foil.  At this point, you can refrigerate for one day if not baking it immediately.

3.  Preheat oven to 325º.  Bake for 20 minutes, more if the fish is on the thick side.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.  I had it in the oven with the latkes at 140º while we were doing the Seder, about 45 minutes.  Since that's about the temperature fish is supposed to reach, I doubt it was doing much cooking during that time.  You can check after the original 20 minutes and see if the thickest parts are flaking.  Serve warm, with onions spooned on top.

Difficulty rating  :)