I have made this recipe twice and both times I have absolutely loved it. I wanted to start eating salmon and I think this was the perfect recipe for it. Following the recipe to a T is great, but you can play around with it as well. There are a lot of options for the fish in the recipe itself, but you can also trade out bay leaves for rosemary or thyme. I added zucchini to the onion mixture and it still came out fine. Just add the zucchini halfway through the onion cooking time so they don’t cook down too much.
Braised Salmon or Halibut Steaks
From The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Nancy Harmon Jenkins
Total Time: 1 hour (by my count)
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds salmon, halibut, swordfish, or other fish steaks, about 1 inch thick
- a little flour for dredging the fish
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 or 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- juice of 1/2 lemon
Directions:
1. Lightly dredge the fish steaks in a little flour, shaking them to remove excess. In a pan over medium-high heat, fry the steaks in 2 tablespoons of the oil just long enough to brown them, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. They will not be cooked through. Transfer the steaks to an oven dish that will hold them in one layer. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, and salt to the pan in which the fish cooked, together with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Stir to mix with the oil and cook, covered, over medium-low heat, and golden brown–about 10 to 15 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, remove the bay leaves and stir in the paprika and lemon juice. Mix well and return to the heat just long enough to warm up the lemon juice.
3. Distribute the onion mixture over the top of the fish steaks, covering them as much as possible. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the steaks are thoroughly cooked.
The Recipe Box 