Grilled Salmon with Vidalia Onion Sauce
(dairy)

Frederick Norregaard

Food Editor’s Note: This salmon dish was served at the festive dinner celebrating the recent inauguration of the new president of Tufts University, Lawrence Bacow. Everyone at our table commented on how delicious the salmon was. The new first lady of Tufts, Adele Fleet Bacow, has contributed some of her own personal specialties to ShalomBoston.com, and she graciously agreed to ask the Tufts catering service for this one. We are very pleased that Fred Norregaard, Chef Manager of Tufts and creator of this dish, promptly emailed us the recipe, along with a request to use some of ShalomBoston.com’s recipes in his university menu! By the way, Larry Bacow is the first Jewish president of Tufts. He and Adele have been involved members of the Greater Boston Jewish community for many years (and are good friends of this food editor and her husband!).

A few comments regarding the recipe: Although grilling the salmon on a charcoal grill imparts a unique, smoky flavor to the fish, you may also cook it in a grill pan on the stovetop or broil it in the oven. Make sure not to overcook it. You may be tempted to make the sauce in advance and reheat it to serve. Be forewarned that the mixture will likely separate if you do this. This will not change the basic flavor of the sauce, but will alter its texture, eliminating the creaminess that many people enjoy with salmon dishes.

Ingredients

1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 Vidalia onion, minced (approximately 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup white wine
1 1/4 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
6 6-ounce salmon fillets
vegetable oil to coat salmon
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped, for garnish

To make the sauce: Heat oil in medium saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook on low heat until onion is translucent. Add wine and vinegar and cook until almost evaporated. Add cream and turn heat up to medium. Stir in sugar and let cream reduce to desired thickness. Add mustard and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep sauce warm until served.

To make the fish: Coat salmon lightly with oil, season with salt and pepper and grill on medium heat until cooked through. This will take from 3 to 8 minutes per side, depending on thickness of the fish and temperature of the grill. If salmon starts to get too dark before the center is cooked through, you can finish it in the oven.

Arrange the salmon on a platter, spoon sauce over the fish, and garnish with the chopped chives. Serve immediately.

Frederick Norregaard is the chef manager of Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Tufts has been rated by Food and Wine magazine as having one of the highest quality college food services in the country.