I recently ate dinner at the home of a couple who are producers-turned-friends, Barry and Jen. They work in food TV, so they’re all about great-tasting food. When I showed up, they were making a huge pan of caramelized onions that looked unbelievably good. They were serving them with almost everything that night, which I was happy about because I love onions. I have to admit I was surprised when I saw them piling the onions on grilled salmon. It was not a combination I’d ever considered. But because when in Rome you’re supposed to do as the Romans do, I dug in. It was delicious! I came home and figured out how to make caramelized onions that didn’t need a lot of fat or hands-on time. This dish is now a favorite among many I’ve served. Although salmon is high in fat, it’s good-for-you fat when eaten in moderation. Wild salmon has 12 fewer calories and 1.5 grams less fat per ounce than farm-raised, so I always try to buy that. But it is more expensive and tougher to find. So if you choose farm-raised, it will add 47 calories and 5 grams of fat per serving to this dish.

　　

Ingredients

makes 2 servings

　　Olive oil spray (from a spray bottle, not a store-bought, prefilled one that contains propellant; I used a Misto)

　　2 (4-ounce) skinless salmon fillets, preferably wild-caught

　　Sea salt and pepper, to taste

　　2/3 cup Easier-Than-Caramelized Onions (see page 225), reheated if necessary

　　

Step 1

Preheat a grill to high.

　　

Step 2

Lightly mist both sides of each salmon fillet with spray. Season with salt and pepper. Lightly mist a large sheet of aluminum foil and place it directly on the grill rack, spray side up. Set the fillets side by side on the foil so they do not touch. Grill them until the salmon is cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side.

　　

Step 3

Transfer each fillet to a plate and top each with half the onions. Serve immediately.

　　

nutrition information

Step 4

Each (1 fillet plus 1/3 cup onions) serving has:

　　

Step 5

Calories: 207

　　

Step 6

Protein: 23g

　　

Step 7

Carbohydrates: 4g

　　

Step 8

Fat: 10g

　　

Step 9

Saturated Fat: 2g

　　

Step 10

Cholesterol: 62mg

　　

Step 11

Fiber: <1g

　　

Step 12

Sodium: 52mg

　　Reprinted with permission from I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening! by Devin Alexander. Copyright © 2010 Devin Alexander. Published by Clarkson Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Devin Alexander is the author of The Most Decadent Diet Ever, Fast Food Fix, and coauthor of The New York Times bestsellers The Biggest Loser Cookbook and The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. She was a chef on NBC's The Biggest Loser and the host of Healthy Decadence on Discover Health and FitTV.