Pan-Roasted Pacific Halibut with Spring Onions

This was a pretty simple recipe based on the idea that spring onions are mild and delicious and match well with a nice piece of fish. Balsamic vinegar doesn't hurt, either.

I'm not sure whether what I got at the market truly qualifies as spring onions: we get these just about year-round. What's hard to find on the market here are actual scallions. But the "white onions" on the market now seem smaller and fresher than in other seasons, so I'll just believe that they're the right kind. Whatever these were, I dutifully trimmed them and cut them into quarters (halves for the smaller ones). Unlike Melissa, who claims she can cut hers tear-free, I had some eye irritation issues. No matter.

The onions then go in a skillet with olive oil and some salt, pepper, and thyme: first covered and then uncovered. As they cooked, I thought of the Slate article I had recently read about how long it really takes to caramelize onions (the author points the finger at Melissa Clark for underestimating the time it takes). Mine never really caramelized, but they got soft and nicely browned, so I decided to leave well enough alone.

So I deglazed the pan with balsamic vinegar and honey and had a sauce that was perfect for at least three of us: the girls and I love caramelized onions, and Claire has a special fondness for balsamic vinegar. Sami, however, is agnostic on the onion.

This part of the recipe was the downside for Julia and Claire: Julia doesn't eat fish, and Claire doesn't much like it, although I always make her try it. I went with the "colin" or haddock that I often use in fish dishes: I seared the skin side on the stove and put the skillet in a hot oven to finish for about 10 minutes or so.

And voilà: fish plated with onions and potatoes (fancy spring potatoes from Noirmontier). The portions were a bit small, but everyone liked the dish. Claire ate all her small piece of fish, because the onions helped it go down. Sami ate all his onions: perhaps the fish helped them go down, though he did in fact praise the sauce. Julia liked the sauce with her potatoes. And I liked it, too. It's a simple and elegant dish that really does highlight good ingredients, and it was light and flavorful. Now that spring seems to finally have arrived, this is the kind of food I want to eat more of!