This recipe is inspired by the silky zucchini and salmon salad I see in Yotam Ottolenghi’s Comfort. In this season, I’m all in for comfort food, if possible. Comforting food has a lot to do with the whats, why, how, and with whom we eat with—the way Ottolenghi explains in “Comfort.” It’s an excellent read. On top of that, the recipes are stunning. They speak volume about the delicious food you need for their restorative energy as well as sense of comfort. After a hard workout, I’m most concerned about getting some protein in my system. What’s better than a quick salmon salad with caramelized onion?

What’s make it quick is there is very little cooking involved. You may need to cook down some onion, if you don’t find some readymade one in the fridge. That takes about 15-20 minutes, when you start from scratch. There are many stages of caramelizing onion; I cook down the onion until it’s soft and browned slightly.

I use the readymade smoked salmon I have on hand. Pair it with some power greens of arugula, spinach and kale. Dress it with a dollop of chili-flavored mayo. Toss in some sliced almonds as the crunchy element. Then top it with caramelized onion. Done!

In summary, it’s the quickest protein dish I can cobble together in a moment’s notice. It’s a good enough dish I don’t mind sharing with you in this space.