Instructions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel and trim the onions and cut them in half crosswise. Set them cut-side up in a shallow baking dish and brush the tops with the olive oil. Bake in the heated oven until the onions are beginning to soften, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic cloves and continue roasting until the garlic and onions are soft, about 20 minutes longer.

Take from the oven and let cool. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Scatter the hazelnuts in a cake pan and toast in the oven until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally so the nuts brown evenly. Rub the hazelnuts in a coarse dish towel to remove the skins, set them aside to cool, then coarsely chop the nuts.

In a shallow pan combine 4 cups of the fish stock with the peppercorns, bay leaf, white wine and salt, bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the salmon fillets and simmer gently until the fish flakes easily at the thickest part, 8 to 12 minutes.

Transfer the fish to paper towels and let cool. Strain the cooking liquid and set aside. When the fish is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin and bones. Break the salmon into large flakes with your fingers and set aside.

When the onions are cool enough to handle, coarsely chop them; dont worry about browned bits of onion as they will add the flavor to the soup. Split the skin of the garlic cloves and squeeze out the garlic. In a large pan, combine the onion, garlic and salmon cooking liquid with the remaining fish stock. Bring to a boil and simmer until the onions are soft, 15 to 20 minutes.

Ladle about half of the soup to a food processor and puree, then return to the pan. Taste the soup for seasoning and spoon it into individual soup bowls. Top with the salmon pieces, sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts and serve.

This recipe yields 6 servings.

Comments: The rich flavor of salmon blends well with smokey roasted onions for this ultimate cold-water soup. If you prefer a smoother soup, you can puree all of the onion mixture before adding the salmon. Fresh sourdough bread and a salad alongside make this soup a meal.

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