Griddled Salmon Fillets With Spicy Lentils Food

SPICY SALMON & LENTILS

Steps:

• Heat a large, lidded shallow pan over a medium heat. Tip in the curry paste and fry briefly, stirring constantly, until sizzling and aromatic. Add the lentils with about quarter of a can of water and season. Heat until simmering then lay salmon on top, skin side up.Cover and leave salmon to cook for 6-8 minutes until it feels firm when prodded.
• While salmon is cooking, make the dressing. Mix together the olive oil and lemon juice and season well. When salmon is cooked lift it out of the pan with a fish slice and set aside. Turn the heat up, stir in the spinach and a third of the dressing and cook until the spinach has just wilted. Spoon the lentils and spinach onto two plates then sit the salmon on top. Drizzle over the remaining dressing and serve.

SALMON WITH LENTILS

Steps:

• Place the lentils in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes, then drain.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saute pan, add the onions, leeks, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the drained lentils, celery, carrots, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add the vinegar and season, to taste.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• For the salmon, heat a dry oven-proof saute pan over high heat for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, rub both sides of the salmon fillets with olive oil and season the tops very liberally with salt and pepper. When the pan is very hot, place the salmon fillets seasoning-sides down in the pan and cook over medium heat without moving them for 2 minutes, until very browned. Turn the fillets and place the pan in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until the salmon is cooked rare. Spoon a mound of lentils on each plate and place a salmon fillet on top. Serve hot.
• Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, salt, and peppercorns in a 16 to 20-quart stockpot with 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Skim the surface, as needed. Simmer uncovered for 4 hours. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander, discarding the chicken and vegetables, and chill. Discard the hardened fat, and then pack the broth in quart containers.

ROASTED SALMON WITH BRAISED LENTILS

Steps:

• (Or see notes for grilling)
• Pat the salmon dry. Make the marinade by combining all in a small bowl. Brush a little marinade on the bottom sides of salmon, place on parchment-lined sheet pan, then spoon the remaining over top, to form a thin layer. Set aside. When lentils are halfway through cooking, bake salmon in a 325 F oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness. (Or grill!)
• Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrots and stir 4-5 minutes, then turn the heat down to medium. Cook 4-5 more minutes and add the garlic and lentils. Cook 2 minutes stirring. Add the wine. Let this cook-off, about 2 minutes. Pour in the stock, salt, and mustard and stir until combined and bring to a good simmer. Add the bay leaves and thyme sprigs, cover and gently simmer on low heat 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender. When the lentils are tender, uncover and cook off any extra liquid ( or feel free to drain). Remove the thyme sprigs, taste and adjust salt. A tiny little splash of red wine vinegar livens them up.
• Place a cupful of lentils in a wide shallow pasta bowl, top with the salmon and veggie of your choice, and drizzle with a little olive oil, (or leek oil, gremolata!) top with a sprig of fresh thyme. Dig in!

SWEET AND SPICY GRILLED SALMON

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan on medium high.
• Mix together the hot sauce, brown sugar, paprika and cayenne in a small bowl. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the mixture to a large bowl and whisk in the mayonnaise; set aside the rest of the sauce. Add the chives, celery and onions to the bowl with the mayonnaise and toss well.
• Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper. Brush the grill grate lightly with oil. Lay the salmon on the grill, skin-side up, and cook until distinct grill marks appear and the salmon releases easily from the grate, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and brush the fish with some of the reserved sauce. Continue to cook the fish, brushing the pieces periodically with the sauce, until the salmon fillets are glazed and just cooked through, 13 to 15 minutes more.
• Transfer the fillets to individual plates and serve with the celery slaw.

SAUTEED SALMON FILLET WITH TZATZIKI AND WARM LENTILS

Steps:

• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Coat the bottom of another smaller saute pan with olive oil.
• Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper on both sides. When the large saute pan is screaming hot but not quite smoking, lay the fish fillets in the pan skin-side down. Place the small saute pan directly on top of the fillets; this applies gentle pressure to the fish and forces the skin to have contact with the pan and will create crispy skin. Cook the fish for 2 to 3 minutes, and then remove the top pan. Shake the pan a little to unstick the fish. Use a fish spatula to flip the fillets, and cook for 2 more minutes on the other side. For thicker cuts or more well-done fillets, place the fish on a baking sheet skin-side up and pop in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 2 or 3 minutes. Finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
• Serve with the Nonfat Tzatziki, Warm Lentils with Mustard Vinaigrette and Kale and Pine Nut Salad.
• Grate the cucumber and place it in a fine strainer over a bowl. Salt the cucumber and allow it to drain until most of the juices come out, approximately 10 minutes. Squeeze out the last bit of juices and transfer to paper towels to pat dry.
• In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, white wine vinegar, garlic, mint and dill. Refrigerate to allow the flavors to meld, at least 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper before serving. Yield: 2 cups
• For the lentils: In a large saucepan, combine the lentils, bay leaves, garlic, celery, thyme, carrot, fennel, red onion and a good amount of salt. Add water to the pan until it covers the ingredients by about 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the lentils are soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Ladle off 1 cup of the lentil-cooking water and reserve. Remove all the vegetables and aromatics from the lentils and discard. Drain the lentils.
• For the warm salad: Heat a large saute pan with enough olive oil to coat the pan. Add the diced carrots, fennel and onions and sweat the vegetables about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add in the lentils, red wine vinegar and mustard. Pour in a couple tablespoons of the reserved cooking liquid and cook down for a couple minutes. Season with salt and garnish with chopped parsley and fennel fronds.
• Place the kale in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and some salt. Toss the kale in the dressing and let sit at room temperature to soften.
• Before serving, check the seasoning and add a pinch of red pepper flakes. Top with the toasted pine nuts.

HONEY MUSTARD GRILLED SALMON WITH PUY LENTILS

Steps:

• Turn the grill to high and line a baking tray with foil. Mix the lemon zest and juice, mustard and honey. Put the salmon on the tray, brush with a little of the dressing, then grill for 5-7 mins - there is no need to turn the salmon over until it flakes easily when tested with a knife.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok and cook the spring onions and beetroot. Tip in the lentils with 4 tbsp water, cover the pan and cook for 2 mins to heat through. Tip into a bowl and toss with the remaining dressing, the basil and rocket. Serve with the salmon.
• Turn the grill to high and line a baking tray with foil. Mix the lemon zest and juice, mustard and honey. Put the salmon on the tray, brush with a little of the dressing, then grill for 5-7 mins - there is no need to turn the salmon over until it flakes easily when tested with a knife.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok and cook the spring onions and beetroot. Tip in the lentils with 4 tbsp water, cover the pan and cook for 2 mins to heat through. Tip into a bowl and toss with the remaining dressing, the basil and rocket. Serve with the salmon.

EASY GRILLED SALMON

Steps:

• Get the lentils ready first. Tip them into a small saucepan, cover with water and add the garlic and sage. Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain, discard garlic and sage, season with salt and pepper. Stir in olive oil and set aside.
• Squeeze the juice of one lemon over anchovies in a bowl, add freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Mix capers with the parsley in another bowl. You can get to here several hours in advance.
• Preheat griddle pan until very hot. Season salmon on both sides, then sear, skin-side down (if pan is very hot the skin won't stick - this goes for grilling on a barbecue, too). Turn fish over when you see it change colour halfway, then sear the other side. This will take 2-3 minutes on each side for rare salmon, but cooking time may vary if pieces of fish are very thick.
• To serve, reheat the lentils and put a large spoonful in the centre of warmed plates. Top with the salmon, skin-side up, then scatter the anchovies, capers and parsley on top. Serve with the remaining lemons.

MOROCCAN SPICED SALMON OVER LENTILS

Steps:

• Spice Mixture: Combine all the ingredients for the spice mix then set aside to be used later.
• Place the lentils in a medium saucepan & cover with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer. Cook until the lentils are tender, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain any remaining water then season with salt and pepper and set aside, covered.
• While the lentils are cooking, warm olive oil over medium-low heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Cook the garlic and onions in the oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the harissa and 1 tablespoon of the spice mixture and continue to cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
• Increase the heat to medium then add the tomatoes and their juices. Simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are well blended, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking pan with cooking spray & set aside. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper then coat them on both sides with the remaining spice mixture.
• Heat the canola oil & the butter in a large skillet. When the oil is very hot, add 2 salmon fillets to the pan, skin side down. Saute the salmon fillets for 3 minutes (do not turn over). Repeat with the other 2 fillets.
• Carefully transfer the fillets to the baking sheet & roast the salmon for about 6-10 minutes, or until the skin is very crisp and the fish is just cooked through.
• Spoon the lentils into the center of warmed dinner plates and set the salmon fillets on top, skin side down. Spoon the tomato sauce around the lentils and serve at once.