Delicious Salmon with Lentils

My Mother doesn’t like fish or shellfish, so growing up the only seafood we would ever eat at home would be tuna fish sandwiches or salmon croquettes both from canned fish. Since she did all the cooking at our house she would cook things she liked and I certainly don't blame her. I liked the tuna fish sandwiches, but was always not too happy when the salmon croquettes showed up on my plate. These were my only experiences with fish and since I only liked one of the two then I just assumed I didn’t like fish. Fast forward a few years and I decide to study abroad in Granada, Spain for a semester in college. One of the most popular meats in Spain is ham in fact there are stores that just sell ham legs, different cuts of pork, and different cured pork products. Well, as any of you know me know I don’t eat any part of the pig and haven’t since I was very young and took a favoring to pigs which has lead to a large pig collection over the years. Anyway, since I don’t eat the most popular meat in Spain and my sweet host mother, Gloria, agreed that she wouldn’t make it for me then I knew I had to eat anything else she prepared including seafood. Lucky for me Gloria is a fabulous cook and from her fabulous meals I realized that I actually love fish and shellfish! Gloria’s cooking and my introduction to new fruits, vegetables, meats, and spices really got me started on my culinary journey. My good friend Sumner always says that my living in Spain was the best thing I ever did and she is right on many levels including that it finally opened up my palate.

Tonight I decided to try Ina Garten’s recipe for Salmon with Lentils. I really enjoy legumes and prefer fresh or dried, but sometimes on week nights there is not enough time to cook them. Lentils due to their small size cook much faster than many other varieties, so they worked perfectly for a weeknight dinner. To prepare the lentils you put them in a heat proof bowl and pour boiling water over them and let them sit for 15 minutes before draining them. In the meantime you cut up the onion, leeks, garlic, carrots, and celery. The onion and leeks sauté in a little olive oil with some salt, pepper, and fresh thyme until the onions are translucent. You then add the garlic and sauté for a couple minutes. Next you add the lentils, carrots, celery, and chicken broth. Cover the pan and let them simmer for about 20 minutes. Once they have simmered you add a little red wine vinegar and check for seasoning. I followed her recipe exactly and they came out perfect!

For the salmon you heat a sauté pan on high heat for 4 minutes. You rub olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on the salmon fillets and then place them seasoned side down in the hot pan. Turn the heat down to medium and don’t touch them for 2 minutes. Then flip the fillets over and put the pan in the oven at 450. Ina serves her salmon rare, however, I prefer my fish cooked through (except for tuna) so I cooked it for about 11 minutes.

This dish was excellent and quite possibly my favorite recipe of Ina’s! The lentils are very tasty and I really loved all the vegetables with them. The red wine vinegar adds the perfect finishing touch. I told Russ that these lentils would give Frank Stitt a run for his money as they are that good. The salmon works really well with the lentils and by searing it in a hot pan the top forms a nice crust while the inside is still moist and tender. I served it with just a simple salad on the side. This salmon with lentils were fantastic and Russ rates them a 10.