Dorie Greenspan’s Roasted Salmon and Lentils

I have been having a SERIOUS craving for Salmon. Not just sushi either. A tender roasted fillet of salmon with sea salt and cracked black pepper. I craved them Omega 3’s something bad. I was scouring the circulars from my local grocery stores for WEEKS and finally found an amazing deal on Fresh Direct for some Wild Caught Atlantic Salmon. Once i purchased it, i had no idea exactly what I was going to eat it with.

::CUE THE COOKBOOKS::

I reached for my newest cookbook (courtesy of Dude for Christmas), Around My French Table, by Dorie Greenspan. If you are looking for an awesome cookbook- this is definitely a winner. Its filled with stories about the meals she learned to cook while living in France. Its beautifully written and her recipes (that i have tried so far) are simple and delicious with the clearest of instructions that I have ever read in a cookbook. If you are new to cooking and really want to OWN the kitchen- get this book!

I decided on the roasted salmon with lentils.

I have had salmon and lentils at my favorite French Bristo and i love the combination. Making my own at home is gonna be awesome.

Ingredients: (with minor modifications)

* 1 cup French green lentils
* 1 clove ( i used two)
* 1 small onion (place the clove IN the onion)
* 1 medium carrot, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 4–6 pieces ( i used a cup of baby carrots)
* 1 celery stalk, trimmed and cut into 4–6 pieces
* 1 bay leaf (omitted)
* 3½ cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water ( i used chicken broth)
* Salt
* 1 1¼-pound piece salmon fillet, cut from the thick center portion, skin on, at room temperature
* Olive oil
* Freshly ground pepper
* Chopped fresh parsley and/or snipped fresh chives, for garnish (optional- i didnt have any)

 

I was having a guest over for dinner so while I was cooking, i prepared a simple snack that was inspired by Orangettes book: A homemade Life. Sliced radishes on a buttered baguette with a sprinkling of sea salt. Its a french snack. She was quite fond of them and now i can see why!

 

For the sake of not butchering the recipe, or Dorie’s method, I am going to briefly run through my preparation. i rinsed the lentils and picked out the uglies. 

 

Then i parboiled the lentils to jump on the cooking process. Once it was done, i added the broth and veggies and spices, brought to a boil and simmered for 30 minutes.

 

I wasnt sure about the cloves but MAN did THIS SMELL AMAZING!

While the lentils were simmering, I roasted my salmon. I rubbed the salmon down with some extra virgin olive oil and seasoned it with salt and pepper. It roasted at 400* for 20 minutes.

 

Dorie says to pick out the veggies and reserve the stock. I set my lentils aside and decided i wanted the veggies. She suggests chopping the veggies smaller but i didnt feel like it.

Im lazy.

Pretty soon, my salmon was ready for eating.

It roasted perfectly. The flesh flaked nicely and the skin crisped up making an awesome treat for mickey. 🙂

I plated.

  

And ate it.

I satisfied my salmon craving. And this combo goes PERFECTLY together.

I had a very happy belly.

I would definitely make this again!