Photo illustration by Lille Allen; see below for full credits
Lentils are often overlooked in favor of beans. But this salmon recipe puts them front and center.
Beans get a lot of love. Lentils, not so much.
One indicator: A search on Bon Appétit turns up 999 recipes for beans, but just 75 for lentils. The results are similar on NYT Cooking.
All this bean bias notwithstanding, I myself love lentils. My favorite is black Beluga. They are the firmest, prime for frying in olive oil until crispy.
This recipe, for a slow-roasted salmon filet over crispy lentils, is a regular in my rotation. The two main components go especially well together: buttery-soft salmon, frizzled lentil pellets. The other ingredients in the lentils — sauteed carrot, fennel, and onion — are classic. I also add a few other flavor bombs to give the dish some oomph, but the big takeaway here is the technique of frying lentils. That’s something you can employ as part of many meals.
Start by boiling a medium pot of salted water on the stove. Add ½ cup of black Beluga lentils, turn down the heat slightly to maintain a simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes until al dente. (You’ll be cooking the lentils more later, so you don’t want to overdo it now.)
While the lentils are simmering, preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Prep your vegetables. Dice a heaping ¼ cup of onion (any kind), ¼ cup of peeled carrot, and ¼ cup of fennel. (You can use celery here if you’re anti-fennel, or just increase the amount of the other two veggies.) When I say heaping, I mean it: Use this measurement as your guide, but I encourage a prominent mound over the top. Set the diced vegetables aside in a bowl (they can go together). Finely chop ¼ cup of parsley and set that aside separately.
Next, measure 1 tablespoon of capers. Set them aside.
At this point, the lentils should be done. Strain them through a fine mesh sieve and run cold water over to cool them down. Keep them in the sieve, propped up, and let them drain thoroughly. I’ll note here: You can make the lentils hours ahead, or even a day ahead. But if you’re cooking them now, they’ll benefit from sitting for 15 minutes or so. The drier they are, the crispier they’ll get. (You can speed things along by patting off excess water with a kitchen towel.)
Heat a stainless steel skillet on medium for a couple of minutes. Pour in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil (it’s fine to eyeball this), add the diced vegetables, season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, and cook. Stir occasionally, about seven minutes, until the vegetables are slightly brown and softened. Transfer the vegetables back into the bowl that was holding them before.
When the vegetables are done and the lentils have had sufficient time to dry, get your fish ready to go. Place a ½-pound filet of salmon on a quarter sheet pan or in a small baking dish. A tip: When I’m slow-roasting fish (as opposed to frying in a skillet), I ask the fish monger to take the skin off for a more pleasant eating experience. Drizzle the salmon with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place it in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon and how well-done you like it. (You can always break into the thickest part with a knife and check if you’re unsure.)
While the salmon is cooking, reheat the skillet on medium high — and err on the high side. Add another tablespoon or two of olive oil to it so that a decent layer coats the entire bottom of the pan. Add the lentils and capers. As a bonus, the capers will end up getting nice and crispy, too.
Season the lentils and capers with salt, and arrange them in a single layer. Stir occasionally, adding a glug more of olive oil as needed. Remember, you’re frying! You will likely need to add more oil once or twice. Don’t be shy.
Tend to the heat as needed. You want to hear sizzling, but if it feels too intense, trust your instincts and turn the burner down a smidge.
It should take about five minutes until the lentils and capers are done. In the last minute or so, add the vegetables back into the skillet, along with the parsley and ½ teaspoon of celery salt. Give everything a stir. Turn off the heat, add 1 tablespoon of sherry or red wine vinegar, and stir again.
Take the salmon out of the oven. Spoon the lentils into a bowl, place the filet on top, and drizzle another bit of vinegar on the dish, taking particular pleasure in the overlooked legume.
Emma Wartzman is the kitchen and dining writer at New York Magazine’s the Strategist.
Additional photo illustration credits: bowl photo by Emma Wartzman
