I can't believe French Friday is already here and we are into a new month. This week's recipe is a perfect weeknight meal. It's easy to prepare and doesn't take long to cook. And most important - it tastes delicious. I happen to like lentils and was happy that they were being paired with salmon which is a pairing that I probably would never have come up with on my own. The French green lentils are cooked in chicken broth, along with a chopped carrot, chopped celery, an onion embedded with a clove, and a bay leaf. I wish this photo was a scratch and sniff one because this was one of the most aromatic dishes I have prepared for French Fridays with Dorie.
After cooking for 30 minutes, my lentils were tender and I didn't have very much stock left so it wasn't necessary for me to strain them. I just removed the vegetables and fished out the bay leaf. I cut the vegetables in smaller pieces and then put them back in the pot with the lentils. I skipped the step where Dorie tells you to remove some of the lentils and purée them because I wanted to keep my lentils whole. I added a little more broth to the lentil mixture in the pot and cooked them for a little longer on medium heat. While they were cooking, I rubbed the salmon with a little olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper and put it in the oven for 12 minutes.
The result was a perfectly cooked salmon fillet. Served on a bed of lentils - it was a complete and satisfying meal.
You can see the rest of the group's roasted salmon and lentils over at French Fridays with Dorie and you can find this recipe in Around My French Table on p. 300-01.
We really enjoyed this at our house too. I love how tender the salmon turned out!
ReplyDeleteScratch-n-sniff :-) I remember those stickers from when I was a kid.
I loved this, too....but of course, no one but me will touch lentils :/ Have a great weekend, my friend!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised how quickly this came together as well, but I wasn't too happy about how late the schedule was posted. Ha! Great post!
ReplyDeleteElaine, Your dish looks wonderfully delicious! Love your last photo! We really enjoyed this dish, too! I was totally dumbfounded by my husband's reaction to this one! Happy Friday...enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteLovely photo, great color on your salmon. I can't tell you how tempted I was to skip the pureeing step, in fact, I was tempted to skip more than a few of Dorie's steps. But I stuck to her recipe this time, next time I would definitely skip the pureeing step.
ReplyDeleteI don't like salmon but I do like the lentils though!
ReplyDeleteI don't think my salmon was thick enough. It dried out in the specified time. Oh well! I loved the lentils!
ReplyDeleteTotal plate-envy over here! This is exactly the kind of healthy meal I would prepare for myself at home and I'm sitting out of FFwD this month! I wonder why the veggies were not chopped up to cook with the lentil in the first place? Seems a bit tedious to cook & chop instead of the other way around?
ReplyDeleteYour dish looks wonderful; we also really enjoyed this one.
ReplyDeleteWe loved this too! Your photos are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Candy about chopping the soft vegetables. I ended up pureeing mine in the food processor to thicken up the split peas I unsuccessfully substituted for lentils.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone, your dish looks wonderful and very inviting. Lovely photos too.
ReplyDeleteI probably wouldn't have thought to pair Salmon with lentils either. Although to see the combo on the plate, it does look terrific! And thank you so much for your kind words about Harry.
ReplyDeleteGreat dish, we loved this one too!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could make this dish, I am not fond of salmon or or lentils touching salmon, but your pics make it look quite tasty.
ReplyDeleteThe ingredients in the pot look so delicious...I never thought to place salmon on lentils...may give it a try. Nicely presented.
ReplyDelete~Carmen
http://bakingismyzen.press.com
Your photos looks great and the aromas of the lentils cooking were pretty nice!
ReplyDeleteI never thought of not doing the puree step but what a great idea! Would have saved time and washing up!
This really sounds delicious. You did a great job with the challenge. It at first seems an odd combo but it sounds like it worked really well. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteI wound up adding a veggie and rice to my meal, but it was pretty delicious! :) I am totally making it agian, especially since my hubby loved it as much as I did too!
ReplyDeleteAlice @ http://acookingmizer.wordpress.com
This is a great dish - I can see trying different flavour combinations with it, too. Next time, I'll leave out the puree step, as my partner didn't like the texture as much as he would have if I'd left them all whole. Yours looks great.
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious! What a great way to serve salmon.
ReplyDeleteI love when I find such an elegant meal that's easy enough for a weeknight. You should try pureeing a bit next time. It adds a touch of creaminess without any fat. Looks like a delicious meal. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteWe loved it too!
ReplyDeleteYour meal looks great. Glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI liked this too; just thought all the steps for the lentils was a bit much though.
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