The salmon portion of this dish is as simple as is humanly possible (rub fish with oil, salt, pepper, then roast), and, in my opinion, fell very, very flat. The lentils hold all the appeal. Green lentils simmer away in broth (yummy homemade broth), with chunks of carrot, a bay leaf, and an onion with a clove stuck in it. Why not let the clove float free in the broth? I have no idea. Maybe it's easier to retrieve from the onion? Celery should be included, but I didn't have any. Once the lentils are tender and drained, almost a cup of them are pureed, then added back in. I wish I stopped there. Dorie says to add half cup of the broth back to the pan, but I preferred it when it was thicker. Still good, but I'll know better next time.
Conclusion: Liked the lentils, though I'm sure the quality of the broth is important to the flavor. I wouldn't make the salmon this way again.
I'm glad I read your post because I wasn't sure if I wanted to make this dish or not. Something about fish and lentils just doesn't sound that appealing to me, but since you convinced me the lentils were worth a go, I'm going to go ahead and cook this tomorrow! I LOL at your grapefruit comment, just can't comprehend how ANYONE could hate grapefruit, it's the yummiest and juiciest fruit to me ;).
ReplyDeleteUgh--grapefruit makes my whole face contort. Crab seems like an awfully expensive food to test the grapefruit/crustacean concept on. Maybe I'll try it with shrimp instead.
DeletePressure! I hope you like the lentils, if you weren't going to make them until you read this. Yikes. lol
We all have our food loves & hates :-) That's what makes things so fun.
ReplyDeleteThis dish went over surprisingly well in our house too.
P.S. I heart grapefruit, big time...
Welcome to the lentil side. We've been waiting for you :) As for salmon I feel like it needs something more than oil, salt, pepper and lemon. I like all of those things but I like my salmon to pop with other flavors. The other night a friend came over with some salmon and we made an impromptu marinade with things hanging out in the fridge; soy sauce, honey, maple syrup, ginger, lemon and a little oil. It came out great though it could have marinated a bit longer. I am eager to hear what's next in India food immersion land!
ReplyDeleteTry this recipe from Martha Stewart. It is AWESOME. http://www.marthastewart.com/337394/roasted-salmon-with-lentils
ReplyDeleteIt's the mustard vinaigrette that puts it over the top. The recipe says to mix the dressing with the lentils, but I just poured it over the top.
Oh, I love lentils and I'm so happy to hear that you liked these as well. Nigella Lawson is actually the one who turned me on to them, she has some great lentil salad recipes, my favorite is with chopped walnuts & goat cheese. Sounds a bit crazy I know, but it's oh so good.
ReplyDeleteI, too, really enjoyed the lentils. I think they could have stood on their own as a soup. Glad you enjoyed them.
ReplyDeleteThat presentation looks wonderful. Those are really green lentils. Speaking of grapefruit, I am
ReplyDeletetrying to think of a substitution for it as hubby and I both take medication that does not allow us
to eat grapefruit. If not, I will pass on the recipe.
I have always loved lentils...and really enjoyed them in this dish! I would have never thought to pair Salmon and lentils! Who knew? My salmon fell flat, too! Next time I plan to spice it up a bit! Your dinner looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'd have never paired salmon and lentils in the same dish, but was surprised by how well they go together. Good for you to try foods that you think you won't like...I was not excited about this recipe, would have never chosen it on my own. And...I wish you could come pick some of my sweet, juicy grapefruit that get sweeter every day they hang on the tree...we have them until well into July and they are sooooo good. I'll bet they would help you to like that crab salad coming up that I am also apprehensive about.
ReplyDeleteI loved the contrast between the oily fish and the very healthy split peas... can't wait to try it with lentils. I have never eaten lentils and it sounds like I am missing out.
ReplyDeleteI had a feeling the salmon would be bland so I was heavy handed with the seasoning...I used a French seasoning salt that has lots of flavor. Glad you enjoyed the lentils~
ReplyDeleteI really liked the roasted salmon but I rubbed it with ALOT of sea salt. I was wary of the salmon/lentils combo but was converted also. Isn't it great to be won over by a legume? Liked your Post. Nice presentation of your dish.
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad about your salmon. It probably wasn't thick enough because we really enjoyed the salmon as well as the lentils. I usually make a mustard sauce for my salmon, but I like Dorie's recipe much better. I also couldn't believe how wonderful the lentils tasted and could easily have eaten another plateful!
ReplyDeleteWell, I have to say that I'm intrigued to see how you take to the grapefruit... why are you afraid of it? I always thought it was so cool to dig my bits of fruit out and try to keep all the membranes intact when I was a kid... I was a bit obsessed with keeping things like that (and corn on the cob) "neat..." :) Oh boy did you have a bunch of lentils this time!! WOW!! Glad you like them though! I have found that as I get older, and my tastes change, the more likely I am to try foods that previously bothered me or put me off... :)
ReplyDeleteAlice @ http://acookingmizer.wordpress.com
I'm kind of thinking the same about the grapefruit dish! But I guess without this group I would never ever try the recipe! And sounds like the lentils were a welcome surprise for you, so fingers crossed the grapefruit dish will go the same :)
ReplyDeleteNice pic of the salmon!
Glad you enjoyed it. We thought it was surprisingly good.
ReplyDelete