Salmon with Lentils

This is a great variation on one of Ina Garten's recipes, the classic salmon with lentils. It is the perfect pairing for winter as it is comforting and filling without being too heavy. The whole recipe only takes about 45 minutes from start to finish, so perfectly doable on a weeknight. My friend Liz and I had a simple green salad with it which was perfect. Both the salmon and lentils are very forgiving so if you make a mistake it should still turn out beautifully.

For the Lentils

Ingredients:
-1 cup of lentils
-3 tbs olive oil
-1 onion, diced
-2 cloves of garlic, minced

-1 carrot, diced

-1 rib of celery, diced

-2 tsp fresh thyme (optional)

-1-2 tbs tomato paste

-2 cups chicken stock or broth

-1 tsp salt

-1 tsp pepper

Directions:

-Pour boiling water over the lentils (in a heat proof bowl) and let sit for 15 mins

-Saute onions in olive oil until translucent.

-Add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.

-Add carrots, celery, thyme, tomato paste, lentils, salt, pepper, and chicken stock and bring to a boil.

-Simmer for about 20 minutes until the lentils are soft. Add more chicken stock if it looks dry, if you add too much don't worry- just use a slotted spoon to scoop everything out when you serve. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For the Salmon

Ingredients:

-2-4 salmon filets, with skin on

-2 tbs olive oil

-2 tsp each salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Heat an ovenproof skillet/pan on high until it is hot.

-Rub olive oil over salmon

-Sprinkle each filet all over with salt and pepper

-Place the salmon filets, skin side down, on the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes and then turn over and cook for another 2 min on the other side.

-Place entire skillet/pan in the over for another 5-7 min, or until salmon is cooked to your desired temperature. 

-Serve each piece of salmon over a bed of lentils.