Serving a lentil dish on January 1 is a tradition followed in many countries. The theory behind this custom is that you start New Year with a humble dish. Those of us, who have summer temperatures in January, surely don’t crave lentil soup to “warm us up “. A lentil salad is a definite answer in this situation. Elegant enough to be served at a New Years’ party and surprisingly delicious. Sockeye salmon with its vibrant color is a perfect match. The creamy honey mustard sauce livens up the contrast.
Servings: 4
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
Salmon and Puy Lentils:
- 1 cup (200 g) Puy or Castelluccio lentils, washed and sorted
- 2 flat-leaf parsley sprigs
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup (130 g) finely diced carrot
- 1 cup (90 g) thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only
- 1 cup (100 g) celery stalks, finely diced
- 5 Tbsp olive oil or more as needed
- 4 cups (1 L) vegetable broth
- salt and freshly ground pepper.
- 8 medium Yukon gold potatoes, halved lengthwise
- 1 lb (450 g) Sockeye salmon or regular salmon, skin left on, divided into 4 pieces
- a handful or two arugulas, washed and dried for garnish
Creamy Honey Mustard Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cup (350 ml) crème fraîche or sour cream
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard or to taste
- 2 Tbsp whole-grain Dijon mustard, or to taste
- 1-2 tsp honey, or to taste
- 1 tsp white balsamic vinegar, or to taste
- salt and pepper
Preparation:
Place potato halves in a saucepan. Add salt and water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook potatoes until almost done, about 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Potatoes should be just a little hard in the center. They will finish cooking once they are grilled.
At the same time, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan large enough to cook the lentils. Heat oil over medium heat and sauté the carrot, leeks, and celery for about 3-5 minutes or until leeks are a bit soft. Add the lentils, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and broth. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Taste for salt and pepper. Cook lentils for about 20-25 minutes. If necessary add more broth to the lentils. When cooking time is over, lentils should have very little broth left. Drain lentils over a sieve and spread them on a baking sheet to speed up the cooling process. Place lentils in a bowl and set them aside. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over it. Adjust seasonings.
While lentils are simmering, prepare the creamy honey mustard sauce. Combine crème fraîche, both mustards, honey, and the vinegar in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper. Wisk until well mixed. Adjust seasonings to your taste and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Season salmon pieces with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Place salmon pieces skin side down first. Sear salmon on the skin side for about 3-5 minutes. Flip it over and cook it for 2-3 minutes longer, depending on the thickness of the salmon. Place salmon pieces on a plate skin side up and pull the skin off while still warm. Discard skin. Set salmon pieces aside and let them cool a bit. When cool enough to handle flake the salmon in fairly large pieces. Apportionate them between the 4 servings.
Brush the potato halves with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan and grill potatoes until they are soft and have nice brown markings on the cut side, about 5-8 minutes. Set aside.
Now let’s assemble the lentil salad. Spread mustard sauce on the plate first. Top it with the lentils, grilled potatoes and the flaked salmon. Arrange some arugula leaves on top of the salmon and serve it with the remaining mustard sauce on the side.
