For this dish, I undercook the salmon so it’s meltingly tender, but you can cook it through if you prefer.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 300g small green lentils, rinsed
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock, hot
- 3 cooked beetroot, peeled
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
- 800g piece salmon fillet with skin on and pin-boned
- 3 fresh bay leaves
- 100g lamb’s lettuce or watercress leaves, to serve
For the red wine reduction
- 750ml red wine
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 peppercorns
Method
- 1. Make the red wine reduction. Put all the ingredients in a large, wide saucepan over a high heat. Bring to the boil and cook for about 10 minutes or until reduced to 300ml. Set aside, then strain, discarding the solids.
- 2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the lentils, tomato purée, stock and red wine reduction. Simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender and thick.
- 3. Finely dice the beetroot, reserving any juices, and add to the lentils with the parsley. Season to taste and heat through for 5 minutes.
- 4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Brush the salmon skin with olive oil, arrange the bay leaves on top and place skin-side up on a foil-lined roasting tray. Bake for 10 minutes (the salmon will still be a little opaque). Remove from the oven and rest for 20 minutes.
- 5. Ladle the lentils onto 4 warmed dinner plates. Cut the salmon into 4 sections, peel off and discard the skin and the bay leaves. Break the fish into large bite-size chunks and arrange on top of the lentils. Scatter with the lamb’s lettuce or watercress to serve.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 859kcals, 32.2g fat (5.4g saturated), 71.1g protein, 46g carbs, 7.4g sugar, 1.7g salt