Prep Time: 45 Minutes ~ Serves: 4
Recipe by Gracie Schatz
Ingredients:
4 (6-8 oz) Silver Salmon Fillets, skin on*
2 T. oil for pan frying salmon (non-GMO canola, coconut, safflower, etc)
For Lentils:
2 T. coconut oil
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 T. turmeric
1 T. cumin seeds
2 t. Garam Masala
Salt to taste
1 cup green or red lentils*
1 pint fish stock*
½ cup dry white wine*
Harrissa Yogurt Sauce:
1 cup plain, whole milk yogurt
1 clove garlic, grated with a microplane 1 T. olive oil*
2 T. Harissa paste* Salt to taste
* Available at Newman's Fish Company
Start by cooking your lentils. In a large sauce pot, over high heat, warm your coconut oil. Add onions and cook until they start to develop a golden color, around 6-8 minutes, stirring regularly. Add garlic and spices and continue to cook until the garlic is cooked through and you can smell the spices, about 2 minutes. Add your lentils, fish stock and wine. Once this liquid is boiling, reduce the heat to low heat and allow to cook until the lentils are tender, about twenty minutes, stirring every five minutes or so.
While your lentils are cooking, make sure your salmon is brought to room temperature. Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel, this will ensure that you get the crispiest skin when you are pan frying. While the salmon is tempering, make your yogurt sauce by mixing all of the ingredients together in a small bowl with a whisk. Harissa is a little spicy, you can add more or less of the paste to your liking. Add salt to taste and set aside in the refrigerator until your salmon is cooked. This sauce should be served cold and will last up to a week in the fridge.
Once your lentils are tender, it is time to cook your salmon! Heat a large non stick or cast iron pan on high heat. Once it is hot, add your cooking oil. Liberally salt your salmon. Lift the pan so the oil pools away from you. Carefully lay your salmon fillets in the pan skin side down and use a hard metal spatula to press them down. Reduce the heat to medium and turn your hood fan on! Give your pan a little shake to make sure the salmon is not sticking to the pan, it should slide. You don’t want to crowd your pan so it is okay to cook the fillets two at a time. Watch the salmon fillet cook, when half of the fillet has turned opaque and pink, carefully flip the fillet over, this should take about 5 minutes. Continue to cook the salmon on the flesh side for 3-5 minutes, depending on how well done you like it. Serve the salmon over the lentils skin side up and drizzle yogurt sauce over the top. Garnish with freshly picked cilantro and a squeeze of lemon or lime. This dish pairs beautifully with a dry Reisling. Enjoy!
