WHB: Roasted Salmon with Lentils and Bacon (Bay Leaf)

I can't go too long without salmon, and this seemed a very good dish for the colder weather we're having right now. Plus, my very good friend Nancy had given me some Puy lentils, and I've never paired salmon with them.  Plus, Food & Wine said the recipe was "fast," which made it seem even more attractive.  It  lived up to it's billing, but I found that it took longer to cook the lentils than the recipe stated. I think Puy lentils are firmer, and maybe that explains it?   As I recall, regular brown lentils that I sometimes use cook faster.  The recipe uses both thyme and bay leaf, but I feel that bay leaf should be the feaured herb for Weekend Herb Blogging.  Normally, WHB would have wandered home, after its extensive travels this month, to it's CEO, Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen.  But poor Kalyn has suffered that worst of all household calamities--a broken water pipe. What a trooper she is, but the lovely Ulrike from Kuchenlatein has stepped in and will host this weekend.  Thank you Ulrike!

I used fresh thyme in this dish, but bay leaf has a prominent role.  Here in Davis, bay laurel trees are very commonly grown, mainly for their beauty in landscaping. Some people gather the leaves for cooking. Though I like to use local ingredients whenever possible, when I cook with bay leaves, I prefer to use Penzeys sweet bay leaves, laurus nobilis, which come from Turkey.  A different variety than the laurel bay here, they have a much better taste and lend a distinctive flavor to any cooked dish.

Although this isn't my favorite way to prepare salmon, I enjoyed the hearty flavor. And I certainly appreciated how easy it was to make.  Sometimes I want something good to eat, but I don't want to spend much time doing it.

Roasted Salmon with Lentils and Bacon   (Food & Wine)

SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS

4 strips bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 carrot, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 rib celery, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups lentils
2 1/4 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree
1 teaspoon salt
3 sprigs of fresh thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 3/4 pounds skinless center-cut salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
1 tablespoon cooking oil, more if needed

DIRECTIONS
    1.    In a medium saucepan, cook the bacon until browned. Pour off and reserve all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden, about 5 minutes.
    2.    Add the lentils, broth, tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, until the lentils are just tender, about 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and stir in 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper.
    3.    Heat the oven to 450°. Sprinkle the salmon with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. In a large ovenproof nonstick frying pan, over moderately high heat, heat the reserved bacon fat, with enough oil to measure 2 tablespoons. Add the fish, skinned-side up, and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Turn. Put the pan in the oven and continue cooking the salmon until just barely done (the fish should still be translucent in the center), about 3 minutes longer for a 1-inch-thick fillet. Put the lentils on plates and top with the salmon.

Comments

[Tanna]

I must try this as I love both salmon & lentils and have both ready and waiting for me!

[s'kat]

You can't go wrong with bacon!

[Jeff]

Great side idear with the lentils!

[Alisha]

Okay, so what *is* your favorite way to prepare salmon? :-) This looks pretty tasty to me. (And you can't go wrong with lentils.)

[Glenna]

Pardon the swear, but that photo is swear-worthy: Damn, that looks good!

[Ulrike]

I love Puy lentils, did you know that in France it is also called "caviar for the poor"? Just yesterday there was a report on TV about the most famous leguminous plants in the world: Puy lentils grown in France. Thanks for joining in the WHB!

[gattina]

Caviar for the poor? Whao! They're such a gem! Sher, I love that marble fat on your salmon!

[sandeepa]

I am not a big Salmon fan, but my hubby is. Will try this next
Loved the flowers in your last post

[Kristen]

That looks so good!

[Callipygia]

I am so pleased when I can find lentils du Puy, they're beautiful and this looks so tasty especially with the bacon. Thanks for the tip about Penzey's bay leaves. I'm always tempted to order from them.

[sher]

Tanna,

I think you will like it--and the simplicity and ease of preparation is wonderful when you're too tired to do much--or at least I sure appreciated it. :)

s'kat,

LOL My thoughts exactly! It did add a nice taste. But, that's hardly a surprise, right? :)

Jeff,

Thank you Jeff!

Alisha,

I guess my favorite way to prepare salmon is when it's rubbed with some Asian spices, and pan grilled. Just love it. I think the recipe is in my recipe index. Actually good salmon tastes great any way you do it. :)

Glena,

I made you swear--so I know you liked it!

Ulrike,

Thank you for telling me that!!! I will always refer to them that way. I love them so much. They keep their shape so well, and have a lovely taste and color.

Gattina,

Ahh--you are a fan of marble fat like me , eh??? :):) Let's talk about pork belly too!

Sandeepa,

Maybe you will like the lentils? They are very good and I would make them alone if I didn't have any salmon.

Kristen,

Thank you, I was happy to eat it!

Callipygia,

I sometimes can't find them at the store, and it always befuddles me. I think you will be quite amazed at the freshness of Penzeys herbs and spices. Wonderful stuff.

[Jennifer]

It looks good, and I'm not really a fan of fish but occasionally I get a wicked craving for salmon!!!

[Christine]

Yum!!! This is lovely winter fare!

[Kalyn]

Yum. I love everything here. I just used this type of lentils for the first time last year, and I think they did take longer to cook.

BTW, not that it wasn't bad enough, but thank goodness my pipes didn't actually break, the main water line was FROZEN. I'm told this never happens, but it did. All ok now, and thanks to Ulrike for switching with me so I didn't have to slit my wrists.

[Anh]

Oh Sher, what a beautiful way to cook salmon!

[Ari (Baking and Books)]

I love eating salmon too but I associate it with warm weather not cold - isn't that funny how we all have our tastes? Same food, different perception. :)

[sher]

Jennifer,

Well, if you get that wicked craving--try this!!!!

Christine,

Yes, it does say "Winter" doesn't it? :)

Kalyn,

Oh yes, now I remember. A frozen pipe is better than one that breaks. I'm glad you have such resourceful brothers!

Anh,

Thank you!

Ari,

I do think of salmon as more of a warm weather fish. But, cooking them with these lentils was too tempting to pass up!

[angie]

I love your salmon, it's done just nicely :)

[Sue (coffeepot)]

It looks great and I usually don't want to spend a lot of time so this is right up my alley.

Thanks Sher, and the photos are mouth watering.

[yich]

Hi Sher, thanks for visiting my site! Your salmon is browned to such a lovely color, it looks so delicious! Salmon is one of my favorite fish too!