Griddled Indian Salmon with Spiced Lentil Salad
Griddled Indian salmon fillet with a beautifully spiced lentil salad. The delicious spice rub is made from the likes of cumin, cayenne pepper and coriander.
From the book
My Kitchen Table: 100 Foolproof Suppers
100 failsafe recipes for delicious home cooking
Fresh ideas for midweek meals
Mouthwatering puddings to please a crowd
Introduction
A spice rub can transform plain chicken or fish into a masterpiece
Ingredients
| For the spice rub: | |
| 1 tsp | ground cumin |
| 1 tsp | ground coriander |
| ½ tsp | turmeric |
| ¼ tsp | cayenne pepper |
| ½ tsp | sea salt |
| 1 | garlic clove, grated |
| 1½ tbsp | vegetable oil |
| 4 | fresh salmon fillets |
| For the salad: | |
| 200g (7oz) | Puy lentils |
| 3cm (1½in) | piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced |
| 1 tsp | turmeric |
| 3 | spring onions, sliced |
| 1 | red pepper, seeded and chopped |
| ¼ | cucumber, cut into small pieces |
| A small bunch | of fresh coriander leaves |
| For the dressing: | |
| 1 tsp | ground cumin |
| 1 tsp | ground coriander |
| ¼ tsp | cayenne pepper |
| ½ heaped tsp | sea salt |
| 1 | garlic clove, grated |
| Juice of ½ lemon | |
| 2–3 tbsp | extra virgin olive oil |
Essential kit
You will need a griddle pan.
Method
To make the spice rub, mix all the dry spices together in a bowl. Add the garlic and oil. Mix thoroughly and rub over the salmon fillets. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Place the lentils, sliced ginger and turmeric in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 20 minutes until the lentils are tender. (You may need to add more water as the lentils absorb quite a lot while cooking.) Strain off any excess water and leave to cool.
Heat a griddle pan on high and when it starts to smoke lay on the salmon fillets. Grill for 3 minutes on each side or until you are confident the salmon has just cooked through. You really want it a little underdone so it’s juicy and opaque in the middle, but feel free to cook it however you like.
In the meantime, make the dressing. Put all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.When the lentils have cooled, add the spring onions, red pepper, cucumber and coriander leaves, mix gently and then add the dressing and mix gently once more. Spoon the lentil salad onto plates and top with the fillets of salmon. Drizzle any of the salmon juices over and get stuck in!
