Ingredients

  • Olive oil, for sauteing
  • Four 6-ounce salmon fillets, skin on
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing
  • Nonfat Tzatziki, recipe follows
  • Warm Lentils with Mustard Vinaigrette, recipe follows
  • Kale and Pine Nut Salad
  • 1/2 English cucumber
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
  • 2 sprigs fresh mint, leaves cut into chiffonade
  • 1 small bunch fresh dill, finely chopped
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups black lentils
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1 small bundle fresh thyme
  • 1/2 carrot, peeled
  • 1/2 fennel bulb
  • 1/2 red onion, peeled, root end left on
  • Kosher salt
  • Olive oil, for sauteing
  • 1/2 carrot, finely diced
  • 1/2 fennel bulb, finely diced, plus fennel fronds, for garnish
  • 1/2 onion, finely diced
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Method

  • Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a high heat.
  • Coat the bottom of another smaller saute pan with olive oil.
  • Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper on both sides.
  • When the large saute pan is screaming hot but not quite smoking, lay the fish fillets in the pan skin-side down.
  • Place the small saute pan directly on top of the fillets; this applies gentle pressure to the fish and forces the skin to have contact with the pan and will create crispy skin.
  • Cook the fish for 2 to 3 minutes, and then remove the top pan.
  • Shake the pan a little to unstick the fish.
  • Use a fish spatula to flip the fillets, and cook for 2 more minutes on the other side.
  • For thicker cuts or more well-done fillets, place the fish on a baking sheet skin-side up and pop in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 2 or 3 minutes.
  • Finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
  • Serve with the Nonfat Tzatziki, Warm Lentils with Mustard Vinaigrette and Kale and Pine Nut Salad.
  • Grate the cucumber and place it in a fine strainer over a bowl.
  • Salt the cucumber and allow it to drain until most of the juices come out, approximately 10 minutes.
  • Squeeze out the last bit of juices and transfer to paper towels to pat dry.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, white wine vinegar, garlic, mint and dill.
  • Refrigerate to allow the flavors to meld, at least 1 hour.
  • Season with salt and pepper before serving.
  • Yield: 2 cups
  • For the lentils: In a large saucepan, combine the lentils, bay leaves, garlic, celery, thyme, carrot, fennel, red onion and a good amount of salt.
  • Add water to the pan until it covers the ingredients by about 2 inches.
  • Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce the heat to a simmer.
  • Cook until the lentils are soft, 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Ladle off 1 cup of the lentil-cooking water and reserve.
  • Remove all the vegetables and aromatics from the lentils and discard.
  • Drain the lentils.
  • For the warm salad: Heat a large saute pan with enough olive oil to coat the pan.
  • Add the diced carrots, fennel and onions and sweat the vegetables about 5 minutes.
  • Add in the garlic and saute 1 minute more.
  • Add in the lentils, red wine vinegar and mustard.
  • Pour in a couple tablespoons of the reserved cooking liquid and cook down for a couple minutes.
  • Season with salt and garnish with chopped parsley and fennel fronds.