Salmon with Lentils and Mustard Herb Butter

It's never a bad day when a friend gifts you some freshly caught salmon. And that's exactly what our friend Frost did. He dropped by some Wild King Salmon that he had recently caught on the Puyallup river. That's just one of many beauties about living in the Pacific Northwest...fishermen live here and they often share their catch. It's a good thing.

G was determined to keep it simple with our usual just sprinkle a bit of Tom Douglas' Rub with Love.

 I on the other hand was feeling a bit like trying something new as it was the weekend and I knew it would at least be next weekend before we were really able to cook.

I decided to make the decision and found a recipe on Epicurious that I thought would be perfect given our herb garden was in need of being used. We made Salmon with Lentils and Mustard Herb Butter.

I did sprinkle the salmon with a touch of Rub with Love to compromise for G's sake.

I gathered the goods for the meal and clipped some fresh tarragon and chives from the patio.

The recipe called for leeks, but we had just been grocery shopping and bought some beautiful large green onions that I decided would work just fine.

We first put together the Mustard herb butter.

Then we sauteed the green onions in some butter while the lentils cooked.

Really even with a few different components this recipe came together rather effortlessly.

We grilled some zucchini to go as a side with the dish as well.

G grilled the salmon while I opened a bottle of wine, 14 Hands Merlot from the Columbia Valley. The recipe called to cook the salmon on the stove top we choose to grill it instead.

Until recently 14 Hands was only available in restaurants but now they are distributing to grocery stores so lately we've been giving it a try.

Once the salmon was done we let it set a few minutes before plating it atop the lentils.

The dish was fantastic. The herb & butter flavor were such a wonderful compliment to the salmon.

Although the yellow jacket population is in full force currently we still made ourselves sit outside to enjoy dinner as we know these opportunities will soon be over.

recipe from Epicurous for Salmon with Lentils & Mustard Herb Butter:

For mustard-herb butter

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 1 teaspoon chopped tarragon
• 2 teaspoons grainy mustard
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

For lentils

• 1 cup French green lentils
• 4 cups water
• 2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  

For salmon

• 4 (6-ounce) pieces skinless salmon fillet
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Make mustard-herb butter:
Stir together all ingredients with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

Cook lentils:
Bring lentils, water, and 3/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid, then drain lentils.

While lentils cook, chop leeks, then wash. Cook leeks in butter in a heavy medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add lentils with reserved cooking liquid to leeks along with 3 tablespoons mustard-herb butter and cook, stirring, until lentils are heated through and butter is melted. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and keep warm, covered.

Sauté salmon while leeks cook:
Pat salmon dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper (total).

Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then sauté salmon, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total.

Serve salmon, topped with remaining mustard-herb butter, over lentils.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Salmon-with-Lentils-and-Mustard-Herb-Butter-em-Saumon-aux-Lentilles-em-241768#ixzz1XEahy2Hr

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Salmon-with-Lentils-and-Mustard-Herb-Butter-em-Saumon-aux-Lentilles-em-241768#ixzz1XEaUEgQD