Roasted Salmon with Lemon and Thyme served over Braised French Green Lentils- a simple healthy weeknight dinner recipe!
Looking for delicious salmon recipes? We have a huge selection of healthy salmon recipes on the blog. Here’s a simple healthy dinner recipe that is not only full of flavor, it’s full of protein, fiber and healthy fat – Salmon with Braised Lentils. It’s simple and humble in a way, but I really love this combination and the lentils give the salmon a bit of earthiness here. Serve it up with your favorite veggie and you’ll have a nourishing and satisfying meal.
While you braise the French lentils, marinate the salmon in olive oil with garlic, thyme, lemon zest and a little mustard. In winter, roast this in a low and slow in the oven while you braise the lentils.
Tip: In summer, grill the salmon over a medium-low heat with some applewood- my favorite!
Salmon Marinade Ingredients:
- olive oil
- fresh thyme
- lemon zest
- mustard
- garlic
- salt and pepper
How to make Braised Salmon with French Lentils
Make the simple salmon marinade.
Brush the bottom sides with marinade then coat the tops generously. Let this sit while you braise the lentils.
Make the Braised French Green Lentils from yesterday’s post which will take about 45 minutes- and yes of course, you can make these ahead!
A quick way to add veggies into the mix, is to either roast them along with the salmon (tossed in a little salt, pepper and olive oil) or steam them right over the lentils for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
When you have about 10-15 minutes left on the lentils, place the salmon in the oven.
Serving Suggestions
Elevate this Salmon recipe even further when entertaining, with a drizzle of Leek oil, or Gremolata, both are delicious here! Serve with a leafy green salad and sourdough bread!
Storage:
The salmon will keep 3 days in the fridge and can be reheated in a skilet or low 300F oven. The lentils will keep up to 4 days, or freeze some for later!
More Favorite salmon recipes!
- Miso Salmon Bowls
- 25+ Amazing Salmon Recipes!
- Citrus Baked Salmon with Kumquats and Fingerlings
- Roasted Pomegranate Salmon
- Simple Baked Salmon with Asparagus and Dill Sauce
- Miso Salmon!
- Spicy Miso Ramen with Chili Roasted Salmon (or Tofu) & Bok Choy
- Teriyaki Salmon with Baby Bok Choy
- Simple Moroccan Salmon
Hope you are surviving election week friends. Find the calm.
Hint: it is not out there.
Here are the grounding quotes again. 😉
Love and hugs.
Print
Roasted Salmon with Braised Lentils
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: main, dinner recipe, fish recipe
- Method: roasted
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Roasted Salmon with Braised French Green Lentils- a simple healthy weeknight dinner recipe!
Ingredients
1- 1 1/2 lbs salmon (4-6 salmon fillets -skinless)
Salmon Marinade:
- 2–3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard (or Dijon mustard)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
- fresh thyme sprigs for garnish
Braised French Lentils:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced ( or sub 1 large leek)
- 1 cup diced celery (or fennel bulb)
- 1 cup diced carrot ( or beet!)
- 3–4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 1 1/2 cups French Green Lentils (Le Puy, or small black lentils- beluga, caviar, etc. )
- 1/4 cup sherry wine, red wine, white wine, marsala wine (or skip it and add 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar at the end)
- 4 cups veggie or chicken stock ( or water and 1 bouillon cubes)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard- whole grain or dijon (optional)
- 4–5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
Preheat heat oven to 325F. (Or see notes for grilling)
Marinate the Salmon: Pat the salmon dry. Make the marinade by combining all in a small bowl. Brush a little marinade on the bottom sides of salmon, place on parchment-lined sheet pan, then spoon the remaining over top, to form a thin layer. Set aside. When lentils are halfway through cooking, bake salmon in a 325 F oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness. (Or grill!)
Make the lentils: Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrots and stir 4-5 minutes, then turn the heat down to medium. Cook 4-5 more minutes and add the garlic and lentils. Cook 2 minutes stirring. Add the wine. Let this cook-off, about 2 minutes. Pour in the stock, salt, and mustard and stir until combined and bring to a good simmer. Add the bay leaves and thyme sprigs, cover and gently simmer on low heat 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender. When the lentils are tender, uncover and cook off any extra liquid ( or feel free to drain). Remove the thyme sprigs, taste and adjust salt. A tiny little splash of red wine vinegar livens them up.
Assemble: Place a cupful of lentils in a wide shallow pasta bowl, top with the salmon and veggie of your choice, and drizzle with a little olive oil, (or leek oil, gremolata!) top with a sprig of fresh thyme. Dig in!
Notes
Elevate this further when entertaining, with a drizzle of Leek oil, Gremolata- delicious here! Serve with Simple Sauteed Greens, or a roasted or steamed veggie like broccolini or Brussel sprouts.
To serve with a veggie- feel free to roast them in the oven with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Or for a quick fix, steam the veggie, right over the lentils for 5-6 minutes at the end.
Leftover Lentils can be frozen for later use, or refrigerated and made into a salad the next day- adding fresh veggies and a simple vinaigrette. Or use for breakfast, warmed on toast, with Sauteed Greens, a poached egg and an herby green sauce like gremolata or Leek oil. YUM. 😉
GRill: To grill salmon, heat grill over medium-low heat with a packet of wood chips. (Applewood is nice here) Place salmon on a grill pan, close the lid and let the smoke infuse the salmon, checking for doneness after 10 minutes or up to 20 depending on thickness. Whole filets take longer, while individual portions cook faster.
SEE Braised French Lentils post for nutrition info.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 ounces salmon (see Braised Lentil post for Nutrition info)
- Calories: 245
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 444.7 mg
- Fat: 15.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.8 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 25.4 g
- Cholesterol: 57.9 mg
So tasty!
This was delicious!
Absolutely wonderful pairing. The flavors in the lentils and the salmon marinade were incredible. I especially loved the marinade. Delicious! Thanks again, Sylvia!
Thanks so much Kiersten! Appreciate you!
Looks amazing! Where did you get your dishes??
Thanks! These plates are by Akiko Pottery in Seattle.
Delicious!!! It has become part of my normal dinner rotation!
Great to hear Erin!
Can I make the lentils ahead of time? I love this dish!
Yes totally!