Horseradish & Hazelnut Crusted Salmon with Asparagus Puy Lentils
A simple but delicious midweek dinner which is ready on the table in no time. The delicious crust on top of the salmon ensures it stays lovely and moist while the hazelnuts add some nuttiness and extra crunch. An earthy lentil salad with some roasted red onions, asparagus, spinach and plenty of lemon juice adds plenty of fibre and goodness.
Serves 2
Preheat the oven to 180C fan/200C. First, roughly chop 30g of hazelnuts and add to a small bowl with the zest of a lemon, 2 tbsps fresh, dried or panko breadcrumbs, a 1 tbsp chopped parsley, 1 tsp olive oil and a pinch of sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well.
Mix 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard and 1 tbsp horseradish in a small bowl with the juice of the lemon.
Pat two salmon fillets dry with kitchen paper and spread over the mustard/horseradish mixture until you have an even layer (you can spread it over the sides too if you need to). Sprinkle over the hazelnut/breadcrumb mixture and gently pat this into the fillets.
Leave at room temperature for 20 mins.
Meanwhile, place one red onion chopped into petals/wedges onto a foil lined baking tray. Drizzle over a little olive oil and some seasoning and roast for 20 mins.
After 20 mins, add the salmon fillets skin side down to the same tray and a bunch of trimmed asparagus spears.* Put the tray back in the oven for a further 20 minutes until the salmon is cooked through and crispy on the top and the roasted asparagus is tender and the red onions are caramelised.
Microwave a much of precooked lentils (I use Merchant Gourmet) and add to a large bowl. Add the juice of a lemon, a couple of large handfuls of spinach, a large handful of roughly chopped parsley and some seasoning. Mix well and season to taste.
Add the roasted red onion wedges, roughly chop the roasted asparagus spears and add those to the lentils too. Mix everything together really well and season to taste.
Serve the salmon on top of the lentils with extra lemon on the side if desired.
*you could add whatever roasted vegetables you like to the lentils, courgettes work well.