Prosciutto wrapped Salmon with Lentils

   

   

I have to admit, I don't like salmon.  It's just a basic taste preference.  I know plenty of people who do, and it's certainly a perennial favorite, but it's not for me.  That does create a dilemma though when you should cook salmon.  Cooking, of course, can and many times should be for the other person.  The person who is to receive your craft, your efforts, your creation. And if you're doing something special for them, it should be something they like. That can get me into predicaments like Brussels sprouts, asparagus and salmon. None of them my favorite, but all of them popular.

    

In times like this, I reach for bacon. If you don't like the way something tastes, make it taste like something else, like bacon. So, you'll find bacon bits in my Brussels sprouts, with perhaps walnuts or pecans for crunch.  And salmon, wrap it up and cover it up.  Now, bacon is too thick to coat many things.  I hate those bacon wrapped scallops and shrimp, but that's because the bacon doesn't have enough time to cook without overcooking the seafood. To the rescue comes prosciutto.  The absence of smokey flavor won't overpower like bacon, and its thinness will allow it to cook in the same time the fish is cooked. I paired this dish with lentils, both as a hearty combination, but also admittedly as a further distraction for me. The result, something loved by all. Serves 2.

    

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 carrot, diced

1/2 onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup lentils

2 cups chicken stock

1 bouquet garni

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp dried dill

salt/pepper

2 salmon filets (preferably thick cut)

4 slices thin-sliced prosciutto

    

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. For the lentil soup, add the oil to a medium pot over medium heat and soften the carrot and onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add the lentils, stock, bouquet garni and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer, and cook for 15-20 minutes.

For the salmon, season with dill and salt and pepper. Wrap the filets with the prosciutto, tucking the ends under the salmon laid in a baking pan.  Roast in the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove the bouquet garni and bay leaf from the soup, and serve the lentils without too much liquid in a shallow bowl topped with the salmon.