Not sure if you've noticed, but I basically never blog about fish recipes. And that's not because I don't eat fish--I eat a lot of fish. The thing is, I cook it the same way almost every time. And who wants to read about a whole-roasted trout that's just been stuffed with some lemon slices, salt and pepper, and baked for 10 minutes. It's not even a recipe. It's a cooking technique so simple that screenwriters use it as the de facto meal in movies about guys on the lam. Even if you're hitching rides on freight trains, you have the equipment to catch a river fish, gut it and cook it over a flame. Recently, though, I saw someone mention "slow cooked" salmon on Twitter. I gave it a try and, wow! Fish cooks so quickly that "slow" cooking means just a few more minutes, really. Turning your oven down to 250 degrees and tripling your cooking time creates the silkiest, most tender, and most richly-colored salmon I've ever had.

This recipe, in particular, hit me when I was on a health kick. Lots of nutriets are packed into this dinner, with the fish stealing the spotlight. You'll want to brighten up the earthy lentils, sweet potatoes and greens mixture with a simple, acidic mustard vinaigrette. So good and so good for you.

I was inspired by this recipe on Epicurious.

Slow Cooked Salmon with Lentils

12 oz lentils
3 cups water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove (sliced)
1 sweet potato (large, cut into 1-inch cubes)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
freshly ground pepper
kosher salt
1 bunch greens (chopped kale, swiss chard, etc.)
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup water
10 - 12 ounces salmon filet, cut into 4 servings
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey
salt and pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons capers

Cooking Instructions

In a medium saucepan, cover lentils with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about ten minutes, until lentils are tender but still al dente.
Preheat oven to 250°F.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add in two tablespoons olive oil and garlic. Toast garlic, then add in sweet potato, cumin and lentils. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes. Next, add in greens, 1/4 cup water and 1 teaspoon honey and stir. Cover with lid to steam for another 1-2 minutes.
When greens are wilted and sweet potatoes are softened, turn off heat and set aside.
Season salmon with salt and pepper. Arrange lentils mixture in a baking dish and top with salmon. Drizzle with oil. Bake until salmon is opaque in the center, 30–35 minutes.
While salmon is cooking, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, and honey in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
When salmon is finished, drizzle salmon with vinaigrette and top with capers. Serves 4.