Lentils and Salmon and Cabbage

With lots of left over Salmon we made many more dinners and dishes.  Marybeth was still staying with us and we decided to make lentils Pan-Roasted Sea Trout With Umbrian Lentils And Red Cabbage Sottaceto from the Mozza Cookbook by Nancy Silverton. We simply didn’t make the Sea Trout and used the Salmon we had previously smoked. This dish is a winner! Everyone loved it and Pat went crazy for the Lentils (as we all did).

It really is that good.

We leveraged our leftovers serving Dynamite Crab (again) and the Chocolate Cake for desert. It was a great meal. And the lentils reappeared in other re-incarnations!

Pan-Roasted Sea Trout With Umbrian Lentils And Red Cabbage Sottaceto

The Mozza Cookbook

Nancy Silverton

for the cabbage

1/4  cup extra-virgin olive oil

8     garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½    head of red cabbage,

cored and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

1     cup balsamic vinegar

for the fish

4     6-ounce fillets sea trout, skin on

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼    cup extra-virgin olive oil

30   whole fresh Italian parsley leaves

Lentils Castellucciano

2     tablespoons finishing-quality extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1     lemon

I am a red wine drinker, so any fish preparation that can be enjoyed J   with red wine, such as this one, which is served with a rich lentil stew and pickled red cabbage, is a winner for me. Sea trout is a freshwater fish that drifted into the sea, so although it is trout, it looks and tastes like it wants to be salmon with pink flesh and the same moist, oily quality that you get from really good salmon. Sea trout is much more consistent in qual­ity than salmon and also less expensive, so I hope you will enjoy this salmon alternative. Sottaceto means "pickled" in Italian. The cabbage here is slow-cooked in balsamic vinegar, so it's like a pickle, which cuts through the richness of the lentils and the fattiness of the fish. The recipes for the cabbage and lentils both make more than you will need for four servings offish. You can double the number offish fillets you prepare, or serve the remaining cabbage and lentils on the side. Since the cabbage is pickled, it will keep, refrigerated, for at least a week.

SERVES 4

To make the cabbage, warm the oil and garlic together in a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Season with salt and saute the garlic, stirring constantly to prevent it from browning, for about 2 minutes, until it begins to soften. Add the cabbage, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes, to wilt it slightly. Reduce the heat to low, add the vinegar, and simmer the cabbage 35 to 45 minutes, until the vinegar is reduced by about two-thirds and is thick and jammy. You don't need to stir the cabbage while it cooks, just let it slowly simmer and it will melt down into the vinegar. You can prepare the cabbage to this point up to three days in advance. Transfer it to an airtight container and refriger­ate; bring to room temperature before serving.

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Season both sfdes of the trout with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat until the oil is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Place the fish fillets in the pan skin side down and cook for i to 2 minutes, so the skin begins to brown and crisp. Place the pan in the oven and cook for about 4 minutes, until the skin is golden brown. (To check for doneness, look at the skin around the outer edges of the fish; you want it to be a rich, crunchy, french-fry brown around the sides.) Remove the pan from the oven and slide a spatula under each fillet to turn it, taking care not to tear the skin or burn yourself, as the pan will be searing hot. Return the pan to the oven and cook the fish for another minute. Remove the pan from the oven and let the fish rest in the pan for 2 minutes.

While the fish is cooking, combine 1/2 cup of the cabbage with the parsley in a small bowl and toss gently. Warm the lentils in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add enough water so they are the consis­tency of a thick porridge but not so thin that they will spread over the surface of the plate. Remove the lentils from the heat and drizzle in 2 tablespoons of the finishing-quality olive oil, stirring constantly for about a minute, until the lentils are creamy and emulsified.

Ladle 14 cup of the lentils into the center of each of four plates. Lay the trout on top of the lentils, squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over each fish fillet and top with the cabbage and parsley, dividing it evenly. Drizzle each serving of fish with the finishing olive oil, and serve with the remaining cabbage on the side.