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1 hr 30 min

Pomegranate Roasted Salmon with Lentils and Chard

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Pomegranate Roasted Salmon with Lentils and Chard
Author: Stephanie Pixley

Recipe By Stephanie Pixley

Published on August 8, 2024

Sweet-tart pomegranate brightens the flavors of salmon and earthy lentils; add Swiss chard and you have a satisfying meal with a varied nutritional profile.

Time

1 hr 30 min

Yield

Serves 4

Why This Recipe Works

While chard stems are often discarded, they have great flavor, so we softened them with aromatics before simmering with our lentils, stirring in the leaves near the end of cooking. For the salmon, we wanted sweetness without a sugary glaze, so we painted it with pomegranate molasses. Fresh pomegranate seeds tied the dish together.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces Swiss chard, stemmed, ½ cup stems chopped fine, leaves cut into 2-inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 garlic clove, minced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
2 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup lentilles du Puy, picked over and rinsed
4 (4- to 6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillet, 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
½ cup pomegranate seeds

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chard stems, onion, garlic, thyme, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth and lentils and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are mostly tender, 45 to 50 minutes.
  2. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Uncover lentils and stir in chard leaves. Increase heat to medium-low and continue to cook until chard leaves are tender, about 4 minutes. Off heat, discard thyme sprigs, stir in 1 tablespoon oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste; cover to keep warm.
  3. Pat salmon dry with paper towels. Brush with remaining 1 teaspoon oil, then brush with 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses and season with salt and pepper. Once oven reaches 500 degrees, reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees. Remove sheet from oven, carefully place salmon skin-side down on hot sheet. Roast until center is still translucent when checked with tip of paring knife and registers 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 4 to 6 minutes.
  4. Brush salmon with remaining 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses. Slide fish spatula along underside of fillets and transfer to individual plates or serving platter; discard skin. Stir pomegranate seeds into lentil mixture and serve with salmon.

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Pomegranate Roasted Salmon with Lentils and Chard

Recipe By Stephanie Pixley

Published on August 8, 2024

Time

1 hr 30 min

Yield

Serves 4

Pomegranate Roasted Salmon with Lentils and Chard

Ingredients

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil12 ounces Swiss chard, stemmed, ½ cup stems chopped fine, leaves cut into 2-inch pieces1 small onion, chopped fine2 garlic clove, minced4 sprigs fresh thymeSalt and pepper2 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth1 cup lentilles du Puy, picked over and rinsed4 (4- to 6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillet, 1 inch thick2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses½ cup pomegranate seeds

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chard stems, onion, garlic, thyme, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth and lentils and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are mostly tender, 45 to 50 minutes.
  2. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Uncover lentils and stir in chard leaves. Increase heat to medium-low and continue to cook until chard leaves are tender, about 4 minutes. Off heat, discard thyme sprigs, stir in 1 tablespoon oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste; cover to keep warm.
  3. Pat salmon dry with paper towels. Brush with remaining 1 teaspoon oil, then brush with 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses and season with salt and pepper. Once oven reaches 500 degrees, reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees. Remove sheet from oven, carefully place salmon skin-side down on hot sheet. Roast until center is still translucent when checked with tip of paring knife and registers 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 4 to 6 minutes.
  4. Brush salmon with remaining 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses. Slide fish spatula along underside of fillets and transfer to individual plates or serving platter; discard skin. Stir pomegranate seeds into lentil mixture and serve with salmon.
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