Warm Salad of Grilled Trout with Spinach and Lentils
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/2 pound asparagus, stems trimmed, ends peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup cooked lentils
- 8 trout fillets, skin on
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup walnuts
- 3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 pound baby spinach, well rinsed and spun dry
- In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and mustard to form a glaze.
- Set aside.
- Prepare an ice-water bath in a large bowl and bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.
- Blanch the asparagus until tender, 6 minutes.
- Drain and refresh them in the ice water to preserve their color.
- Drain again and set aside.
- Heat the lentils over a low flame and keep warm.
- Spray a grill or grill pan with nonstick spray and preheat until it's very hot (if using a grill pan, heat for at least 4 minutes).
- Dry the fillets and season the flesh sides with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, then brush both sides with the olive oil.
- Place the fish, skin side down, on the grill and cook for 4 minutes.
- Flip the fish and brush the skin side with the reserved honey-mustard glaze.
- Continue to cook for 2 minutes.
- Hold the cooked trout aside.
- Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.
- Add the walnuts and toast for about 3 minutes, shaking the pan often to prevent burning.
- Season the nuts with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, and 3 tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar.
- Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the vinegar has reduced to a thick syrup that coats the nuts.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and stir for an additional minute.
- Turn the flame down to low and add the asparagus.
- In a small saucepan, bring the remaining 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar to a boil.
- Cook for about 3 minutes, until it has reduced down to 2 tablespoons.
- Turn the flame off under the asparagus-walnut mixture and add the baby spinach along with a drizzle of the balsamic glaze.
- Gently toss to combine, and allow the heat of the pan to wilt the spinach.
- Plate the salad by creating a small bed of the spinach-asparagus mixture in the center of the plate, surrounded by 3 dollops of warm lentils.
- Place 2 trout fillets, skin side up, on top of the spinach mixture.
- Drizzle with the balsamic glaze.
honey, dijon mustard, trout, salt, freshly ground pepper, olive oil, unsalted butter, walnuts, balsamic vinegar, baby spinach
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/warm-salad-of-grilled-trout-with-spinach-and-lentils-recipe.html (may not work)