Warm Puy lentil salad with smoked trout, ricotta cheese and grapefruit
Earthy, rich and refreshing
Published originally on my blog on 31 October 2010
...how much I love lentils? Yes, I think I have. It was back in January when I first posted about my favorite legume, declaring my ever lasting love for them and sharing with you my family's recipe for Greek lentil soup.
Ever since I was a kid, I had a thing for lentils. It was the only legume I enjoyed eating and that soft spot for those dark round jewels was all my mom needed to make her life easier. I profoundly objected to any attempt she made to feed me healthy food so the fact that I was eager to taste her lentil dishes brought her a sigh of relief.
The thing is though that, all these years my lentil repertoire was limited. It seems that I have been stuck in tradition, cooking lentils the way I have always been cooking them, not attempting to jazz them up a bit or pair them with something other than tomatoes, onions and garlic. Not that there's anything wrong with that but sometimes you just need a change. Especially if you're like us who eat lentils almost twice a month.
A while ago, I had bought a packet of Puy lentils planning to use them in some kind of special lentil dish I was hoping to find. They have been sitting in my kitchen cupboard for a couple of months when I finally realized I had to do something with them.
The previous day, I had bought some smoked trout that I've been dying to make a dish of, and thought I would pair the two. Some ideas came to mind but when I searched through my recipe archives and came across a lentil salad with smoked salmon, ricotta cheese and citrus fruits, I knew that was it. I swapped the salmon for the trout, tweaked and adjusted some of the ingredients and cooking processes, and it became the perfect salad.
Puy lentils or lentilles du Puy as they are called in French, are lentils from the volcanic region of Le Puy-en-Velay in south-central France and they are the only lentils in the world that are identified by area of cultivation. Puy lentils are small, green-black lentils with a blue marbling that have a very rich flavor and a superior quality. They are preferred for use in salads because they hold their shape when cooked, retaining their firmness, and don't disintegrate easily.
It was the first time I was using Puy lentils and I was pleasantly surprised by their 'al dente' texture and their nutty, earthy, peppery taste. The smoked trout with its pungent, aromatic flavor and rich texture paired excellently with the lentils, and the soft, creamy ricotta cheese rendered its sweetness to the salad.
The juicy, plump grapefruit wedges gave a welcomed sourness and the dressing, with its flavors of orange and lemon juice, olive oil and ginger, created an ideal concoction that balanced all the flavors in the salad in a unique way.
And it looks good, doesn't it? The Puy lentils resemble small pebbles from some exotic beach, the coral-hued trout and the bright colored grapefruits pop right at you and the white of the ricotta cheese creates a great contrast.
This salad can definitely be served at a special dinner, accompanied by a glass of good Chardonnay, or it can work as a light but fulfilling lunch or supper. Served either way, it surely makes a spectacular dish.
Warm Puy Lentil Salad with Smoked-Trout, Ricotta Cheese and Grapefruit
If you can't find Puy lentils, you can use small, brown lentils. Even though they are different, the use of the common lentil surely doesn't mean that your dish will be any less flavorful or attractive.
In case you can't find ruby red or pink grapefruits, which are slightly sweeter than the yellow ones, use only yellow grapefruits.
