Name: Easy grilled salmon
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 4 lemons; 16 salted anchovies rinsed, filleted and dried; extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling; 8 tbsp capers well rinsed; 6 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley; 1 side of wild salmon from a 3.5kg/7lb 8oz fish, cut into 8, 175/6oz portions; 300g small brown lentils such as Castelluccio or Puy; 2 garlic cloves peeled; 2 sprigs of sage (8-10 leaves); 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Grilled wild salmon with anchovies, capers & lentils

4 lemons
16 salted anchovies
rinsed, filleted and dried
extra-virgin olive oil
for drizzling
8 tbsp capers
well rinsed
6 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 side of wild salmon
from a 3.5kg/7lb 8oz fish, cut into 8, 175/6oz portions

For the lentils

300g small brown lentils
such as Castelluccio or Puy
2 garlic cloves
peeled
2 sprigs of sage
(8-10 leaves)
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Method

step 1
Get the lentils ready first. Tip them into a small saucepan, cover with water and add the garlic and sage. Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain, discard garlic and sage, season with salt and pepper. Stir in olive oil and set aside.
step 2
Squeeze the juice of one lemon over anchovies in a bowl, add freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Mix capers with the parsley in another bowl. You can get to here several hours in advance.
step 3
Preheat griddle pan until very hot. Season salmon on both sides, then sear, skin-side down (if pan is very hot the skin won’t stick – this goes for grilling on a barbecue, too). Turn fish over when you see it change colour halfway, then sear the other side. This will take 2-3 minutes on each side for rare salmon, but cooking time may vary if pieces of fish are very thick.
step 4
To serve, reheat the lentils and put a large spoonful in the centre of warmed plates. Top with the salmon, skin-side up, then scatter the anchovies, capers and parsley on top. Serve with the remaining lemons.