Crispy Sea Bream with Lentils and Herby Green Sauce
a 30 minute meal that tastes like it took you hours!
I was asked the other day if I ever struggle for new recipes to share on Dinner Tonight and in all honestly I have the opposite problem. I have an enormous and ever growing list of recipe ideas and it grows every day. That list can be inspired by pretty much anything…from supper at a friend’s house, or from eating at a restaurant, something my mum tells me she’s eaten recently or just a random recipe I woke up thinking about (this happens a lot). The most important factor in choosing a recipe to share with you is that it has to be delicious, the second is I want it to ideally take less than 30 minutes and finally I want it to be as simple to make as possible.
It’s a bonus if it looks gorgeous! We eat with our eyes first after all. Now this recipe ticks all the right boxes except perhaps the last one…it may not be the prettiest and that pains me to say it because it tastes gorgeous. But hey, we know by now that beauty is only skin deep and more fool us if we judge a book by its cover. This is a truly delicious combination and it’s comforting, bright and wholesome. It comes together in less than 30 minutes but tastes like it took several hours to make, it’s so flavoursome.
Lentils might not be the sexiest ingredient but if you’re not cooking with lentils you’re missing out. They are a real staple in my kitchen. I think they get overlooked but they’re so simple to cook with, they are full of protein and they are cheap. AND obviously delicious! But, the thing with lentils, like many pulses and beans, it’s how you cook them which makes all the difference. Here, I’ve fried carrots, fennel and onion, then you add stock and tomato puree and bubble with the lentils. Add a dollop of something creamy at the end. And honestly? It is so good. But the key is to season really well as you go and make sure you taste and adjust. By the time you’re plating up you should know exactly what it tastes like.
On a weeknight, I love a pouch of lentils. I don’t tend to cook lentils from scratch during the week, unless we are talking about red lentils which cook nice and quickly and make a gorgeous dal. The pouches of French puy lentils are a good cheat as they are already seasoned so give you a head start but the tins work just as well and I find people tend to have a tin of green lentils lurking in the cupboard. I like to use French puy lentils - you can get supermarket own or branded.
The herby sauce takes this recipe from a classic weeknight meal to a proper showstopper. It’s bright, zingy, herby and just lifts the whole dish. You can keep it pretty chunky like a thick pesto or you can make it saucy - I do both depending on my mood. The lentils are creamy and savoury, so I love the pop that the sauce adds. You will make more than you need but it is great on other things (see The Notes) and you won’t regret having leftovers. Please do give it a try, it’s worth a quick whizz in the blender - it takes a couple of minutes while you wait for the lentils to bubble away.
The full recipe is below for paid subscribers (along with a handy PDF version). You also get access to helpful notes on the recipe in case you want to make it vegetarian friendly, or you’re feeding more people and want to scale up easily. Perhaps you’re feeding the whole family? It’s all covered in the Notes.
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Serves 2 comfortably. You will have left over green sauce and for that I make no apologies, it’s really good in lots of ways!
