Lentil Salad with Grilled Salmon
Salmon hits a screaming-hot grill pan and picks up charred edges in six to eight minutes. Zucchini slices land next to it, picking up the same char. While both cook, the rest of the plate comes together cold: canned lentils, grated carrot, sliced scallion, and a handful of arugula tossed in a mustard-yogurt dressing.
The finished plate is warm over cool. Charred salmon and grilled zucchini sitting on a dressed lentil salad with 45 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber, ready in twenty minutes.
Salmon hits a screaming-hot grill pan and picks up charred edges in six to eight minutes. Zucchini slices land next to it, picking up the same char. While both cook, the rest of the plate comes together cold: canned lentils, grated carrot, sliced scallion, and a handful of arugula tossed in a mustard-yogurt dressing.
The finished plate is warm over cool. Charred salmon and grilled zucchini sitting on a dressed lentil salad with 45 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber, ready in twenty minutes.
Ingredients
- salmon fillet 1 fillet
- zucchini 1
- scallion 1
- carrot 1
- olive oil 1.5 tablespoon
- yellow mustard 1 teaspoon
- yogurt, nonfat 2 tablespoons
- lentils, canned 4.5 ounce
- arugula 1 handful
Method
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Thaw the salmon fillet.
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Cut the zucchini diagonally into slices. Slice the scallion into thin rings and coarsely grate the carrot.
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Brush the salmon fillet and zucchini slices very thinly with half of the oil.
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Grill the salmon in a hot grill pan for 6-8 minutes until nicely browned on the outside and still just pink inside. Place the zucchini slices next to it and grill them for 3-4 minutes until nicely browned and cooked.
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Meanwhile, whisk the rest of the oil with mustard, yogurt and some salt and pepper to a dressing in a bowl. Mix the lentils, scallion, carrot and arugula with the dressing.
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Serve the lentil salad in a deep plate and top with the salmon and zucchini slices.
Let the grill pan get properly hot before the salmon goes in. If the pan is not hot enough, the fillet steams instead of searing, the surface sticks, and you lose the charred crust that makes this recipe work. A drop of water should evaporate on contact.
Behind this recipe
Is 45 grams of protein in one meal too much?
The idea that your body can only use 30 grams of protein per meal came from early research on muscle protein synthesis. More recent evidence shows your body does not discard protein above that threshold. Digestion slows, amino acids release more gradually, and the protein still gets used for tissue repair, immune function, and muscle maintenance. The 45 grams from this salmon and lentil plate land well within what research supports as a single-meal protein dose.
Read the full evidence reviewDoes grilling salmon in olive oil damage the oil?
Olive oil's beneficial compounds, including its phenolic antioxidants, survive standard cooking temperatures. Research has tested olive oil stability at temperatures well above what a grill pan reaches, and the health-relevant compounds remain intact. Brushing the salmon and zucchini with olive oil before grilling is fine.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I use fresh salmon instead of frozen?
Yes. The recipe starts with thawing because FitChef recipes assume frozen portions for convenience and shelf life. Fresh salmon works the same way. Skip the thawing step, adjust the grill time by a minute or two if the fillet is thicker, and watch for the same visual cue: nicely browned outside, still just pink inside.
