Red snapper on warm lentil salad

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 2 fish fillets (red snapper fillets)
• 2 tbsp oil (rapeseed oil)
• Salt
• 1 cup lentils (very small organic lentils)
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 shallot(s), finely diced
• 30 g bacon (belly bacon), cooked, finely diced
• 1 small carrot(s), finely diced
• 30 g celery, finely diced
• 30 g leek, the white part, finely diced
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 4 cl port wine
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 100 ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp mustard, medium hot
• 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar (Crema di Balsamic vinegar)
• ½ tsp orange peel, untreated, grated
• 1 tbsp oil (rapeseed oil)
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp chives, in rolls

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Simmer the lentils in plenty of water for about 30 minutes, until tender but still firm to the bite. Check the cooking time occasionally. Drain through a sieve and rinse with cold water. Melt the butter in a saucepan and sauté the shallots, bacon, and diced vegetables. Add the tomato paste, sauté briefly, and deglaze with the port wine. Add the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and top up with the chicken stock. Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme, stir in the lentils, and season the salad with mustard, balsamic vinegar, orange zest, pepper, and salt. Just before serving, stir in 1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil. The salad should have a creamy consistency. In the meantime, score the skin of the fish fillets crosswise. Heat the rapeseed oil in a pan and sear the fillets skin-side down, then reduce the heat to half. Since the fillets tend to bulge, you should press them down with a spatula for about 30 seconds to ensure even cooking. You can easily follow the cooking process by watching the translucent flesh slowly turn white around the edges. After about 4 minutes, turn the fillets over and continue cooking at low heat for about 2 more minutes. Season with salt. Divide the lentil salad among the plates and arrange the fish fillets on top or next to it.