Fish and Lentils With Sauce Rof

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NYT Cooking

Total Time

45 minutes

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

35 minutes

Rating

(531)

Ingredients

4 servings

¾ cup French green or black lentils, rinsed
6 ½ cups water, divided
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 Scotch bonnet chiles, jalapenos or serrano chiles (seeded for milder heat)
1 bunch scallions, coarsely chopped
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves and tender stems coarsely chopped
1 lemon, zested and halved, divided
½ cup safflower, grapeseed or canola oil, divided
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
4 (4- to 6-ounce) white fish fillets, such as tilapia, cod, snapper or striped bass
5 ounces baby spinach (see Tips)

Dinner Sautéing Gluten-Free Intermediate ...

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Preparation

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Step 1

In a medium bowl, combine the lentils with 4 cups water and soak while preparing the sauce and marinating the fish. Soaking the lentils helps speed up cooking later.

Step 2

Make the sauce rof by pulsing the garlic, chiles, scallions and parsley in a food processor until evenly chopped, scraping the bowl as needed. (Or, finely chop the ingredients by hand.) The mix should resemble confetti. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the lemon zest and the juice of half the lemon, ¼ cup oil, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir to combine. Transfer ½ cup sauce to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Cut the remaining lemon half into wedges for serving.

Step 3

Pat the fish dry and lightly season both sides with salt and pepper. Add the fillets to the large bowl and turn to coat with sauce. Cover and refrigerate to marinate while the lentils cook.

Step 4

Drain the lentils and add to a large, deep skillet with a lid. Add 2 ½ cups water, the remaining ¼ cup oil and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, about 7 minutes.

Step 5

Reduce heat to medium to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the lentils are al dente, about 15 minutes. Stir ¼ cup of the reserved sauce into the lentils. Stir and continue to cook until the lentils are completely soft, 5 to 7 minutes.

Step 6

Nestle the fish fillets into the lentils, skin or smooth side down, adding any leftover marinade from the bowl. Cook uncovered until the fish is opaque just around the edges, about 4 minutes. Scatter the spinach on top, season with salt, cover and cook until the greens are wilted and the fish is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and push the spinach off the fish to check for doneness: The fillets should flake easily when poked with a fork.