Hasselback Marinated Salmon and Black Lentil Salad

This wholesome meal pairs lentils with a bright, zesty salad and a marinated baked salmon filet. The lentils are tossed with veggies like cherry tomatoes and red onion, and herbs like parsley and chives. They are topped with a tangy honey-lime dressing, and they’re the perfect pair to the salmon. This dish is full of color, flavor, and is good for you!

❤️ Why You’ll Love Marinated Salmon

• Fresh and Flavorful: The tangy honey-lime dressing, with the salmon marinade, creates a bright, delicious meal with flavor in every bite.
• Nutritious: This Marinated Salmon is packed with protein, fibre, and healthy fats. It’s a meal that’s delicious and also good for your body.
• Easy: Despite this recipe looking and tasting so impressive, it’s actually so easy to put together. Perfect for weeknight dinners or entertaining.

🍲 Ingredients

Salmon – Salmon is a flavorful fish known for its tender, flaky texture and mild, slightly buttery taste. It’s packed with omega-3 fatty acids, high-quality protein, and essential vitamins like B12 and D. It’s also so versatile. You can eat cold or hot, on salads, in bowls, in tacos, or on its own.

Lentils – Black beluga lentils are small, shiny, and jet-black. They have a firm texture that holds up well in salads and soups, and they’re packed with protein, fibre, iron, and antioxidants. Such little, budget-friendly powerhouses.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Marinated Salmon

1. Rinse the lentils in a fine mesh sieve under running water for 30 seconds. Add the lentils to a medium pot with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, making sure to keep at a simmer. Cook until the lentils are tender, about 25-30 minutes. Drain the lentils and then set aside in a medium bowl to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Prepare the other ingredients for the lentil salad – halve the cherry tomatoes, slice or dice the red onion, chop the parsley and mince the chives. Add to the bowl with the lentils.
3. Make the dressing for the lentil salad – whisk together the liquid honey, extra-virgin olive oil, chili flakes, lime zest, lime juice, kosher salt and ground pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the bowl with the lentils and toss to combine. Taste and adjust taste with more kosher salt if desired. Set aside while you prepare the salmon.
4. Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Make the salmon marinade – in a small bowl whisk together the smoked paprika, ground turmeric, liquid honey, lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, ground pepper, chili flakes, pressed garlic and finely chopped parsley until combined. Set aside.
6. Place the salmon filet on the parchment paper lined baking sheet, skin side down. Use a sharp knife to skor the salmon filet in ½ inch intervals, slicing through almost all the way to the salmon skin. Don’t slice the salmon all the way through!
7. Drizzle the marinade all over the salmon filet, using a spoon to get the marinade in between all of the slices / cuts through the filet.
8. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the salmon is done to your desired doneness or measures an internal temperature of 145F (it should flake easily with a fork).
9. When the salmon is done, garnish the filet with halved fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley and/or fresh minced chives. Serve the filet on top of or with the lentil salad.

🪄 Tips and Tricks

• Prep Ahead: Cook the lentils and prep the salad in advance to save time when ready to assemble.
• Rinse Lentils: Make sure to rinse the lentils before cooking to remove any dust or debris. Rinsing also prevents lentils from sticking together when cooking.
• Marinate Thoroughly: Make sure the salmon marinade gets into the scored cuts of the filet for even flavor throughout.
• Check Doneness: Don’t overcook salmon because it cooks quickly! Use a fork to test if it flakes easily, and keep your eye on it.

🗒 Variations

If you like this Marinated Salmon, try one of my other salmon recipes:

• Greek Lemon Garlic Sheet Pan Salmon with Potatoes
• Shrimp, Feta + Spinach Stuffed Salmon
• Honey Glazed Salmon Bowls
• Baked Greek Salmon, Gnocchi and Lentils
• Greek-Inspired BBQ Salmon Kebabs

🗒 Best served with

• Fluffy Greek Pita
• Brown Butter Dinner Rolls

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

🤔 Common Questions

Marinated Salmon (Hasselback Marinated Salmon) 🐟

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This perfect Marinated Salmon with lentils is easy enough to be a weeknight dinner but impressive enough to be a great recipe to impress your guests.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean-Inspired

Servings 4

Calories 608 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the black lentil salad

• 1 cup dry/uncooked black beluga lentils
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup finely diced red onion
• ¼ cup fresh finely chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp fresh finely chopped chives
• 1 tbsp liquid honey
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ tsp chili flakes
• 1 lime zested
• 1 lime juiced (about 2-3 tbsp)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp ground pepper

For the salmon

• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ¾ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp liquid honey
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp ground pepper
• ¼ tsp chili flakes
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 large BC Salmon skin-on filet – about 550-600g / 1.2 lbs
• Garnishes: cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley and/or fresh chives

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Instructions

 

• Rinse the lentils in a fine mesh sieve under running water for 30 seconds. Add the lentils to a medium pot with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, making sure to keep at a simmer. Cook until the lentils are tender, about 25-30 minutes. Drain the lentils and then set aside in a medium bowl to cool for 5 minutes.
• Prepare the other ingredients for the lentil salad – halve the cherry tomatoes, slice or dice the red onion, chop the parsley and mince the chives. Add to the bowl with the lentils.
• Make the dressing for the lentil salad – whisk together the liquid honey, extra-virgin olive oil, chili flakes, lime zest, lime juice, kosher salt and ground pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the bowl with the lentils and toss to combine. Taste and adjust taste with more kosher salt if desired. Set aside while you prepare the salmon.
• Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Make the salmon marinade – in a small bowl whisk together the smoked paprika, ground turmeric, liquid honey, lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, ground pepper, chili flakes, pressed garlic and finely chopped parsley until combined. Set aside.
• Place the salmon filet on the parchment paper lined baking sheet, skin side down. Use a sharp knife to skor the salmon filet in ½ inch intervals, slicing through almost all the way to the salmon skin. Don't slice the salmon all the way through!
• Drizzle the marinade all over the salmon filet, using a spoon to get the marinade in between all of the slices / cuts through the filet.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the salmon is done to your desired doneness or measures an internal temperature of 145F (it should flake easily with a fork).
• When the salmon is done, garnish the filet with halved fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley and/or fresh minced chives. Serve the filet on top of or with the lentil salad.

Notes

• If you can’t find black beluga lentils, you could try French green lentils as a substitute.
• This salmon is a showstopper! Easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner or to serve at a dinner party. You could even serve it for brunch!
• If you love this recipe, try our Sheet Pan Herb Crusted Salmon + Oven Baked Rice

Nutrition

Calories: 608kcal | Carbohydrates: 46.8g | Protein: 40.4g | Fat: 30.6g | Saturated Fat: 4.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 75.6mg | Sodium: 691.7mg | Fiber: 6.8g | Sugar: 12.1g

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