Spice
By all means add another teaspoon of chilli paste if you like things a little spicer. Harissa, Sambal Oelek or Calabrian chilli paste would all work v well here too.

Onions
Shallots, banana shallots, red onion - all will work well, all with be delicious so use what you have.

Don’t forget to Stir half way through
Do remember to stir half way through or the garlic could get frazzled - you can see in my picture my garlic caught a little but it was still very soft which is the key, so a little colour is fine! If you don’t want the faff of having to remember to stir it half way through then don’t peel the garlic and then squeeze out of its skins at the end. Or you could cut the garlic bulb in half horizontally and place it cut side down in the tray submerged in the garlic and then squeeze it all out at the end.

Crispy lentils
These really are a revelation and you will wonder why you haven’t had crispy lentils before! Enjoy them warm out of the oven, or transfer to an airtight container, where they will keep for about 2 weeks - but they won’t last that long. I highly recommend added sunflower seeds and using them as a sprinkle on salads of for having as a snack.

Don’t like the idea of crispy lentils? No problem, miss this step out and simply use cooked lentils - I recommend Puy lentils as I prefer the taste of them for this particular dish.

Pan frying the salmon instead
Pat dry room temperature salmon fillets with paper towel. Season the skin with Maldon salt.

Heat a large non-stick pan medium-high heat until hot. You don’t want it to be too hot as you’ll scorch the skin before the heat has had a chance to travel up and cook the fish. So gently does it. Once the pan is hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down - laying them gently away from you so there is no chance of getting spattered. Sear, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes until the skin crispy and golden. You will be able to see the fish changing colour as the heat moves up through the fish.

Once it’s 3/4 of the way up, flip the salmon over, turn the heat down and cook for another 2 minutes.

Variations
This also works so incredibly well with chicken. Roast chicken on a Sunday with this recipe is so good. Or you could roast up some crispy skinned chicken thighs. Also lovely with a white fish like sea bream or sea bass - they are very thin and pan fry in just a few minutes making them a very good choice for a weeknight supper. I’ve also had this with lamb chops and can highly recommend!

That’s