Herby beluga lentil salad with boiled egg

Herby beluga lentil salad with boiled eggs

By Tom Mitchell-Dawson

Bring on spring with one of my favourite ways to enjoy lentils. It takes no time to put together and is packed full of protein for a super healthy lunch. 

 Ingredients 

•  250g cooked beluga lentils 
• 1/4 cucumber 
• 1/4 red onion
• 4 sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 eggs
• Soft herbs (basil, dill, mint, parsley)
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp mustard
• Pinch of Aleppo pepper Pinch of cumin 

Method 

1. Begin by removing the seeds from the cucumber then finely dicing and adding to a bowl.
2. Finely dice the red onion and add to the bowl along with the cucumber. 
3. Take a small handful of each of your herbs and roughly chop together and add to the bowl. Reserve some dill to garnish. 
4. Finally chop the sun-dried tomatoes, add to the bowl with the lentils and toss everything together. 
5. To make the dressing add the olive oil, white wine vinegar, mustard, Aleppo pepper and cumin to a small jar with a big crack of salt and pepper from your Cole and mason London mills then shake everything together. 
6. Cook the eggs in boiling water for 6 minutes then drain and submerge in cold water until cool enough to handle. 
7. Dress the lentils then divide between two plates. Peel the eggs then cut in half and place on the lentils.
8. Finish with some dill, a pinch of Aleppo pepper and a bit of salt. 

I use pre cooked beluga lentils in this recipe but you could easily swap these for puy lentils. Like many lentils, beluga lentils have quite a nutty, earthy flavour and need proper dressing to bring to life. Make sure you season the dressing liberally as the salt will help bring the other flavours out and bring the dish together.

This recipe has lots of herbs and is a great way of using up any you have in the fridge. Try chives and tarragon for a more delicate aniseed flavour or coriander and lime for a more Mexican feel.