Often referred to as “vegetable caviar”, Beluga lentils are renowned for their smooth, round black grains before cooking, reminiscent of the unique appearance of caviar. For a fresh and flavourful starter, pair them with baby salad leaves, a soft-boiled egg, thin slices of bottarga and a mustard vinaigrette.
Preparation: 20 minutes • Cooking: 25 minutes
Ingredients for 4 servings
- 300g Beluga lentils
- 4 eggs
- 200g baby salad leaves
- 1 bottarga
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Rinse the lentils, place them in a large saucepan with three times their volume of unsalted cold water (salt toughens the lentils), and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Drain, then rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking process.
- Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, gently lower in the eggs and cook at a gentle simmer for 6 minutes. Transfer immediately to cold water.
- Wash the baby salad leaves. In a large bowl, prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the mustard, the vinegar and the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the baby salad leaves and the lentils to the bowl. Toss gently to combine.
- Slice the bottarga into thin shavings using a mandoline or a sharp knife.
- Carefully peel the eggs.
- Arrange the lentils and baby salad leaves on serving plates, top with the bottarga shavings and one egg per person. Finish with freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of salt.
- Serve immediately.
Photography: Aimery Chemin • Food Styling: Coralie Ferreira