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Tonight’s dinner has plenty of comforting, cold-weather appeal. We’re dressing up catfish with a citrusy, briny sauce of lemon and capers—which also brightens our hearty black lentils and collard greens. And for extra depth of flavor, we’re seasoning our lentils and vegetables with ras el hanout—a fragrant and complex Moroccan spice blend that evokes the warming notes of cinnamon, coriander, black pepper and cumin.

Ethan Mick

with Spiced Lentils & Collard Greens

Lemon-Caper Catfish

Catfish Fillets

Black Lentils

Collard Greens

Lemon

Yellow Onion

Rice Flour

Butter

Ras El Hanout

Capers

Ingredients

Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on high. Using your fingers, inspect the **lentils** for any pebbles; discard the pebbles. Rinse the lentils and drain thoroughly. Add the lentils  to the pot of boiling water and cook, uncovered, 24 to 26 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly and return to the pot. Set aside in a warm place.

Cook the lentils:

While the lentils cook, wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel and thinly slice the onion. [Remove and discard the collard green stems; roughly chop the leaves.](#) Roughly chop the capers. [Using a peeler, remove the yellow rind of the lemon, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind to get 2 teaspoons of zest (or use a zester).](#) [Quarter and deseed the lemon.](#)

Prepare the ingredients:

While the lentils continue to cook, in a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the **onion** and **ras el hanout**; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened and fragrant. Add the **collard greens**; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until slightly wilted. Add **½ cup of water** and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes, or until the collard greens have wilted and the water has cooked off. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside in a warm place. Wipe out the pan.

Cook the collard greens:

Place the **flour** on a plate. Pat the **catfish fillets** dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper on both sides. Thoroughly coat 1 side of each seasoned fillet in the flour (tapping off any excess); transfer to a separate plate. In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the fillets, coated sides down, and cook 5 to 7 minutes on the first side, or until browned. Add the **butter** and flip the fillets; cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until the catfish is almost cooked through.

Coat & brown the catfish:

Add the **capers** and **the juice of 3 lemon wedges** to the pan; season with salt and pepper. Cook, occasionally spooning the sauce over the fillets, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the catfish is cooked through. Turn off the heat.

Finish the catfish & sauce:

To the pot of **cooked lentils**, add the **cooked collard greens**, **lemon zest** and **the juice of the remaining lemon wedge**; stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the finished lentils and **finished catfish fillets** between 2 dishes. Top the catfish with the **sauce**. Enjoy!