This week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie, the first one for June, is starting the month off right. A definite winner, Lentil, Lemon, and Tuna Salad had three big takeaways for me:

1. The final salad was delicious. It makes a good addition to the lunchbox. I like the taste of tuna, but sometimes, in tuna salad, the flavor gets lost in all that mayonnaise. Here, the tuna was an equal partner with lentils. The tastes all blended nicely, and slightly nutty texture was a pleaser too. I found this lasted well in the fridge (and then the lunchbox) for a few days without getting soft.

2. I tried out a new ingredient: preserved lemon. I didn’t have time for a shopping quest last week, so I didn’t purchase the preserved lemon. I did find this recipe to make my own facsimile. How can you lose with Mark Bittman (my secret crush)? This was a “quick” version, so the lemon was diced before “preserving”. I made it the day before and it should keep for a couple weeks. I’m a big lemon fan and the flavor of the salted lemon peel did not disappoint. I used about half a cup, finely chopped, in the tuna salad. I’ll use the rest to try out some Moroccan recipes I’ve passed on in the past for lack of preserved lemon on hand.

3. The dressing for this salad is one I’ll use again and again this summer. The addition of grainy mustard and olive tapenade to a simple vinaigrette infused the dressing with a touch of Provence. I loved how it matched up with the lentils, but know that I will use it with other salads (white bean salad and green bean salad are at the top of the list). I love finding components of one recipe that I can reuse in others. Dorie’s book is chock full of these.

I cooked the lentils the way I usually do, with chopped onion and bay leaves. They only need to simmer about 15 or 20 minutes to be perfect for salads.

I’ll be short this week. I’m leaving later this morning to spend the weekend in New York City with my sisters and wanted to write up this post before I depart. If you have any suggestions on things to do or places to see (or eat), please share. I can read comments while I’m away.

For those of you that follow my bee (mis)adventures, I am happy to report that I’m back in normal comfort zone. The bee sting itching has subsided, and other than the ugly bandage over the worst bite on my foot, I’m no worse for the wear. As they say, “Stay Calm and Carry On”.

If you’re looking for the recipe for the delicious Lentils, Lemon, and Tuna Salad, you can find it in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table. You can also read through others interpretations of this recipe (and others) on the Leave Your Link post for this recipe at French Fridays with Dorie.