Latin Spiced Salmon with Avocado Salsa

Latin Spiced Salmon with Avocado Salsa, hint of heat against the smooth, buttery taste of avocado. Honestly, whoever first put avocado and salmon together should be canonized!

Love simple food.  Even better is simple food that tastes terrific and comes together in under 30 minutes!  Sat there with a piece of wild caught salmon thinking ‘how am I going to cook this beautiful fish to maximize taste and hit that hunger note?’  Been cutting back on diary, and that means less creamy fatty sauces (which I always find sooooo satisfying) but there are so many ways to get that same creamy deliciousness without going dairy, and then I remembered – I have avocado.  Idea, done!

Rather than add extra fat by tossing the fish in a pan, why not advantage of it’s natural oils by giving it a loving rub with a fine collection of spices?  Nothing to send you scurrying to the specialty store for, a little coriander, cumin, paprika, chipoltle, salt and pepper. If you’re lacking in coriander, skip it.  No chipolte?  No biggie, have any cayenne in the house?  That will do.  The whole idea is hint of heat, dry rubbed, quickly baked served with a cool, smooth avocado salsa.  (If where you are is warmer than 10° Celsius you could fire up the grill, but I’m staying indoors.)

Chop a few guacamole-type things, toss them in a bowl: avocado, red onion, sweet pepper, bit of cilantro… hit it with some lime, a splash of olive oil and let it stand for a few minutes.  Serve with dirty rice or rice and black beans, or keep it simple with some warm tortillas.

There you go, a meal in under 30 minutes.  The perfect lunch or light dinner, so green and fresh it just feels like spring to me.  

Latin Spiced Salmon with Avocado Salsa

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

High in healthy fats and big on punchy taste, a meal for one or a sensational dinner party offering that takes no time at all. Just mix, rub, bake, doing a little fancy chopping and serve.

Author: Corinna Horton

Recipe type: Seafood

Cuisine: Latin

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground chipotle (or cayenne)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 4 - 6 ounce pieces of fresh salmon (skin on)
• 1 medium avocado, diced
• 2 tablespoons red onion, diced small
• 4 tablespoons red and/or yellow peppers, diced small
• 2 - 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped coarse
• 1 - 2 limes, juiced
• pinch chili flakes
• splash of olive oil
• salt to taste

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F (205°C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Blend dry spices in a small bowl. Pat dry fish fillets with paper towel to dry well then season with salt, gently rub each fillet with spice mix, then finish with fresh pepper. Place on prepared baking sheet and reserve at room temperature.
2. Combine avocado, red onion, peppers, cilantro, lime juice, chili flakes and olive oil in a bowl. Fold gently to combine. Season to taste and if you have any leftover spice rub you can all a bit to the salsa too, up to you. Cover and refrigerate.
3. Place spiced salmon in 400°F (205°C) oven for 10 - 15 minutes depending on how you like your salmon. If you opt for 'pink' 10 - 12 minutes only. Remove from oven, rest for a minute while you ready your plates, top with avocado and serve.

Notes

Opted for a splash more spice with a chipotle infused olive oil as a finishing element, prior to plating. Nothing says oils have to be dribbled, drizzled or otherwise applied to dishes over food, play with sauces and oils as a colourful accent and have some fun. I like the contrast. Voila, Latin Spiced Salmon with Avocado Salsa and Chipotle Olive Oil, simply fantastic.

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