Summer seems to finally be here, which means spending a lot of time outside: in the water, playing in the backyard with the kids, grilling outside and having lunch or dinner on the patio. Of course there is also a sort of nice laziness associated with summer, you want meals to be easy and quick to prepare, but also refreshing and filling, this grilled salmon is seasoned with coriander, cumin, paprika and onion powder to give it a nice spicy flavor, grilled and then topped with a salsa made with avocado, onion, mild hot peppers, cilantro, lime juice and olive oil. Salmon and avocado are one of those perfect matches; whoever was the first person to put these two together was a genius. The salmon and the avocado both have that creaminess melt in your mouth feeling, while the lime, onion, hot pepper and cilantro add a great contrast of flavors.
I’ve probably said this before but if I had to go to a deserted island and could only choose a few food items to take with me, avocados would be one of them (I’m hoping I could learn how to catch some fish on my island); they’re also one of those items – along with cilantro and limes – that whenever I run out of them it means that I need to go grocery shopping.I’ve made this before with tuna and it was also a great match, you can season the fish in the morning and let it marinate all day or season it while the grills warms up, the avocado salsa can be made in about 5 minutes, I served this dish with rice and some patacones or thick green plantain chips.
Ingredients (for 4 people):
2 lbs salmon, cut into 4 pieces
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
Avocado salsa
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
3 mild hot peppers, seeded and deveined, diced or sliced
Juice from 2 limes
3 tbs olive oil
2 tbs finely chopped cilantro
Salt to taste
Suggested sides – Rice and patacones
Preparation:
  1. Mix the salt, coriander, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together, rub the salmon fillets with olive oil and this seasoning mix, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Pre-heat the grill.
  3. Combine the avocado, onion, hot peppers, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil and salt in a bowl and mix well, chill until ready to use.
  4. Grill the salmon to desired doneness.
  5. Serve the salmon topped with the avocado salsa, and with rice and patacones or thick green plantain chips on the side.
 
 Grilled salmon
 Avocado salsa
 Grilled salmon with avocado salsa, rice and patacones