Now that summer if official here, gone are the heavy stodgy foods of winter and out comes the salads and bbq. This salad of steamed salmon with an avocado dressing is light, flavourful and a perfect dish to enjoy outside at the end of a day with a cold glass of white wine. Though I steam the salmon in the oven, you could use this method for cooking on the side of a bbq while preparing other food ,or use it to cook other fish, or vegetables. Since the foil is the cooking dish, there is very little to clean up afterwards.
This avocado dressing is another example of a vinaigrette, but it doesn’t look like it at first glance. There doesn’t seem to be enough oil to create a classic vinaigrette emulsion, but I suppose the oil in the avocado helps to create the creaminess of the dressing which has the consistency of mayonnaise. This dressing would do well with bitter salad leaves, which would make an excellent contrast to its creaminess.
Avocado Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 big handful of cilantro (fresh coriander)
- Half a clove of garlic
- Half a jalapeño
- a small chunk of a red onion
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1.5 tbsp of olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Using a food processor or blender, start the vinaigrette by mixing together the lime juice and olive oil to start an emulsion. I use a hand blender to do this. Add the cilantro, jalapeño and garlic and liquidise until smooth. Then do the same with the avocado and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over fish, salad or even just just chips.
For another twist on this dressing, you could replace the cilantro and jalapeño, with basil leaves to create a very fragrant dressing.
Steamed Salmon with salad and avocado dressing
Oven Steamed Salmon
Ingredients
- Fillets of salmon
- Bunch of cilantro (fresh coriander)
- Juice of one lime
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salmon in its foil steam packet
Method
Place a sheet of foil onto a baking tray and slightly turn up the edges. Place the salmon fillets onto the foil, cover with lime juice, season and place the cilantro on top. Take the edges of the foil together to create a packet and seal tightly, leaving some room above the fish. Place into 355F (180C) for 20 to 25mins. Remove the salmon from the foil and serve.
Oven Steamed Salmon