Blackened Salmon with Black Bean and Avocado Salad
Serves: 2
Time: 20 mins
Salmon is one of my all time favourite fish to eat, as you will see, we eat it a lot! I love to eat fish in general but it’s the rich buttery texture of salmon that when cooked perfectly just melts in your mouth that I like the most about it. Tonight it’s had a little added wow with a super simple blackened rub, leave the fish whole or flake it up over the top for a super simple but really tasty dinner.
Leftovers
Personally, we’re not big fans of cold leftover fish so I have added some corn and an xtra avocado to your lunch list.
The fresher the fish, the better the dish
It's really worth going to your local seafood store and getting good quality fresh salmon, but if that's not an option then make sure you look at the dates and dig to the bottom of the pile for the newest fish. Always think about the cut, you want nice even sized portions and avoid the tail ends, as they are generally thin and will cook faster.
What you'll need
2 portions of salmon (bone out, skin on)
1 teaspoon cocoa (optional)
1 teaspoon of very finely chopped oregano
1 tin of black beans
1 avocado
1/3 bunch of coriander
1 lime
1 punnet red cherry tomatoes
1 punnet orange cherry tomatoes
25g tablespoon butter
From the pantry
1 tablespoon smoked paprika spice
coconut oil
salt and pepper
olive oil
Optional for lunch
1 small tin corn kernels
1 avocado
Prep and Cook
Prep Salad
Drain the black beans and pop into a mixing bowl.
Wash the coriander and pick off the leaves, then add to the beans.
Slice cherry tomatoes in half and add to bowl.
Cut avocado into small dice and add to bowl.
Squeeze the juice of your lime, along with a small splash (approx 1 dessert spoon) of olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper but don’t mix yet.
Prep fish
Pick the leaves of oregano removing any stalk and chop very finely.
Mix with paprika spice and cocoa and a pinch of salt then sprinkle the mix onto a plate.
Press the flesh of your fish into the mix. While it’s there lightly sprinkle some salt over the skin.
Cook fish
Using a really good flat non-stick frypan, turn your heat on to one click below high and add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.
When the oil is hot gently lay the salmon into the pan presentation side down (this is skin side facing up) and cook for about 30 seconds, you want to get a nice colour going but you don’t want to burn the spice mix.
Turn fish over and cook for around 3 minutes. It’s very important that you pay close attention to your fish, if it appears to be smoking then turn the temperature down.
After about 2 minutes I suggest having a peek at your skin and check that it’s crisping up and not burning. Adjust where necessary.
Leaving fish skin side down add your butter to the pan, swirling the pan so that it doesn’t burn. Use a dessert or soup spoon to repetitively baste the melted butter over your salmon for a good 30 seconds.
Check your fish is cooked to your liking and remove from heat when ready.
Plate it Pretty
Toss all the salad together and pile up to one side of the plates.
Gently place the salmon beside the salad and garnish with some fresh coriander and a wedge of lime,
Enjoy!
Lunch tomorrow
This salad is fabulous as a lunch but you would need to add some corn to bulk it out and fresh avocado on the day.