South Western Salmon

There's a farmers market right down the street from my apartment and while walking around and looking at all the summer veggies I decided to make a south western salmon. Normally I like an Italian flavored salmon but I wanted to try something new. I served my salmon with rice and beans to keep up the south west idea but feel free to serve this salmon with potatoes or fried tortilla strips for a crunchy contrast. If you want to get really fancy you can also serve this with a sour cream, adobo, and lime sauce. A great way to serve left overs would be to reheat everything and serve it up in flour tortillas for tacos or burritos.

Ingredients:

2 salmon filets
olive oil

Avocado Topping:
1 small ripened avocado
1 lime
1 slice red onion
salt and pepper

Seasoning Mix for Salmon: (a dash of each)
paprika
thyme
oregano
small pinch red chili flake
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Clean, cut, and remove skin (if you like) from salmon and set aside.

2. For Avocado Topping: cut avocado in half longways and remove seed carefully. Score avocado into squares and then scoop out into a bowl with a spoon. Try to keep pieces intact since it will look better on top of finished dish. Place slice of red onion on the grill or in a saute pan with a pat of butter over medium heat. Grill onion lightly until some pieces are charred. Dice into small pieces and add to avocado. Squeeze 1/2 of lime over the top and season with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with plastic wrap so avocado doesn't oxidize and turn brown and keep in fridge until ready.

3. When ready to eat pull out salmon filets. Cover them with a drizzle of olive oil and season with spice mix.

4. Preheat a saute pan with a tbs of olive oil over medium high heat. Place salmon in pan and cook on one side for 4-5 minutes. If cooking with skin on, put skin side down onto pan surface first.

5. Flip salmon and cook another 3-4 minutes. (time may vary depending on thickness of salmon filet). At this point I like to start the basting method. To do this put a big hunk of butter in the pan with the fish and as it melts baste the salmon with the butter by using a spoon, tipping the pan, and then pouring a spoonful of butter over the filet. You can also add fresh herbs to the butter in the pan and add more flavor to the basting.

6. While salmon is cooking heat up pre-cooked rice and beans (or whatever side dish you are serving)

7. When salmon is finished put on a plate and top with avocado topping. Add rice and beans to the plate and eat away!