Basil-Avocado Baked Salmon

What better way to follow up a post on the safety of eating fish (it’s safe!), with a recipe for my favorite fish, salmon!  The inspiration for this recipe came from three different ideas that managed to merge together when I couldn’t decide which one I wanted to try.  The result was surprisingly tasty!  The flavors are somewhere between guacamole and pesto and the creaminess reminds me of an old salmon dish I used to make where it was coated with mayonnaise before baking. 

You could place all of the topping ingredients in a food processor to make this meal extra quick to prepare.  I preferred to chop everything by hand, to get a little more texture.  The broiling step give a nice texture to the top of the avocado as it starts to brown, but is optional.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

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Serves: 3-4

Note:  This salmon is also really tasty eaten as leftovers cold.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 tsp capers, drained and finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
• 3-4 6-8oz salmon fillets
• 1-2Tbsp coconut oil (for greasing the pan)

1.    Grease a baking sheet with coconut oil (you may optionally line with tin foil and then grease).  Preheat oven to 350F.
2.    Mash avocado until very creamy.  Stir in chopped capers, garlic, basil and lemon zest.
3.    Lay salmon fillets on prepared baking sheet.  Spread avocado topping over the top of the salmon with a knife or the back of a spoon.  Coat ¼” thick for thinner fillets and up to ½” thick for thicker salmon fillets.
4.    Bake for 10 minutes (up to 15 minutes for thicker fillets).  Turn oven up to broil.
5.    Broil for 3-4 minutes until avocado topping starts to brown.  Enjoy!