Seared Salmon with Avocado, Lemon, and Garlic Aioli

This perfectly seared salmon pairs so well with the simple, bright, and tangy avocado, lemon, and garlic aioli. And best of all? It will only take you 10 minutes to make. That’s right folks, 10 minutes.

But first, I need to tell you a bit about the sauce. Are you listening? This is a very serious matter.

Despite the title of this post, I’m really writing today about the avocado, lemon, and garlic aioli: my new favorite sauce (inspired by a vegan version at oh she glows). It’s so healthy! It’s so tasty! It’s so easy to make! It’s literally perfect. Make no mistake- the salmon is absolutely delicious, and I’ll explain how to get a perfectly seared salmon filet (which is extremely easy to do), but THE SAUCE. It steals the show.

Put it on salmon, put it on chicken, put it on a sandwich, throw it on a baked potato, use it as a dip, mix it in a salad, eat it with a spoon… I just worry that you are going to get married to the idea that you can only have this sauce on salmon, and that is not the case. Not at all.

Now that you understand how serious this sauce is, I’ll move on :-)

The whole thing is extremely healthy- full of protein and healthy fats (from the salmon, avocado, and olive oil). And it’s a great recipe for those of you who want to start eating more fish, but don’t know where to start. To make a complete and balanced meal, serve with your favorite whole grains and/or veggies. We had this last night, with some simple barley with lemon juice and garlic (read my barley risotto post for a great trick to cut the cooking time of barley in half!) and roasted brussels sprouts. And yes, I put the sauce on EVERYTHING on my plate. It was magical.

For the sauce: simply add an avocado, some Greek yogurt (mayo can also be used), garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to a food processor and blend together for one minute, or until smooth and creamy. THAT’S IT.

For the perfectly seared salmon: the trick here is that you want to cook on very high heat on one side for not too long. Salmon is delicious, and is easy to make, but it’s very easy to make the mistake of overcooking it.

First, rinse the salmon and pat as dry as you can with a paper towel (it will develop a better sear if it’s not wet). Season with olive oil, salt, and pepper on both sides, and place in a hot skillet (I used my cast iron skillet) with a bit more olive oil. Don’t touch it for 4-5 minutes, or until you can easily flip it over without the fish sticking to the skillet (Hey! 4-5 minutes is the perfect amount of time to make the sauce! Fancy that.) Flip the fish over with a spatula and turn off the heat, and allow it to cook for 1-2 minutes more. These times may need to be adjusted depending on how thick the fish is, but as soon as the fish is able to be flaked easily with a fork, it’s done.

Try these other easy salmon recipes:

• Garlic Butter Sheet Pan Salmon and Veggies
• 15-Minute Perfect Poached Salmon with Chive Butter
• Orange Glazed Salmon
• Salmon, Arugula, and Feta Frittata
• One-Pan Garlic Butter Salmon and Swiss Chard
• Chipotle Salmon Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema
• Seared Salmon with Scallion Butter
• Garlic Poached Salmon with Creamy Lemon Caper Sauce

Recipe below. Enjoy!

Seared Salmon with Avocado, Lemon, and Garlic Aioli

This perfectly seared salmon pairs so well with the simple, bright, and tangy avocado, lemon, and garlic aioli and takes only 10 minutes to make! The sauce steals the show- you're going to want to put it on everything!

5 from 8 votes

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Course: Fish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 3 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 209kcal

Author: Elizabeth Lindemann

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Ingredients

For the salmon:

• 1 lb. salmon cut into 4 portions
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper to taste

For the aioli:

• 1 avocado peel and pit removed
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Pat the salmon filets dry with a paper towel.
2. Coat in 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
3. Add salmon to a hot skillet (preferably nonstick) with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes, until seared. Flip over, turn off heat, and allow to sit in skillet for 1-2 minutes more, or until easily flaked with a fork.
4. Meanwhile, make the aioli by combining all ingredients in a food processor and blend for one minute or until creamy.
5. Serve sauce on top of salmon.

Notes

• The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.

Nutrition

Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 261mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 73IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition Information Disclaimer

The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:

Very Well Fit Nutrition Information Calculator

My Fitness Pal Recipe Nutrition Calculator

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