Grilled (sort of) Salmon with Avocado-Lime Salsa

For Day 1 on the Whole30 Eating program I had scrambled eggs with kale and tomatoes for breakfast, I actually only had an apple for lunch, and for dinner, I made grilled salmon. I was going to bake it in the oven, but I took out my George Foreman grill and used that.

As a side dish to the salmon, I sauteed yellow squash with some onions in olive oil.  No too many photos for this one.

Ingredients (serves 2 - 4)
2 pounds of salmon, cut into 4 pieces (I had just over a pound of salmon with the skin on)
1 TBS Olive Oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp Ancho Chili powder

And for the avocado salsa
1 avocado (diced)
1/2 red onion (diced)
juice from two limes
chopped cilantro
salt to taste

Food for Thought

• You could probably season the salmon and make the avocado salsa the night before.
• For the avocado salsa, I'd probably double or triple the batch and use the next day on top of some scrambled eggs or even put in a salad.
• This is the first time I've use the George Foreman grill to cook anything but burgers and it was easy with little clean up. My Foreman grill is a small one and had to cook only one salmon piece at a time.
• Since my salmon had the skin on, I grilled the seasoned-side face down so I could remove the skin after about 2 minutes and continue grilling.
• Not too much clean-up. The grill was easy to clean and the avocado salsa was all mixed together in one bowl.

Would I make this again? Yes!   The salmon was flavorful with those spices; however the lime flavoring overpowered the seasonings on the salmon (I thought).

Instructions

Mix the spices together in a small bowl.  Spread some olive oil on the salmon and then spread (or pat) the spices on the salmon. Let this sit on the counter or in the refrigerator for about 15 - 30 minutes (now is a good time to start sauteeing other vegetables for you side dish.)

When ready to grill (you could also put this in the oven or the barbecue), I had to get a sharp knife and cut through the skin. Place each piece on the grill and cook until desired amount of done-ness.  I think I only cooked mine for about 3-4 minutes.  

As I mentioned earlier, since my salmon had the skin on, after about 2 minutes, I lifted the lid and peeled the skin off. Then continued to grill for about another 45 seconds or one minute.

For the avocado salsa:

Combine the diced onion, lime juice, and diced avocado in a bowl. Mix in some finely chopped cilantro to taste. Add salt to taste.  Stir it all together and refrigerate until ready to use.