Grilled salmon and avocado salad

This grilled salmon and avocado salad recipe is easy to make, refreshing and filling. This salad recipe is inspired by a combination of two of my favorite recipes: my grilled salmon with avocado salsa and my basic garden salad with lime cilantro dressing.

This salad is also very easy to modify and adapt to your tastes or whatever ingredients you have available. I love using salmon, but it’s also great with corvina/halibut/seabass, mahi mahi (dorado), tuna, cod, or it can also be a way to use any leftover grilled fish. You can also replace the salmon with shrimp or scallops. Or go crazy and make it a mixed grilled seafood salad.

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Grilled salmon and avocado salad

Easy recipe for a grilled salmon and avocado salad with a spicy cumin lime cilantro dressing.

4.8 from 149 votes

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Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Latin, Latin fusion, Pacific Northwest

Keyword: Avocado, Cumin lime cilantro dressing, Grilled salmon, Salmon salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 8 as a starter salad or side salad, or for 4 as a main entrée salad

Ingredients

Spicy cumin lime cilantro dressing:

• 2 medium sized limes juiced
• 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 hot pepper seeded and deveined, diced –replace with a small sweet pepper for a non-spicy variation
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin adjust based on your preference
• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro
• Salt to taste

For the grilled salmon:

• ~2 lbs of salmon cut into 4 pieces or 6-8 pieces
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the salad:

• ~8-10 cups of lettuce or your choice of salad greens
• 1 large avocado or 2 small avocados pitted and peeled, diced or sliced
• ¼ red onion finely sliced, rinsed with cold water
• ½ cucumber sliced
• Sliced cherry tomatoes
• Cilantro leaves

Instructions

For the dressing:

• Combine all the ingredients for the salad dressing in a jar, close it tight and shake until the ingredients are well mixed. The dressing can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use.

For the grilled salmon:

• Combine the salt, coriander, cumin, paprika, onion powder, and black pepper together
• Rub the salmon fillets with olive oil and then with the spice mix. Grill immediately or save refrigerated if grilling later.
• Pre-heat the grill until hot and grill the salmon to desired doneness.

To assemble the salad:

• To prepare the salad, place the lettuce or salad greens in a salad bowl, add the avocado, red onion slices, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro leaves.
• Place the grilled salmon on top, sprinkle the cilantro lime dressing over the salad, and serve immediately. Can also plate each salad on a plate individually.

Notes

Can also be made with halibut/sea bass, mahi mahi, tuna, shrimp, scallops, or your choice of fish/seafood.

I made a spicy cumin lime cilantro dressing to go with this grilled salmon salad. If you don’t like it spicy, you can replace the hot pepper with a sweet pepper. The salad can be served as a main course salad, or as a starter or side salad. The salad vegetables can also be customized based on your preference, but the avocado is a must-have for this salmon salad.

Step by step preparation photos for salad with grilled salmon and avocado