Grilled Salmon Stuffed Avocado: A Delicious and Nutritious Dish

What To Do With Left-Over Grilled Salmon?

Avocados make the perfect vessel for a light, refreshing, and satisfying dish, especially when transforming your leftovers into something new. In this recipe for salmon stuffed avocado, we're elevating leftover salmon by pairing it with creamy avocado and crunchy romaine lettuce, creating a delicious balance of flavors and textures.

Crisp celery adds a refreshing bite, while tangy sour cream and Dijon mustard dressing tie everything together, adding just the right amount of zing to enhance the flavors. Whether you’re preparing this stuffed avocado as a quick lunch, an appetizer, or a light dinner, it’s both nutritious and incredibly easy to make.

Avocados provide a rich source of healthy fats, while salmon offers protein and omega-3s, making this dish as wholesome as it is tasty. If you have leftover salmon from last night’s dinner, this recipe is the perfect way to give it new life. Simple to prepare yet elegant in presentation, this stuffed avocado recipe will impress your taste buds and guests alike.

Leftover Salmon

Last night, I grilled some fresh salmon and served it to my family with a tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad, using tomatoes and basil straight from our garden. There was extra salmon because my oldest daughter decided to watch one of her schoolmates play basketball in a local summer league.

So, for lunch today, my youngest daughter searched online for a recipe using salmon and found one we adapted to work with ingredients we had on hand. My daughter didn't want to use raw onion in our version, so we left it out but didn't let that stop you from adding it if you enjoy it in your salads.

Another change we made had to do with the avocado. The recipe had you make the salad using the salmon and other ingredients and serve it all on top of half an avocado. When my daughter was eating her lunch, she loved the taste of the salad but found extracting the avocado difficult.

On our second try, we cut and removed cubes of avocado from the skin, added them back to the other salad ingredients, and served the salad in the avocado's skin—a big difference and much easier to eat.

Ingredients

Arugula

Arugula, or rocket or roquette, is a leafy green vegetable prized for its distinctive peppery flavor and tender leaves. It belongs to the Brassicaceae family and is native to the Mediterranean region but is now cultivated and enjoyed worldwide.

Arugula leaves are elongated and deeply lobed, with a vibrant green color and delicate texture. Their bold, peppery taste sets them apart from other leafy greens, adding depth and complexity to salads, sandwiches, and culinary dishes.

In addition to its peppery flavor, arugula is also prized for its nutritional benefits. It is rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, C, and K, as well as folate, calcium, and potassium. Arugula is also a good source of antioxidants, which help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals.

Arugula Substitutions

• Spinach: Spinach is a mild and versatile leafy green that can be used as a substitute for arugula in salads, sandwiches, and cooked dishes. It has a tender texture and a subtle earthy flavor.
• Watercress: Watercress has a peppery flavor similar to arugula, making it an excellent substitute in salads and sandwiches. It has crisp stems and tender leaves, adding a fresh and vibrant element to dishes.
• Baby kale: Baby kale has a slightly bitter flavor and tender texture, making it a good substitute for arugula in salads and cooked dishes. It offers a similar nutritional profile and adds a vibrant green color to dishes.
• Mixed greens: A mixture of various leafy greens, such as romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, and red leaf lettuce, can be used as a substitute for arugula in salads and sandwiches. This combination provides a variety of textures and flavors.
• Radicchio: Radicchio has a slightly bitter flavor and crunchy texture that can add depth to salads and sandwiches as a substitute for arugula. It adds a vibrant red color and a hint of bitterness to dishes.

Dijon Mustard

Dijon mustard is a classic condiment with a rich history and a distinctive flavor profile. Originating from the city of Dijon in the Burgundy region of France, Dijon mustard is renowned for its smooth texture, bold flavor, and versatility in culinary applications.

The key ingredients in Dijon mustard are mustard seeds, vinegar, salt, and sometimes wine or wine must. What sets Dijon mustard apart from other types of mustard is its preparation method, which involves finely grinding or milling the mustard seeds and then blending them with the other ingredients to create a smooth and creamy consistency.

Dijon mustard is characterized by its sharp, tangy flavor, which is less pungent and more nuanced than traditional yellow mustard. It has a slightly spicy kick, balanced by subtle notes of acidity and sweetness from the vinegar and wine.

Avocado

Avocado, scientifically known as Persea americana, is a fruit native to Central America and Mexico. It is prized for its rich, creamy texture and mild, nutty flavor. Often referred to as “nature’s butter,” avocados are versatile ingredients in various culinary dishes worldwide.

The flesh of the avocado is smooth and buttery, ranging in color from pale green to dark green or even purple, depending on the variety. Avocados contain healthy monounsaturated fats, which are beneficial for heart health, and essential nutrients such as potassium, fiber, and vitamins C, E, and K.

📖 Recipe

Print Recipe

Grilled Salmon and Avocado Salad Recipe

An excellent seafood dish for the entire family

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: avocado, salmon

Servings: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 8 ounces salmon cooked, grilled or roasted
• 1 stalk celery cleaned, trimmed & finely chopped
• ½ head romaine lettuce washed, dried and sliced thinly
• 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 large avocado
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Prep all the ingredients.
• Add the chopped celery, lettuce, sour cream, and Dijon mustard in a medium-sized bowl. Add the lemon zest and juice from ½ a lemon and gently stir all the ingredients.
• Using a fork, flake pieces of salmon from the filet and add them to the rest of the salad. Again, give all the ingredients a gentle stir.

  You want to be careful, so you end up with nice chunks of salmon.
• Slice the avocado in half long ways, remove the pit and score the avocado halves into crosspatch cubes. Using a spoon, carefully remove the avocado cubes from each half, being careful to preserve the skin.
• Add the avocado cubes to the rest of the salad mixture and again carefully stir to combine all the ingredients.
• Season with salt and pepper, taste, and adjust seasonings.
• Spoon the avocado and salmon salad back into the avocado skins and serve. The salad is delicious, and the presentation is spectacular.

Notes

If you don't have leftover cooked salmon, grill or roast a piece of fresh salmon until it is perfectly cooked and flaky.

I only used the zest from a quarter of a lemon and the juice from half the lemon.

Big News

Today my youngest daughter Maddie had her braces removed. Hurrah for Maddie!

Some of My Favorite Salad Recipes