Tender salmon with cilantro, lime, avocado, and tomato salsa. This healthy and flavorful meal is bursting with flavor, color, and texture and is ready in under 20 minutes. It can be grilled, pan-seared or baked!
Cooking salmon for dinner is always convenient because it cooks super fast and makes a healthy dinner in minutes. One of the biggest mistakes people make when cooking salmon is over-cooking it. Salmon is very delicate and can easily over-cook. The trick to making perfectly cooked salmon is to season it well and cook it on medium-high just until almost cooked through. It will continue to cook after it is removed from the heat.
How to Make Grilled Salmon
For this recipe, the salmon is coated with a chili, garlic, cilantro, and olive oil rub.
Begin by whisking all the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl. Next, generously coat the salmon with the mixture.
After this step, you can go ahead and use it right away or place it in the fridge to marinate for up to 2 hours.
It can then be grilled, baked, or pan-seared just until the outside is nice and crispy (I cooked my salmon in a pan on the stove-top).
You can use skin on or off depending on your preference. To make this a complete dish, the salmon is topped with a flavor-packed avocado and tomato salsa.
The salsa comes together in minutes and makes a great addition to the salmon. Serve the salmon and avocado with rice, on salad greens, or alone like I did!
Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa (Healthy, Low-Carb, Paleo, Whole30)
Ingredients
- 2 4-6 oz salmon fillets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced or crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the avocado salsa
- 1 ripe avocado pitted and diced
- 1/2 cup tomato diced (any type of tomato)
- 2 tablespoons onion diced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Stir the olive oil, garlic, and spices in a small bowl. Brush or rub salmon with the spice mixture.
- Heat a large heavy-duty (preferably non-stick) pan or grill medium-high heat. Add salmon to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes per side. Remove from pan, top with avocado salsa and serve immediately.
- To make the avocado salsa:Add the avocado, tomato, onion, and cilantro to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, fresh lime juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently mix with a spoon until fully combined. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
Amazing, healthy, tasty for low carb lovers, keto diet plan or not. My family loves this, even those who don’t like salmon! Freah and healthy.
We love this dish!
The instructions are on point, flavors are amazing and a rookie can make it successfully.
We usually don’t have diced tomatoes so we use Rotels.
I’m actually very disappointed in how my salmon turned out! I followed the recipe but made it in a heavy non-stick pan like suggested but even at medium heat after 2 minutes the spices were burning up and making black smoke all in my kitchen i ended up just putting everything in the oven. This recipe might be good on the grill but for pan, I have no idea how you could acheive this in a pan on medium high heat and 5 mins each side.
The salsa was good though.
So delicious. I LOVE ALL your recipes. So tasty and easy to prepare.
We have made this several times.
We usually don’t have tomatoes so we sub Rotels.
Thank you for the fantastic recipe!
Absolutely outstanding. I did add a little lime zest to the salsa and was probably a little heavy handed w the spices in the rub. I think this combo would work with other meaty fish or even chicken? Made a cilantro lime cauliflower rice to go with it. We loved it. Will definitely make this again. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
best salmon recipe i ve had
Your blog description lists cilantro in the rub, but it is not listed how much to use in the recipe.
I am planning on making this and it looks yummy. Thanks for the ideas!
I loved this recipe so much!!
a food that is healthy and can taste soo good I am adding this to weekly lunch
I have made it twice now for my husband. So easy and delicious. I don’t have too many recipes using avocados so the salsa recipe is a keeper. Just love the recipe.
Thanks for sharing such a healthy dish. This recipe is exactly what I was searching for and found it. will sure share the review soon.
Really delicious- full of flavour and so healthy
This looks so amazing! I think my cooking skills are improving with your expertise. Thanks for it.
You are right! I made the same mistake while cooking salmon for the very first time! I overcooked it so much that it was inedible!
Thanks for the tips, this one is a sure winner!
Yesterday I made this recipe and today it’s done. I enjoyed the recipe as written, but I was hoping for a bit more zip. Added more garlic, cilantro, and chilies to the salsa and replaced the chili powder with Hungarian paprika. Excellent recipe.
Sooooo good!!! I used a regular cast iron skillet and basted with butter at the end. Thank you for posting 🙂
Where can I find the new carb facts please. Iam looking forward to making this. But want to know how many Carbs thank you.
The nutritional facts are listed below the recipe.
Are the carbs full carbs or net carbs?
If you “print recipe” you will see the nutritional information.
Hi wanting to cook this but would like to know where do I find how many carbs are in this receipe if the 13 gram is incorrect how many are there. Thank you.
This is an amazing receipt! The flavor is wonderful and easy to fix. I have people at work wanting the receipt. The colors and smells grabs them right from the start. Some people that don’t like fish want to try it.
There is no way the macros are right that you’ve stated. Salmon has far more protein than 3g and no way is there 13g of carbs
By my reckoning there should be at least 23g of protein in the salmon alone
You are absolutely correct Lee! Seems like the salmon was not even added into the nutritional data. I’ve updated it to reflect the correct numbers. Enjoy!
What are the nutrition facts for this recipe.
Just added them!
This is my new favorite salmon recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Where can I find the nutrition facts
Wow husband and I loved this. He went for second’s, guess I should have made a double. The salsa nicely seasoned. Going to use that on eggs tomorrow for breakfast.
AMAZING!! Very easy to make and super delicious!!
This recipe is so good. Easy anD very delicious. Quick question can use other kind of fisH with this recipe. Will it be the same taste as this. Let me know, planning of making This weekend.
I used the salsa on baked cod for fish tacos! I just used the same seasoning for the cod as the salmon listed here, piled the salsa on with some cilantro lime slaw. I complements perfectly!
This was CRAZY AMAZING!!! Baked in the oven and the flavors….WOWZA! Don’t overcook this, and it will turn out amazing! Thanks for the recipe. We loved it.
Thanks for the great review and SO glad you liked the salmon! <3
This looks so good! And that pan looks amazing – would you mind sharing the details about the pan?? 🙂 Thank you!
Amazing!!! tHis recipe was so easy to make and delicious. DefInitely one to keep!
Where are the macros fOr this great and flavorful salmon?
Do you have the nutrition facts just for the avocado salsa?
Could You send me the nutrition facts?
This dinner was Excellent and delicious and easy to make
made this recip yesterday and tonigHt. The recipe is really Good as written, but for me i was hoping for a bit mOre zip. Tonight i upped the Replaced the chilI powder with Hit Hingarian Paprika, added chilies and more garlic and cilantro to the salsa. Thanks for the great recipe.
rEcipe not make sense
Thank you for the AMAZING recipe. As a beginner cook just SWITCHING To a low carb diet, this was a perfect item to try out.
Can’t wait to try this