Avocado, Smoked Salmon, Capers

I’m currently working on my computer from the dining nook table, and when I look up, this is the view I see.  My back yard, turning lush and green, a couple of maple branches hanging down, and a hillside of vinca being invaded by Pachysandra.  I’ve been up for a couple of hours this Saturday already, and have run two loads of laundry, and begun tackling several way overdue sorting and tossing tasks — and this afternoon I will plant the cannas and dahlias outdoors.

Out my back window

Anyhow, last night for dinner I made a simple avocado and smoked salmon dish.  There are two ways you can go about this.  I’d been reading a few online recipes where people baked their avocados with either bacon or eggs, and decided, well, I had smoked salmon, let’s try that.

But first, I’ll talk about the raw version, as that’s the one I photographed.

1 avocado (per person)  Or, if you use this as an appetizer, one half avo per person, and then this serves two…
1 ounce or so, smoked salmon (you can get really good quality, reasonably priced, wild-caught smoked salmon at Costco, or BJ’s)
1 or two slices of lime (or lemon, but I prefer lime with avocado)
Fresh dill
2 generous teaspoons rinsed capers
Fresh cilantro, optionally

Cut your avocado in half — basically run your sharp knife around the rim of the pit when you cut, then pull it apart, and remove the pit from the side that has it.

Squeeze lime (or lemon) juice on the avocado.  This will keep it from browning as fast, but frankly I wasn’t going to be waiting around for it to brown, before consuming.  However, I do like the tart flavor as a complement to the smoothness of the fruit.

Put in a layer of smoked salmon.  Add some dill, then some capers.

Then, top the whole thing with a layer of more salmon, and for a garnish, add a little cilantro  if you have (and like) it.

The finished treat, ready to eat! Grab a spoon and dig in.

Okay, that’s simple.  For baking the avocado, an experiment I tried earlier in the week, (and something that is essential if you say, want to cook an egg at the same time), I preheated the oven to 425 F.  I assembled the avocado the same, with the addition of a very thinly sliced piece of butter atop each side, to melt into this without things drying out. With this preparation, I baked the avocado for about 12-15 minutes (an egg would take longer).  Oh, and yes, in this case add any cilantro to the top after it comes out of the oven.

Both methods were very good, and I guess I’ve crossed off cooked avocado from my bucket list.   I can imagine that an avocado that turned out to be under ripe could become more palatable by baking it, but I haven’t tried doing that yet.

Have a happy Spring day!