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Pan-seared salmon with creamy avocado sauce is a light and refreshing salmon recipe with an elegant flair. I love pan-seared salmon because it takes on the most fantastic caramelized texture. It’s very easy to make at home and comes together in a matter of minutes.
This salmon dish is finished with a homemade creamy avocado sauce comprised of avocado, garlic, basil, lemon, cream, and olive oil. It’s the perfect finishing touch that adds both flavor and creaminess. Serve this over mixed greens or with roasted veggies for a complete and healthy meal.
I’ve updated this recipe to pair with roasted harissa cauliflower. Harissa is a spicy chili paste made from a blend of roasted red peppers, hot chili peppers, garlic, olive oil, and warm spices like cumin, caraway, and coriander. It’s an awesome way to flavor crispy roasted cauliflower and even works with the avocado sauce.
Love salmon? Also, try my blackened salmon recipe, grilled cedar plank salmon, grilled salmon with basil butter, and my honey bourbon glazed salmon!
Table of Contents
How to Pan Sear Salmon
Cook salmon in a non-stick pan or cast iron skillet with olive oil or butter on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare and 4-5 minutes for medium. For best results, salmon should be cooked to around 125°F to 135°F. Cooking salmon to 145°F and above will start to dry the fish out. A digital thermometer should be used in the thickest part of the fish. Note, the fish will continue to cook after it’s been removed from the heat.
For this recipe, in particular, I highly recommend pan-searing or grilling the salmon over baking. Pan-seared salmon delivers a crispier caramelized crust that better complements the texture of the creamy avocado sauce. A creamy sauce calls for a crispier salmon recipe.
Now, for all of you who may be intimidated by cooking seafood. Fear not, salmon is one of the EASIEST entrees to cook. It tastes great flakey or silky and juicier in the center. I like salmon with a crispy outside and a medium center. Always start with a hot pan so a crust has time to develop.
Creamy Avocado Sauce
Avocado sauce is the perfect simple sauce for pan-seared salmon. It tastes like a combination of pesto and creamy avocado. The foundation of the sauce is fresh avocado with added cream and olive oil to make the sauce more spreadable. The basil and tangy lemon give the sauce a lot of freshness and flavor.
There are a few ways you can make avocado sauce. I usually use a regular blender, but a Ninja single-serve blender or NutriBullet will do the trick in a pinch. If the sauce feels a little too thick, you can add a VERY small splash of water or use extra lemon juice. If you don’t have lemon, lime juice works too!
More Salmon Recipes You’ll Love
Enjoy this recipe? If you made this recipe, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments!
Salmon with Creamy Avocado Sauce
Ingredients
- 2-4 salmon filets (6-8 ounces), skin removed
- 1 head cauliflower, sliced top down into "steaks"
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoons harissa paste
- Salt, to taste
- butter or oil for searing
- Fresh minced basil, for garnish
- Lemon or lime wedges, for serving
Creamy avocado sauce (serves 4)
- 1 ripe avocado, seeded, and peeled
- 3-4 fresh basil leaves
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 lemon, juice squeezed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup light cream, or half and half
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Slice the cauliflower top to bottom into 3/4 inch thick slices and drizzle olive oil on both sides. Season with salt. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of harissa paste and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Coat all sides of the cauliflower liberally with the sauce.
- Bake for 35 minutes, carefully flipping after the first 20 minutes.The cauliflower should be nicely golden with a slight char on both sides.
- Combine creamy avocado sauce ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth and creamy, and set aside. If the sauce is too thick you can add a pinch of cream, water or extra lemon juice.
- Season salmon filets with salt on both sides. Heat 2 tbsp of butter or oil over medium-high heat in a stainless pan or skillet. Once hot, add salmon filets and sear for 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare and 4-5 minutes per side for medium, depending on thickness.
- Transfer salmon filets to a plate over the cauliflower and top with creamy avocado sauce. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve immediately with a lemon or lime wedge.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks for taking the time to find the avocado cream sauce recipe – we just enjoyed it for the first, and I am certain not the last, time and the wife and kids wiped their plates clean.
With a side salad and baby potatoes that meal was something else. Thank you.
Can you leave the skin on ?! And do you leave the basil leaves whole or chop them up ?
Leave them whole – they will be blended anyway. You can absolutely leave the skin on. The salmon should easily slide off the skin after it’s cooked.
I made this last night with basil from my back yard, but I had to switch lime for lemon juice since that’s all I had, plus one family member is lactose intolerant so I used coconut milk. It was delicious! They loved it over salmon, and after dinner, ate all the leftover with tortilla chips! LOL Next time I will definately use a lemon because I think the lime is a bit mild. But thanks for the recipe!!
Awesome Sally! The sauce would prob be good on everything!
This sauce is one of the best things I’ve ever made. I’m trying to be kinda sorta good, so I left out the cream, and it was excellent. I don’t think it could have been better.
Omg it tasted incredible, I even used dried basil and a dash of almond milk instead of any cream. Thank you! Absolutely perfect dish!
EXCELENT in the end I just add water to thinner up but otherwise spectacular
How many carbs are I this dish?
What is rice cream for cooking ?and where can I find it ? I would like to try the avocado sauce but for the dairy cream.
What side did you serve with this?
I like roasted brussel sprouts with salmon. Remove stems, toss with salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil, and a little balsamic vinaigrette and bake until soft and golden. Can’t go wrong.
For 2 filets s/I cut the recipe in 1/2?