Salmon and Avocado Salad [with Optional Collard Wraps]

This Salmon and Avocado Salad, or what I like to affectionately call my Go-To Salmon Mush, is the one dish that I will most often turn to when I’m not inspired, in a pinch or planning on being out and about all day.

When I recently had to drive all the way to Windsor to get my new puppy, this is all I took with me to eat. It was gonna be a 10 to 12 hour drive each way, so there wouldn’t be much time to stop for food. Plus, I knew that there wouldn’t be many suitable options for me alongside the highway… So, I made a huge batch of this, divided it between single serving plastic containers, shoved them in my cooler and off I went.

I ate nothing but that all week-end, and when I came back home, I still wanted more!

In fact, I don’t think that a week ever goes by without me having this salad at least once or twice. And since I’ve been particularly uninspired lately, let’s just say I resorted to it on more than one occasion…

It’s not quite as easy as cracking open a can of smoked herrings, but almost…

So yeah, once again I’m offering a real quick and easy fare, but at least this time, the pictures came out a little better!

Start by gathering all your ingredients. You will need:

• 1 -113g (6oz) can wild-caught salmon
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 2 tablespoons sliced green olives
• 2 tablespoons raw walnuts, chopped
• 1 tablespoon paleo mayo
• 1 tablespoon Frank’s Red Hot
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1 egg masher with an attitude!

Seriously, look at the face on this guy. I dunno man, I just don’t trust him… He looks way suspicious! So when he’s not helping me cook, he stays locked up way DEEP in the back of the utensil drawer, buried under a bunch of other useful kitchen gadgets.

Now this whole list of ingredients, except for the chopped spinach but including the suspicious looking egg masher, you’ll need to throw into a large mixing bowl.

Is it me or does this fella look completely stupefied? Maybe he’s not quite understanding how come he gets to help mash stuff that isn’t ALL eggs…

I think he’s insulted!

Well, tough. His assistance will be required to get all these ingredients perfectly mashed and combined, whether he likes it or not. Sure, I could probably use a potato masher instead, but then it would probably give me a whole bunch of attitude too because there’s no potatoes in my bowl.

Gah! If your cool kitchen gadgets give you a hard time too, reach for a good ‘ole fork. Trust me, it’ll get the job done!

Can you believe the nerve on this guy? He’s been relieved of duty in favor of a spoon, and he’s still giving me that mesmerized look.

Now I think he’s insulted because he doesn’t get to finish the job and add the spinach himself. – Well, too bad buddy. You’re too boorish for my delicate spinach leaves. You’d only crush and bruise them with your big clumsy feet. So stay put, your workday is done! 

Believe me, a spoon is a much more appropriate tool to gingerly incorporate the chopped spinach into this salad.

Now all that’s left to do is divide your salad between 2 serving bowls and that’s it! We’re done!

That wasn’t hard, was it?

I find this salad tastes better after it gets to spend a couple of hours in the fridge, though, so if you can afford to let it sit, do it. You can even make it a day in advance, as well as keep it for a couple of days after it was made. I’m telling you, this is the best instant meal in the whole wide world. It sure is my ultimate fave, and I get the feeling it could very well become yours, too.

Because wait… the wonderfulness of this dish doesn’t end here.

It’s also absolutely fabulous in Collard Wraps!

Of course, it would be equally fantastic served between two slices of paleo bread… Oh my… Now I’m wanting to give that a try! I just realized that I haven’t had a sandwich in AGES! And now I want one.

– Ah, but Sonia, let’s focus here… It’s collard wraps we’re having, not sandwiches. 

Hmpft. Right.

If you’ve never had collard wraps before, I think it’s about time you rectified this. These things are simply amazing! And they’re so easy to make, too. Just make sure you use the largest leaves you can find, and remove the stem up to about half way up the leaf.

Spoon a generous amount of salad right above that cut, then carefully fold both “flaps” right over the garnish, like such.

Bring the sides of the leave toward the center too, to seal the edges of your wrap, then roll the leaf all the way to the top.

Repeat until you run out of garnish. Theoretically, you should be able to make 3 or 4 wraps with this recipe

Slice your wraps in half, sit yourself down and enjoy!

You could also wrap ’em up nice and tight in plastic film and bring ’em with you to work, or to the mall, or fishing, or wherever it is that you’re going. The good thing is, you won’t even need to pack utensils!

As for me, I’m feeling lazy and uninspired lately, so I’ll stick with the simple salad in a bowl version. I can’t even be bothered to do the wrapping thing.

Oh, one more thing before I go. Whatever you do, don’t leave the nuts out. If you don’t care for walnuts, you could very well sub hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, or any other kind of nut I guess. But do add some kind of crunchy nut to this. It really makes all the difference in the world, I swear.

Trust…

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Salmon and Avocado Salad

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 1 -113 g 6oz can wild-caught salmon
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 2 tablespoons sliced green olives
• 2 tablespoons raw walnuts, chopped
• 1 tablespoon paleo mayo
• 1 tablespoon Frank's Red Hot
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup chopped spinach

Instructions

• Combine all the ingredients except for the chopped spinach in a large mixing bowl. Mash with an egg or potato masher (a fork would also do the trick) until well combined.
• Using a spoon this time, delicately stir in the chopped spinach.
• You can serve this salad immediately but it greatly benefits from a short stay in the refrigerator. It can also be made up to a day in advance and will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
• Serve as is or all wrapped up in collard leaves.
  

Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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