Broiled Salmon with Avocado Cream Sauce

This is more about the sauce than the salmon.  This velvety green concoction is versatile enough that it would serve many purposes, and would be great on scallops or other kinds of broiled or pan-seared fish, or even as a creamy salad dressing.  I just happened to have purchased salmon for last evening's meal.  In fact, a few days later, I made this sauce to go on top of pan fried burgers with melted Mexican-blend shredded cheese.  It was sublime.

I owe inspiration for this to a website called kitchenswagger.com, but as usual, I made some alterations in the original recipe, mainly that I used my own homemade basil-infused olive oil.

If you're interested in making your own infused oils, I have the method here. I particularly like basil and even grow it in a small hydroponic garden in our laundry room.  Infused oils can be made with any garden herbs, however, and the process is the same.  The key is to have the right tools and take the right amount of time.

First, from Amazon or a kitchen supply retailer buy a wide-mouth cruet with an airtight stopper.  It'll look something like this.  Next, you need a high-filter sieve, with at least a 400-count mesh.  This means there are 400 openings per inch, which isn't your typical kitchen colander.  People who make jelly will understand this, and in days of yore, the typical strainer to use was cheese cloth.  You can still use cheese cloth, but it's messy and not reusable.  Pictured here is one I acquired from Amazon, which is dishwasher safe.  A 400-count mesh is small enough to allow the oil to filter out all but the most finite of particulate matter, which will leave you, in the case of basil-infused oil, a green but decidedly clear oil.  And again, you want an air-tight cruet to keep the oil from decaying.  It'll keep for several months in a cool, dark place like your pantry.

The process is very simple:  Rough chop your basil, or other herbs, and crush it with your hands as you stuff it into your cruet to release the essential oils from the plant.  In the case of basil, about a cup and a half of herbs will work in a 17-oz cruet.  Fill the cruet with high quality, extra virgin olive oil and then cap it with an air tight lid.  Place this in your refrigerator for two weeks.  After two weeks, bring it out and let it come to room temperature over a 3-4 hour period. Olive oil generally should not be refrigerated because it solidifies, but you want to keep the herbs refrigerated during the infusion process to assure a wholesome finished product.  This is why you need a full two weeks for the proper flavor to amalgamate in a refrigerated environment.

Once the oil has come to room temperature, strain it into a measuring cup or other vessel with a pouring spout and over which the strainer can sit.  Pour the infusion mixture through the sieve.  It will take some time for the oil to slowly percolate through the sieve, so be patient.  It's okay to stir and agitate the infusion mixture to extract as much oil from it as you can.  In the end you will be left with clear, green oil, and the spent basil is to be discarded. Reclaim your cruet with a thorough washing and drying, then transfer the infused, strained oil into it.  Cap it and keep it away from sunlight in a cool dark place.

Now, to make the sauce:

Ingredients
1 medium avocado, peeled and seed removed
juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 - 1/2 cup basil infused olive oil
2 tbsp dried basil (or you can use fresh basil, about a 1/2 cup, finely chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste

The Recipe
Cut the avocado into chunks, then place all of the ingredients except the oil in a food processor. Pulse several times, then running on low speed, pour in the olive oil until you have reached your desired thickness.  You want the sauce to have the consistency of a creamy salad dressing.  I used the entire 1/2 cup in this instance.  Allow the sauce to sit refrigerated for a half-hour or so, particularly if you used dried herbs. 

Broil a couple of five-ounce salmon fillets for 7-8 minutes under a high-heat broiler, and then spoon the sauce over or under the fillets, or serve in a ramekin on the side.  We didn't have any left over, but I don't think the sauce will last more than a day or two in the refrigerator.