Salmon and avocado toast
Wholemeal toast spread with smashed avocado, topped with pan-seared salmon and black sesame and finished with lemon — ten minutes, rich but not heavy.
- 18 min
- Serves 2
- Pan-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Blood-stasis types often have a dull complexion and bruise easily, and the constant swing between scorching streets and icy offices at Minor Heat makes blood flow less freely. Salmon warms and tonifies and helps the circulation, black sesame nourishes blood and avocado moistens. With fibre-rich wholemeal toast, it's a substantial yet light breakfast in ten minutes.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 8 min- 1Pat the salmon dry and season both sides with a little salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes a side until done, then break into large flakes with a fork.
- 2Halve and stone the avocado, scoop out the flesh and mash with a pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon juice.
- 3Toast the bread, spread with the avocado and top with the salmon.
- 4Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, add a squeeze of lemon and a grind of black pepper, and eat straight away.
Cautions
- If you take blood-thinning medicine, check with your doctor before eating a lot of oily fish.
Chef's tips
- Choose an avocado that yields slightly when pressed; don't overcook the salmon — just done in the centre is most tender.
The TCM view
Salmon is sweet and warm, tonifying deficiency, strengthening the spleen and warming the middle, and its rich oils support free-flowing blood. Black sesame is sweet and neutral, nourishing the liver and kidneys and enriching essence and blood. Avocado is sweet and neutral, moistening the bowels; black pepper warms the middle; and lemon generates fluids. Warming, freeing ingredients with blood-nourishing sesame suit a blood-stasis constitution.
