Soy Sriracha Salmon + Avocado Cucumber 'Rolls'

I love avocados. I've gotten to the point in my love for them when I just buy them regularly at the store without an actual plan for how I'll use them. Then, in that fleeting moment of Perfect Ripeness, I scramble and hope to make something delicious - including simply eating it with balsamic vinegar and salt. Perfection. In this case, I used avocado in a sushi-ish side dish alongside salmon.

I pretty closely followed Rachel Schultz's recipe. I mashed up the avocado, but added a splash of rice wine vinegar instead of lemon juice. I folded in capers and spread the delicious green mess onto some thin cucumber slices.

Mine didn't end up being rolls - I had to improvise. Rachel's instructions have you peeling the cukes with a vegetable peeler. I opted for my mandoline slicer and I should have listened to her. Mine were thicker and difficult to roll. The improvisation? I just stacked them.

For the fish, I took direct inspiration from a salmon dish my mom whipped up a few months ago when I was visiting. She reduced balsamic vinegar and drizzled it over the top (I already copied this over steak). I opted to reduce a mixture of low sodium soy sauce and sriracha and topped my simply baked salmon with it.

I loved this combination of the rich soy flavor and the spicy sriracha kick. The one caveat? When you reduce a liquid that's already salty, it becomes even MORE salty. Life lesson in reducing soy sauce. Luckily, the cool, refreshing cucumbers helped cut a lot of that. A forkful with both a flake of salmon and a slice of avo-cuke tower was a scrumptious blend of all the flavors.