Guacamole, my way
I’m often asked why I don’t have a guacamole recipe on my site. I reckon the simplest answer is because I don’t have a recipe for guacamole. Instead, I just add some ingredients to a smashed-up avocado and call it a dip.
When my mom was in the liturgical nacho stage of her life (so-called because she made her daily lunch of nachos always the exact same way) she’d whip up a batch of guacamole to go with them. She totally cheated, however, as she mashed an avocado with bottled hot sauce.
My mom can do many things very, very well, but I have to admit that this guacamole was not the best I’d eaten in my life. (And, for the record, she insists that she no longer makes guacamole this way.)
Guacamole is all about freshness and using a bottled hot sauce is anathema to this underlying principle. While you want the avocado to be the star, the other ingredients need to be heard as well, and nothing is louder than the crunch of fresh chiles, the tang of lime juice and the bite of fresh garlic.
There’s also the problem of bottled salsa having tomatoes as a base. I’m a firm believer that tomatoes shouldn’t be in guacamole; the texture is just wrong. Tomatoes are too juicy and soft and I want my accents to the avocado to be firm. I realize most people would disagree with me, but that’s OK as that’s probably the best thing about guacamole—everyone makes guacamole the way that they like it.
Take my uncle, for instance. He stirs in a heaping spoonful of mayonnaise into his guacamole, which he swears makes it super creamy. Then there’s a friend who’s been known to add sesame seeds to her guacamole, which is a subtle yet surprising accent. Obviously, the ways to make guacamole are infinite.
So, I’m happy to share with you how I make my guacamole, but what I really want to know is how you make your guacamole.
Guacamole
Ingredients
- 2 ripe Hass avocados, peeled, pitted, and cut in half
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Serrano chile, seeded and diced
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Mash the avocado with a fork in a bowl or Mexican mortar and pestle (molcajete) until desired consistency. Stir in the garlic, Serrano, cilantro, lime juice, and salt, then taste and add more salt if desired. Serve immediately.
My Guacamole is simple and traditional, the way my grandmother made it in Mexico. Avocados (mashed so little pieces are left whole in it), lime juice (from one small lime) and salt. That's it! Guacamole!
I spy someone's new molcajete!
This is almost exactly how I make mine–sometimes we've got fresh jalapenos in the garden so I use that instead of serrano. I'm so with you on no tomatoes–that's a deal breaker 🙂
the best guacamole I've ever had was at Cafe Atlantico in d.c. they made it tableside, so I saw everything that went into it, but somehow it was magical–we were literaly *licking* the bowl. it was as if someone had just personally flow the three best haas avocadoes from California, and given them a massage & served them champagne in-flight. so they were extra tasty for us.
Here's mine from my mil in NM
2 avacodos
2 T salsa
dash of garlic powder
salt-to taste
squirt of lemon juice
Boudro's in San Antonio adds the juice from a fresh orange…it's fantastic! They make the guac fresh at your table. The fresh orange juice adds an unbelievable flavor. Try it.
I love this blog as i'm a homesick texan living in canada!