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.
guacamole is best with red onion, fresh jalapeno, garlic and lime juice….simple and excellent
sounds like the REAL DEAL to me…. only, i would add chopped white onion
I can't believe nobody else said this, so I guess I do have a secret ingredient- radish! It gives a nice crunchy fresh bite, and is not in-authentic, according to my Mexican friend who gave me the idea.
My guacamole
avocado
chopped onion
chopped radish
lots of lime
sea salt
cumin (sometimes)
I love garlic and hot peppers, but do not like them in guac.
When I have time, here is my recipe.
Guacamole Recipe
3 Fresh Avocados (medium Haas) If not quite ripe, microwave some
1 Tbls fresh lime juice
½ Cup Pico de Gallo (Recipe below) use as much as the juice as you can.
1-2 Cloves finely diced garlic
1 teaspoon diced Jalapeño pepper (core and remove seeds first)
½ teaspoon salt
Pit the avocados. Score avocado meat without cutting through skin. Scoop out the avocado meat with spoon and place in mixing bowl. Add lime juice, and stir to evenly coat the avocados. Stir in the Pico de Gallo, garlic, jalapeño, and salt, gently mashing and tossing the avocado pieces. The guacamole is the right consistency when more large pieces than mashed parts remain.
Fresh Pico de Gallo with Tomatillo Recipe
2 Cups fresh diced plum tomatoes
2 large Tomatillos
½ Cup diced white onion
2 Tbls finely diced Jalapeño pepper (core and remove seeds first)
2 Tbls finely diced cilantro or parsley
1 Tbls fresh squeezed lime juice
½ tsp salt
In mixing bowl add tomatoes, onion, lime juice, cilantro/parsley, salt, and diced Jalapeno. Mix thoroughly. Let sit for about 15 minutes and mix thoroughly again.
fresh avocados, lime, onion, tomato, cilantro and chile serrano. salt and pepper. we use a glass to crush everything together.