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.
I just use avocado, a little garlic powder, Pace picante sauce and a sqeeze of lime juice. Get lots of compliments
Hi Lisa, I really like your site and can understand why you have been praised by foodie magazines. I am from Rhode Island, but have visited Texas and enjoyed so much of what your state has to offer: warm winters, Aransas with its Whooping Cranes, Galveston, rodeos, West Texas and more. Plus, memorable meals. Tex-Mex is unique down there. With the help of some Texas cookbooks I have managed to duplicate quite a bit of Tex Mex. Texas is one of the few places where you can get authentic Mexican food too. Never tried in New York. btw Chicago is pretty good for both Tex Mex and Mex Mex. Thanks for sharing w/ your blog.
Eileen
My favorite food:
Here is my take on quacmole:
3 Haas avacado (smashed)
1 minced garlic clove
2 tbs minced onion
1 minced jalapeno
1/2 cup cilanto
Juice of one lime
Couple of dashes dried lemon peel
4 or 5 dashes Sriachi sauce
2 ripe Haas avocados, peeled and cubed (1/4" – 1/2")
juice of 1/2 lime, or a little more
tablespoon of diced 1015 onion
teaspoon cilantro, chopped
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste (love it)
stir well, but gently, not to mash the cubed avocados too much
I could eat this stuff 'til I drop.
In fact, I have on more than one occasion!
Yum, I could go for some guac after reading your recipe, as well as the other varieties in the comments. Guacamole seems to be a pretty personal choice. When I was a kid, my dad would half an avocado and just mash it up right there in the skin, with some salt and pepper – that's it. I prefer mine with some diced onion, diced and drained tomato (usually roma), salt, and some lime juice. I don't really measure it all out, just keep adding stuff until it looks right. I just discovered your blog today; love it!