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 don't have a recipe either because I just mix till I like it, but I am another one who likes cleaned & seeded fresh Roma tomatoes in mine. I personally like the contrast.
My molcajete is quite small (amazing enough to find one in MI, rather than have to convince TSA a TX import would be carry-on safe) so if sharing, I make multiple single avocado batches. But people love the show so that's ok.
First, a little salt ground very fine. Coarse sea salt is fun.
A clove of garlic, a bit of onion (white or yellow, sometimes 1015), amount of fresh jalapeno depends on midwesternness of other consumers. This is all ground together into slime – which then integrates beautifully with the
Avocado, mashed rather shy of smooth, and
A bit of fresh lime juice squeezed across and just slightly incorporated.
Occasionally some cumin back at the salt phase, but never tomato.
Am I the only one that halves avocados and then just peels the skin off, rather than messing around with spoons or whatever? Easy and no waste, if they're properly ripe.
I like to use avocados, lime juice, salt and a finely chopped serrano or habañero pepper. Sometimes I add cilantro, chopped white onion, or garlic, but I try to keep it simple so the avocado flavor will not be overwhelmed. Guacamole with tortilla chips is the best afternoon snack in the summer. Yours looks delicious!
in most cases i like guacamole with lemon, rather than lime. i always have to have a chopped onion.
some variation that i have done:
*leaving out the cilantro (when certain company doesn't appreciate the "soapy" taste)
*adding half a orange pepper as substitute for the tomato. it doesn't soggy up the texture, but gives it that sweetness and crunch that i find appealing.
*seeded the tomato before to avoid the avocado to be less mushy.
*adding jalapeno (if guests don't mind spicy)
another avocado spread that is known as "avocado cream" in germany sounds really similar to your uncle's. i generally do not consider is guac, but i love making it to spread over some fresh baguette. it involves avocado, onions, mayo, lemon, s+p, sometimes a dash of curry.
Newly introduced to your site and really have enjoyed exploring your posts!!
Love Gauc!! I put Avacado on everything 😀
My recipe verys depending on how ripe the avacado is but my favorite mix is:
2 Haas Avacado
2 Viagara Naturale (hot peppers from the Amalfi coast in Italy)
2 Diced Sundried Tomatoes
1 tbsp of Olive oil from my fav Organic farm
Juice from half a lemon
Smoked Sea Salt to taste
Great post 🙂 CinCin!!