What is Guacamole, some kind of salsa? Yes and no. Yes as in it’s treated in the same way as traditional salsa, like Pico de Gallo or Salsa Verde, typically used to top your tacos or served on the side with tortilla chips. No as in the main ingredient is avocado rather than tomatoes or tomatillos. Guacamole is also much thicker and higher calorie than traditional salsa.
Avocados have become more and more popular in mainline cuisine, so let’s walkthrough an authentic Mexican recipe that allows you to showcase the avocado from your kitchen.
Ready in 5-10 minutes
There’s no cooking involved, which makes this a simple step-by-step recipe that gives you the flexibility to adjust ingredients to meet your liking.
Ingredients
- Avocado: 3 whole avocados
- Red or White Onion: 1/2 onion, diced
- Roma Tomato: 1-2 tomatoes, diced, outer skin and meat only
- Jalapeno: 1-2, diced, with or without seeds (depending on heat tolerance)
- Lime Juice: 1 whole lime
- Cilantro: 1-2 tablespoons, plus garnish
- Salt, Pepper, and Smoked Paprika: all to taste
Directions
Preparing the Avocados, the Foundation of Guacamole
To prepare an avocado:
- Use a knife to carefully slice from the top (where the stem was located) straight down to the seed.
- Leave the knife rested against the seed.
- Rotate the avocado 360 degrees around the knife until you reach the original cut.
- Carefully remove the knife from the avocado.
- Grab the avocado from both sides and twist in opposite directions. The avocado should come apart, leaving the seed on one side.
- To remove the seed, either: 1) squeeze the avocado until it pops out or 2) very carefully lodge the knife into the seed, then twist the avocado, which will release the seed while staying attached to the knife. Remember that avocados can be very soft so take your time if you’re following the second path.
- Squeeze lime juice on the avocado flesh to avoid oxidation (i.e., so the avocado stays green and doesn’t turn brown).
Dicing the Remaining Ingredients
Next, dice the onion, tomato, and jalapeno into equally sized parts. Use the ingredients list as a guideline for how much of each to include but adjust accordingly based on your preference.
Making the Guacamole
To bring the dish together, first smash the avocado in a bowl (or mortar and pestle, the authentic way) using the back of a fork. The longer the avocado is worked, the creamier the guacamole. I prefer to work the avocado until there are small chunks within a cohesive mixture.
Then, fold the diced ingredients, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, remaining lime juice, and cilantro into the crushed avocado.
Finally, garnish with additional cilantro and serve!
Don’t miss the opportunity to serve this as a healthy addition to a beautiful salad, such as our Barbeque Chicken Skewer Salad.
Recommendations
Enjoy the Guacamole with a Beautiful View
Guacamole makes you feel good, so enjoy this treat in a location that makes you feel just as good.
