Guacamole
Chunky, bright and fresh — made in a bowl, not a blender
- Makes
- about 500 g (2 cups)
- Hands-on
- Total
- Level
- Easy
Good guacamole is mostly ripe avocado, with just enough onion, chili, cilantro, lime and salt to sharpen it. Crushing the aromatics with salt first spreads their flavor evenly, and leaving the avocado chunky keeps it fresh rather than baby-food smooth.
Ingredients
- 3ripe avocadosHass; they should give slightly when pressed
- ¼white onionfinely chopped (about 30 g)
- 1jalapeño or serrano chilifinely chopped; seeded for less heat
- 15 gcilantro (½ cup)chopped
- 1limejuiced, plus more to taste
- 3 gfine sea salt (½ tsp)plus more to taste
- 1tomatosmall, seeded and diced (optional)
- Diet
- Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free
- Allergens
- None of the EU 14
- Origin
- Mexico
Method
- In a bowl or molcajete, crush half the onion, half the chili, half the cilantro and the salt with a fork or pestle into a rough paste.
- Halve the avocados, remove the stones and scoop the flesh into the bowl. Mash with a fork, leaving it chunky.
- Fold in the rest of the onion, chili and cilantro, the lime juice and the tomato, if using.
- Taste: it should be lively with lime and well salted. Adjust and serve at once with tortilla chips or as a topping.
Why it works
Crushing onion and chili with salt breaks their cells and releases juice and flavor into the base, so the seasoning is spread through every bite. Lime brings acid that brightens the rich avocado and slows browning, though it cannot stop it entirely.
Common mistakes
- Unripe avocados: hard, flavorless guacamole. Buy a few days ahead and ripen on the counter.
- Under-salting: avocado needs more salt than you think.
Variations
- Roasted garlic
- Mash in 3 cloves of Garlic Confit for a mellow, sweet version.
Make ahead and storage
Best fresh. To hold for up to 4 hours, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate.
Notes
Serving with tortilla chips is gluten-free as long as the chips are pure corn.
