For my very first post, I figure I’d start out with something simple. This guacamole recipe has been honed to suit my specific tastes, and I encourage you to play around with the ingredients until it’s perfect for you. I’ve been known to add cilantro, paprika, red pepper flakes, or a jalapeno pepper. However – in the name of all that is good in this world – do not…do not add mayonnaise. I don’t have enough space on this webpage to list all the reasons why guacamole should never contain mayo.
That said, there is one thing you must do when making guacamole – use perfectly ripe avocados. This can be tricky. An avocado not quite ripe or a little over ripe is unusable. When you’re at the grocery store, give each avocado a light squeeze. If it’s soft yet firm, toss it in the cart. If the avocado is hard (and usually green), it needs a couple days. If it’s mushy, the insides will be brown and slimy.
Ingredient list, left to right: salt, pepper, sweet onion, serrano pepper, lemon, lime, tomatoes, avocados, garlic.
I find the best way to prepare the avocado is to slice it in half, remove the pit with your knife, and slice it into cubes, like so. Scoop it out with a spoon.
Next, mince everything as finely as you can. Nobody likes a big chunk of raw garlic or pepper.
Throw all the ingredients in a bowl, leaving out the serrano. Use a fork to mix and mash. Then, slowly add the hot pepper a little at a time, and taste test as you go. I’ve found that hotness varies by pepper, and you never can tell how strong it will be.
Voila! Fresh, delicious guacamole. Serve with tortilla chips, as a side to any Mexican dish, or slathered on a burger. As any coworker of mine will tell you, this is my go-to recipe for potlucks, and people love it.
Fresh Guacamole
Serves 2-3, cook time 15 min
- 2 ripe avocados
- 3-4 tablespoons sweet onion, finely diced
- 1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2-3 tablespoons tomato, finely diced
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- 1/2-1 serrano pepper, finely minced
- Lots of salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Halve each avocado. Remove the pit by sticking the side of your knife into the middle (as if to chop), and turn. Run your knife horizontally + vertically through the avocado half, to make a grid pattern (pictured above). Scoop the avocado into a medium bowl.
- Finely mince or dice the sweet onion, tomato, garlic + serrano pepper. Add onion, tomato, garlic, lime juice + lemon juice to the bowl. Add a generous amount of salt + pepper. This really helps to bring the other flavors out, so don’t be afraid to add more than what seems normal.
- Add the seranno pepper a little at a time. Taste test each time until your desired spice level is reached. Using a fork, mix and mash until the consistency is creamy, but there are still avocado chunks left. That’s it! Enjoy.
avocados + olive oil 