I know “best” is a lofty claim, so let me start off by explaining how I like this classic Mexican condiment. A great Guacamole teeters a fine line between refreshing and rich, offering up a tangy mellowness that takes the edge off of a face-meltingly spicy taco, while simultaneously being able to add cool creamy body to anything from a tortilla chip to a tostada. This balance is kept in check by the contrast of the rich avocado and a tart hit of lime. Aside from that, all you need is a little onion and cilantro adding adding a pungent herbaceous flavor that keeps your tastebuds from getting bored.
Texture-wise, I don’t want to feel like I’m eating green baby food, which is why I like my Guacamole to be a little chunky. By “chunky” I don’t mean rocky-road-chunky. The silky smooth texture of avocado is easily overwhelmed by tough-skinned bits of peppers and sharp cornered minced onions, which is why I grate my onions and use hot sauce instead of fresh chilies. This leaves the avocado room to shine as the star of the dish, in all of it’s luscious green glory.
And what post on Guacamole would be complete without addressing the great Pea-Gate Controversy of 2015? As most of you know I’m all about pushing the boundaries of tradition to come up with new interpretations of classic dishes, heck, I even made a guacamole with grapefruit once in place of the lime. But even I draw the line when there is a fundamental change that is so substantial that the name is no longer accurate. Since the name guacamole comes from the Nahuatl phrase āhuacamolli, which literally means “avocado sauce”, using peas as a main ingredient(along with avocados) definitely warrants a rename.
Units
Ingredients
- 220 grams avocado (1 large )
- 1 teaspoon sweet onion (grated)
- 7 grams cilantro (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cut the avocado in half around the pit and separate the two halves. Peel the avocado and chop it up into rough chunks and add it to a bowl along with the onion, cilantro, lime juice and salt. You can also use a spoon to scoop out the avocado from the skin, but I recommend peeling it because the most vibrant green color is along the skin, which gets left behind if you use a spoon.
- Use a fork to mash up the avocado and stir everything together until there are no huge pieces remaining but the guacamole is still chunky.
- Serve immediately. If you need to store the guacamole, spread it flat into a bowl and lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the guacamole, removing any air bubbles (it's contact with air that oxidizes avocados and makes them turn brown).
Dana Hess says
You make your guacamole the same way I do already…it is so good without tomatoes…
KimNB says
This looks like a very nice guacamole and I agree on the tomatoes. The tomatoes also shorten the shelf life of the guacamole if you don’t use it all up right away. For my taste buds guacamole is better with the non-traditional but tasty addition of garlic.
Nick Williams says
Hi Marc, huge fan of the site (I’m the guy that asked you about Nobeoka), but I can’t agree with you 100% on the guac – needs just a hint of ground cumin to give it some underlying earthiness 😉
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Nick, eating out would be pretty boring if every chef thought the same way:-)