I love Mexican food. There’s not much I love more. It being Cinco de Mayo, I figured why not post up some guacamole? I know Cinco de Mayo is more of an American, or Mexican-American holiday than is celebrated in Mexico proper, but any excuse for some tacos, chips & dip, and a cold beer or a margarita.
This recipe is probably the single easiest recipe for guacamole you’ll see. It uses pre-made salsa (preferably fresh) (Recipe for DELICIOUS SALSA!) and avocados, and that’s about it. If you can cut open an avocado and open a jar, you can make guac.
Friends who have my guacamole recipe end up putting me in charge of guac at summer gatherings, which is more than fine with me since it takes me less than 15 minutes to whip up a batch!
Here’s a tip — when you’re seasoning your guacamole, keep in mind what you will be serving it with. Guac that is going to go with tortilla chips won’t need as much salt in the recipe as guac that’s going to go with grilled chicken or something else that isn’t as salty as your corn chips of choice.
Enjoy!!
- 6 ea Ripe, small Haas avocados Ripe avocadoes are black-skinned and give slightly when pressed.
- 1/2 cup Pico de Gallo-style Salsa This recipe doesn't work with picante sauce or other liquidy salsas.
- 1 lime Juice of one lime
- To taste Salt & pepper
- Gather your ingredients together, because this is going to be quick and easy! Using a very sharp knife, cut your avocados in half by slicing through the skin and then cutting the avocado around the pit. Carefully remove the pits.
- Using the same sharp knife, cut up to 3/4-inch cross hatches into each half-avocado by carefully and gently pressing the knife into the fruit and stopping at the skin. Do not cut the skin.
- Using a spoon, scoop the avocado out of each half into a bowl. I like to use a glass bowl, but plastic or stainless steel will also work for this purpose if you don't have glass.
- Make with the mashing -- I use a wooden spoon. Mash the avocado gently until it becomes the texture you desire in your delicious guacamole.
- When you're all mashed up, add the juice of one lime. At this point, I also put about a teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Add the salsa and mix to combine. I love to make my own fast & easy fresh salsa, and you'll find the link in the blog post or the recipe notes accompanying this guacamole recipe. If you aren't into making your own, I recommend a chunky, pico-de-gallo style salsa that looks as close to fresh as you can get it. You'll want to drain off most of the liquid and only put the chunky bits into the guac. My salsa has tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, onion, and jalapeno.
- Put into a storage container (assuming you aren't going to eat all of it RIGHT NOW!), and press plastic wrap down so it is in contact with the guacamole and no air can get in. Air makes guacamole brown as the avocados oxidize.
I love to make my own fast & easy fresh salsa, and you can click right there (or go here: http://saltysassy.com/recipe/fresh-salsa/) to find my recipe.
If you aren't into making your own, I recommend a chunky, pico-de-gallo style salsa that looks as close to fresh as you can get it. You'll want to drain off most of the liquid and only put the chunky bits into the guac.
I make my salsa with tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, onion, and jalapeno.
AVOCADO TIPS:
Please always use Haas avocados, and not those huge "Florida" or "Low-Fat" avocados with the thin bright green skin. They're big, and they might seem like a bargain, but they have almost no taste and are mostly water.
Select avocados that are black on the outside with a kind of shiny, bumpy skin, and feel firm (no air pockets between the skin and the fruit). To test for ripeness, press GENTLY against the fruit with your thumb. If you feel the avocado "give" ever so slightly, you've found a winner.
It's been said that if you pop off the little stem nub of the ripe avocado and you see a light-colored or green flesh under it, that your avocado hasn't started to go brown on the inside from being over-ripe. It's also said that if you do that and find it's brown or black under the stem nub, that you're over-ripe.