A very simple, tasty and healthy accompaniment to classical Mexican dishes, guacamole (commonly referred to as ‘guac’) is very easy to make.
What’s in a guac?
Quite marvellously, ‘guacamole’ is an Aztec word, from the ancient Nahuatl language where ahuacatl meant ‘avocado’ and molli – ‘sauce’. And that’s what it is: avocado sauce, though the sauciness is on the thick, chunky side; a condiment rather than gravy.
The only (honestly, the ONLY) requirement for a good guacamole is good ripe avocado and that’s as hard to come by as it takes. In Europe avocados usually have only two stages of ripeness: from rock hard and tasting like soap they go to black and squishy in a blink of an eye.
That’s a joke, but in truth it is hard to procure them at the sweet spot of ripeness, mainly because they have to travel over here from afar. The main imports come from South America by sea freight so obviously they won’t have been picked at their peak.
The most popular variety is Haas, followed by Fuerte: as good as each other if ripe. Those two are the most common here, though there are many more avo varieties.
How to pick a ripe avocado?
The common advice is to press the fruit lightly and it should give ever so slightly for a good ripeness. But I believe it is quite often a luck of the draw, unless you find an ever-reliable source.
How to make simple guacamole
Once you have got your reasonably ripe avos, it’s a five minute job. Arguably, you could just mash it chunkily with some salt and enjoy plain, but a little heat and acid improve the flavour especially of a not perfectly tasty fruit.
Traditionally, guacamole is crushed and mixed by hand, in a large, dedicated pestle and mortar called molcajete. But I’m guessing not many of us own one, and an ordinary-sized pestle and mortar will make for an awful mess, guac-in-progress spilling out all over.
We’re more likely to own a food processor, a little blender or chopper and that’s a perfectly fine tool to use, since it is only really needed to purée the onions, chillies and herbs. Do not use it for the avocados: those should be mashed with a fork with the onion and chilli purée, in a bowl.
And that is all there is to it, bar serving it as soon as it’s made. Guacamole is the fresher, the better though between you and me, I do store leftovers in the fridge and tuck into them with as much relish the next day. But I’m a gringa, which means not a guac connoisseur!
Variations
Where do I start? I make my guacamole following roughly Kenji Lopez-Alt’s recipe from Serious Eats, but there are myriad alternatives, none the worse for being different. I’ve tried many and I find that the simpler, the better.
You can add finely chopped fleshy tomatoes, but even the nicest and ripest will make the guac a little watery.
You can add garlic, but to me it’s a clashing flavour.
You can use hot sauce instead of fresh chilli, and it’s the matter of preference.
Ketchup – not really, in my view. A little honey though, by all means. And if you absolutely can’t stand coriander, use very finely chopped parsley.
More Mexican recipes
Mexican street sweetcorn salad, esquites, with sweetcorn off the cob cooked in the frying pan, mixed with a salty, herby, spicy, cheesy dressing, is the second best thing after a holiday to Cancun!
Authentic steak fajitas with tender bavette aka skirt steak, peppers, and onions, marinated in a spicy Tex-Mex mix then served sizzling in warm tortillas. Fajitas were originally the Mexican vaqueros (cowboys) fodder at the Texas cattle ranches – and they are not the same as tacos!
Korean beef tacos, probably the best street food fusion. Marinated and grilled steak filling soft corn tortillas, with shredded salads and spiced mayo – that’s taste bliss.
More avocado recipes
Avocado ice cream, dairy free and vegan, is a healthy and elegant summer dinner party starter. You don’t need a churning machine to make this avocado ice cream, just a little blender.
Fresh corn, bacon and avocado salad with crumbled feta and furikake seasoning, on a bed of iceberg lettuce: one of the best main course salads ever.
Avocado and red kidney bean salad with crispy garlic and crunchy seed and nut topping, the garlic and the topping alone make this recipe worth trying!