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Many people, particularly
Mexicans, are very particular
about how guacamole is
prepared. In the definitive
guide to Mexican food,
“Tacopedia:
The Taco
Encyclopedia,”
writers Déborah
Holtz and Juan
Carlos Mena tell
us “it’s a dish
impossible to fully
encompass or
describe.”
James Beard
Award-winning
chef Rick Bayless describes
Guacamole as “a textured
bowl of festivity, ripe with
the elusive flavor of avocado.
Mash in a little lime, raw
onion, coriander, chili, per-haps
tomato, and the avocado
comes fully alive.”
Chef and author Diana
Kennedy (“The Art of
Mexican Cooking”) and
Hugo Ortega (“Street Food
of Mexico”)
believe that the
addition of lime
juice actually dis-rupts
the flavor of
avocado, and sug-gest
leaving it out
completely.
In Mexico, gua-camole
is usually
eaten at the begin-ning
of a meal,
accompanied by a stack of
freshly prepared hot chichar-ron,
carnitas or tortilla chips.
These days, it’s more often
than not made with onions,
lime juice, cilantro, perhaps
a bit of tomato or chili.
Avocados
These are the stars in all guacamole and no amount of salt or
lime will mask the flavor of a sketchy avocado. The fruit should
be firm to the touch, with just a little give to indicate ripeness.
The Hass is the avocado of choice.
Chilies
The most common chilies in Mexico are serrano and jalapeño
and therefore the go-to choice for guacamole. They are both
hot, so chop finely before adding to your guacamole.
onions
The white onion, which has a pure, clean, hot flavor, is most
commonly used in Mexican cooking. You don’t want onion
flavor to overpower the guacamole, so chop it very fine.
Tomatoes
Select ripe but still firm red tomatoes: Italian or plum styles
have the most flavor.
Cilantro
This spice, also called coriander, is widely used in Mexican
cooking and has a strong pungent flavor.
Salt
Flaked sea salt like Maldon adds both flavor and crunch and is
worth the splurge.
The Molcajete
Guacamole Bowl — is the traditional Mexican mortar
and pestle used for making guacamole and salsa.
They are still handmade in Mexico from lava (basalt)
stone. The chilies, onion and salt are first placed in the
molcajete and ground to a paste, then avocados are
chopped in, mixed roughly, allowing small chunks of
avocado to remain and then be served in the molcajete.
Guacamole RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
2 Hass avocados, ripe
1 white onion, very finely chopped
1 small jalapeño, finely chopped (seeded if you want
it milder)
1 small bunch of cilantro, very finely chopped
1 large lime, juiced
1 tomato, ripe, firm and diced
Sea salt
Black pepper (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Scoop out the flesh of the avocados and mash slightly
with a fork.
In a mortar and pestle or traditional molcajete, crush
the onion, jalapeño and cilantro.
Add the avocado and lime juice to the molcajete and
mix it with the rest. Make sure not to over-mix and
blend too smooth.
Add the tomato, salt, pepper and combine gently with
a spoon.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Serve immediately.
using the right Ingredients
While there are many variations, traditional Mexican
guacamole has only six ingredients.:
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