My recipe for guacamole calls for avocado, lemon or lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper.
Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com
Avocados. They are the true reason I could never be a real locavore. Avocados are just fatty enough to be satisfying and just healthy enough to make me feel good about eating them. They're good for your skin and hair and can help lower your bad cholesterol levels and raise the good cholesterol.
The best way to eat an avocado, of course, is as guacamole. We can thank the Aztecs in the 1500s for the first guacamole recipe.
According to Wikipedia, the original guacamole recipe calls for mashing avocados, lime juice and salt together with a mortar and pestle.
Over the years, my approach to guacamole has slowly evolved from a complicated recipe involving red onions, coriander, garlic and tomatoes to a very simple combination of avocado, lemon juice (or lime), fresh cilantro, salt and pepper. I found that the onions and tomato could make the guacamole unpredictably more runny, and I preferred the simpler recipe that called more attention to the flavor of the avocado.
Edward Vielmetti weighs an avocado before concocting his "lazy man's guacamole" for the AnnArbor.com Community Team.
Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com
It turns out I'm not alone in my guacamole obsession here in the AnnArbor.com offices, but each of us has our own spin on the recipe. Community Director
Stefanie Murray counts it as one of her specialties, but insists that it's not guacamole if it doesn't have red onion and tomatoes. Education reporter
David Jesse fancies himself something of a guacamole connoisseur, but his recipe relies on "various and sundry hot sauces" to give it a kick.
Lead Blogger Edward Vielmetti calls his recipe "the lazy man's guacamole," a technique that he demonstrated for me yesterday afternoon. It is pretty simple: mix equal parts fresh salsa and mashed avocado. If you choose your salsas well (and he did) this can be an easy and refreshing snack.
How do you make guacamole? Is your recipe simple or complex? Is there a restaurant in town that you think makes extraordinary guacamole? Weigh in below!
Jessica Webster leads the Food & Drink section for the AnnArbor.com community team. She remembers that you have to alternate the letters "a" and "o" to spell avocado. You can reach her at JessicaWebster@AnnArbor.com.
Comments
montyman
Sat, Jun 5, 2010 : 8:54 p.m.
I've always said that shadowriderhope. The only place to find perfect avocados is Dos Hermanos. And with perfect avocados, who needs salsa, tomatoes, or cilantro? Just lime and salt.
shadowriderhope
Sat, Jun 5, 2010 : 1:15 p.m.
Note: best place I've found for ripe avos is at Dos Hermanos market on Michigan Ave at Hamilton in Ypsilanti (http://www.yelp.com/biz/dos-hermanos-market-ypsilanti). I'm also a believer in very basic guac - fresh avo, coarse sea salt, lime juice. :)
Renee
Sat, Jun 5, 2010 : 1:10 p.m.
@Vivienne-Thanks for the clarification--I've never seen this salsa before so I didn't recognize it in the picture. I'll look for it at the local stores and give it a try.
goodthoughts
Sat, Jun 5, 2010 : 8:42 a.m.
Love guacamole. In fact came home from work Friday to two ripe Avocados and thought wow I should use those, before I saw this article, what timing. But all I had were green onions and finely chopped they tasted wonderful, nice, mild, kind of fresh. But I agree with many of you here, lime and salt are the key ingredients, everything else is for fun.
casmom
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 9:12 p.m.
Make fresh salsa...so easy!Mash a couple of avacado and let them make love. I add extra lime to prevent it from getting brown and because I like lime. Why do it any other way? 2 healthy snacks and very little work.
montyman
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 9:02 p.m.
Avocado, lime juice, and salt to taste. That's all you need.
robyn
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 6:35 p.m.
3 Av's - two mashed and one chopped. Fresh Lemon Juice - about 1-2 tbs. Chopped Green Onion Chopped Cilantro (about a tbs) Chopped Parsley "" "" "" Coarse Ground Sea Salt Coarse Ground Pepper A Small Garlic Clove Crushed (just one 'leaf') Softened Cream Cheese - about a half a package. Fold the cream Cheese in with the two mashed Avacados, then just stir in the rest of the ingredience along with the 'chunks' of Avacado. Best way to eat it aside from dipping chips - toast a couple of pieces of Pumpernickle/Rye Marble Bread, spread on the Guac, add some thinly sliced red onion (or sweet onion if the red onions are too 'oniony'), thinly sliced tomato, lettuce and some alfalfa sprouts, salt and pepper (my DH likes a bit of Philly spread on it too)... And ya got a really good sandwich. Great for summer, especially if the Guac and veggies are crisp and cool. My kids will even eat it and I don't have to lie and tell them it came from McDonald's!
Advance Ypsilanti
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 2:24 p.m.
sea salt small onion seeded serrano pepper -- mash above into paste avocados small tomato tbsp cilantro
sandy schopbach
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 2:21 p.m.
P.S. The hard part is getting avocados that are ripe. Often the ones marked "to be eaten today" are still fairly hard. The avocado needs to be soft, not firm, but not soft-in-spots-and-hard-in-others. An unripe avocado has no taste compared to its ripe 'n rich sibling.
sandy schopbach
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 2:19 p.m.
Like you, I use cilantro and lime, no salt, a dash or two of tabasco, some diced tomato - but French-style, i.e. sans the seeds or skin. But you HAVE to put Pedro in or it will turn brown, sometimes even with the lime. Pedro is the pit, and I always put it in the center.
Laura Seagram
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 1:54 p.m.
This recipe is from memory. I usually just eyeball how much sour cream and salsa to add depending on the size of the avocados. Start out less and add to taste. 3 ripe avocados Juice from lime 2-3 Tbs sour cream 2-3 Tbs salsa 2 T chopped cilantro (if desired) 1 tsp seasoned salt Slice the avocados in half, remove pit and scoop out meat into bowl. Mash in lime juice with fork until avocados are blended but still have a chunky consistency. Add the remaining ingredients. Use your favorite salsa, choosing a hot variety if you want a kick in your guac.
Vivienne Armentrout
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 1:15 p.m.
The picture clearly shows that Vielmetti used Ann Arbor Tortilla Factory salsa. This salsa is unusual because it also contains chopped radishes. I stumbled onto his recipe when I added some Arbor Farms salsa to an avocado - but not in equal amounts. Since most handmade salsas contain either lime/lemon juice or vinegar, onion, tomato, hot peppers, and cilantro, this works. My classic recipe is to use lime or lemon juice (lime is best) to marinate some thinly chopped sweet onion (Vidalia type) for a few minutes. (I'd use no more than about 1 tablespoon of chopped onion to one avocado.) Then mash in the ripe avocado and just a dash of garlic salt and two dashes of cayenne. Optional: about 1/2 chopped tomato. I add by taste so that none of the other ingredients are allowed to overwhelm the essential taste of the avocado. I consider cilantro (of which I am very fond) to be overkill. I've never tried using fresh garlic but I'm afraid that it might be too harsh. Another critical point is that the guacamole is best made just before serving. It is prone to oxidation. BTW, just slicing the avocado (arrange the slices in a pretty fan on each plate), moistening with lime juice, and sprinkling a dash of garlic salt or plain salt and a dash of cayenne is also very good as a side salad to be eaten along with food.
Atticus F.
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 12:55 p.m.
@atnaap, does the shot of tequila go into the guac, or into the chef? Sounds like an interesting recipe either way.
djm12652
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 10:35 a.m.
@kdadnick....Best Guac was made tableside in Cabo... avocado cilantro diced tomatoe chopped garlic & onion oil egg crushed dried pepper [not sure if habanero or not but it was hot!] a little cane sugar my server whipped the egg and oil til it looked like a darker mayo then mixed everything with the fork mashed avocado... I've tried to re-create but it's never quite as good as the one my server made...yummmmmmm
Jodee
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 10:21 a.m.
I just wish I could figure out how to stop wasting avocados. They are never ripe so I leave them out on the counter for a few days where they inevitably over-ripen. It seems like such a short window when they are good.
j
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 10:18 a.m.
2 avacados 1 chicken boullion cube chopped onion cut tomatoe pepper Simple and sweet, I'll never forget this recipe
marzan
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 9:55 a.m.
1 avocado 1 small red onion fresh lime juice salt and pepper to taste.
Renee
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 9:52 a.m.
Thanks for the recipes! I've never made guacamole but am very excited to try now. Jessica, you said that Edward Vielmetti chose his salsa well...but what salsa did he use? Thanks!
laurie in ypsi
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 9:28 a.m.
This is a topic near and dear to my heart. My guac is amazing and I was taught how to make it 20 yrs ago by a man from Mexico. The key is simplicity...no fancy stuff...a perfectly ripe avocado (patience is necessary),course salt and lime. That isnt the entire recipe, a girls gotta have her secrets but those are the key compononents. Oh and texture...I dislike quac that has been processed with anything other than a fork. To make authentic quacamole you should be able to do it out in the middle of the woods with no power. Anything else is just fussy.
Colleen
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 9:25 a.m.
Ina Garten's recipe. Gets raves. * 4 ripe Haas avocados * 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon) * 8 dashes hot pepper sauce * 1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion) * 1 large garlic clove, minced * 1 teaspoon kosher salt * 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper * 1 medium tomato, seeded, and small-diced Directions Cut the avocados in 1/2, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. (I use my hands.) Immediately add the lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced. Add the tomatoes. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper.
Foodie01
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 8:30 a.m.
I can eat buckets of guacamole. I like Sabor Latino's guac but it can't live up to what they make at Honeybee Market in Detroit. When I make it, the secret is to paste up garlic with salt, then add it to the avocados with finely chopped red onion, lots of cilantro and a little cumin, and lemon and lime juice. Recently I made an avocado burger topping with shallots instead of onion and it was delish. Kdadnick -- and everyone else -- try topping softly scrambled eggs with crispy bacon, crumbled, and slices of avocado. Yummmm!
theodynus
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 8:15 a.m.
Mashed avocado, finely minced red onions, diced tomato, a shot of tequila, salt, lime or good vinegar, cumin or mustard powder. And a secret weapon: Garlic sauteed in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil per avocado until almost browned. The olive oil makes even not-perfectly-ripe avocados taste rich and creamy and sauteing the garlic mellows the garlic and gets it's flavors nicely distributed.
gobluegal63
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 7:59 a.m.
Ironically, I just made my very first batch ever 2 days ago and I must say it turned out oh so good! 3 avocados peeled and pitted 1/2 cup low fat sour cream 1/4 tsp cilantro 1/4 tsp Basil 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper splash of lemon juice unknown amount of crushed garlic - probably a teaspoon 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt All above ingredients were put in the food processer for a couple minutes. I am a texture person so I wanted it all blended together. I added chopped red peppers after it was pureed for color! :-)
Hmm
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 7:41 a.m.
Gotta have the lime juice that is the key!
kdadnick
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 : 5:46 a.m.
What's my favorite guacamole recipe? Anything without avocados. (Yes, I know...) So sorry - the featured recipe even looks good, but I've never found an avocado recipe that my taste buds will tolerate.