Fresh Guacamole
Creamy avocado mashed with lime, onion and cilantro. Ten minutes, one bowl, and it beats any store-bought dip. The name comes from the Aztec ahuacamolli, which simply means avocado sauce, and versions of it have been made in central Mexico for centuries. Ripe avocado, sharp lime and a little raw onion are the whole idea — the only real skill is seasoning it hard enough that it tastes bright rather than flat.
Prep time10 min
Cook time0 min
Total time10 min
Servings4 servings
DifficultyEasy
Ingredients
- 3 ripe avocados
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 small tomato, diced
- 1 small handful cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Optional: 1 jalapeño, minced
Instructions
- 1Pick avocados that give slightly when you press near the stem end. Halve them, twist out the pit, and scoop the flesh into a bowl with a spoon.
- 2Squeeze in the lime juice straight away and turn the flesh over in it. The acid slows the browning that begins the moment an avocado is cut open.
- 3Mash with a fork and stop while there are still plenty of lumps. A fork leaves texture; a food processor turns the whole bowl into purée.
- 4Fold in the red onion, tomato and cilantro with a spoon rather than mashing them into the avocado.
- 5Add the salt and stir again, then taste before deciding it is finished — under-salted guacamole tastes like nothing.
- 6Stir in the jalapeño now if you want heat, mixing it through evenly so no single bite catches all of it.
- 7Correct the seasoning: more lime for brightness, more salt to make the avocado taste more like itself.
- 8Serve straight away with tortilla chips, or spoon it over tacos, fried eggs or grilled meat.
Tips
- To keep it green, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface.
- A squeeze of lime at the start also slows browning.
- Ripe avocados should yield gently when pressed — buy them a day ahead.
- If your avocados are rock hard, drop them in a paper bag with a banana for a day; the ethylene gas speeds ripening considerably.
- Guacamole itself does not freeze well because the tomato and onion go watery, but plain mashed avocado does. Freeze it with the lime juice and fold in the rest after thawing.
