By far, the hardest part about making the Best Guacamole You’ve Ever Tasted is choosing the right avocados. It really comes down to two questions—ones you might not normally think to ask yourself:
- Are you planning on making guac today or in a few days?
- What happens when you gently squeeze the avocado?
If you’re shopping for guacamole to make tonight (because really, why would you wait to make guac?!), you want to use avocados that are a little springy when you squeeze them. It shouldn’t squish—like your finger’s about to smash through—but it should have some give to it. These avocados are typically a very dark green that’s almost eggplant purple, but sometimes they can be lighter in color.
If you’ve got a few days, it’s best to go with a brighter green avocado that has less give to it when squeezed. That way it can ripen at home, so you’re not stuck with brown, baby food-colored guac to serve later.
I know, I know — the avocado-selecting process can easily veer into existential breakdown territory:
“Is this TOO squishy?”
“What’s squishy, anyway?”
“What’s squishy to me may not be squishy to you, so how do we ever know if we’re on the right track?”
“What does it all mean?!”
“That’s it. I’m going to Chipotle.”
Don’t let that be you. I know avocados are expensive as heck. I know you don’t want to screw this up. You won’t. Just avoid the bright green avocados that look like they were just plucked from the tree this morning, and the shriveled black ones that are dented and you’ll be fine.
Plus, it’s a great excuse to keep making guac: The more you make it, the more familiar you’ll become with avocado-buying, and before you know it, you’ll be a total pro!
And, the more you make this, the more the recipe becomes your own. You’ll add a pinch of this or tweak that, and people will bow to you far and wide as the guacamole master.
- 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves (tear 'em off the stems)
- ½ white onion, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño, deseeded and minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large ripe Haas avocados
- 1 small plum tomato, diced
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- Add a spoonful of the cilantro, onion, minced jalapeño and salt in a bowl (a regular old cereal bowl will do) and use the back of a spoon to mash 'em all together.
- Slice the avocados in half, remove the giant seed in the middle, and use a spoon to scoop out the avocado flesh. (If the avocado's a little brownish in spots, don't worry—it browns like apples do when they're oxidized.) Add the avocado to the bowl and mash it all up until the avocado has formed more of a paste. Some chunks are totally fine!
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients and serve.
[…] Pile on a hearty scoop of Dos Caminos-inspired, extra-flavorful guacamole […]