In honor of Cinco de Mayo, it seemed appropriate to share a recipe for what I think is the world’s best guacamole. Growing up in the mid-west, I wasn’t really exposed to avocados. We didn’t eat them at home and I don’t even remember ever seeing an avocado in the grocery store. That is until I moved to California.
The avocado is to California what beef is to the Mid-West. Ubiquitous. In LA, you don’t order a BLT. You order a BLT and A. I soon discovered that everything is better with a little avocado — eggs, a turkey sandwich, a sliced tomato salad, your knife — but that the very best thing with avocado is guacamole.
Now, there are dozens of ways to make guacamole. And I’ve tried most of them. In my opinion, this recipe from Fine Cooking is hands down the world’s best guacamole. Consisting of just 5 ingredients, it is the perfect kind of simple. The delicious kind.
The World’s Best Guacamole
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
2T finely chopped white onion
1T minced fresh serrano or jalapeño chili with seeds or more to taste
2 6-7 oz ripe Hass avocados
2t fresh lime juice, more to taste
Using a mortar and pestle or the side of a chef’s knife, mash 1/2 of the cilantro, the onion, the chile and 1/2t kosher salt into a paste. Transfer into your serving bowl.
Half and remove the pits from your avocados. Use a paring knife to score the flesh in a 1/2″ crosshatch pattern, being careful not to cut through the skin. Use a spoon to scoop the avocado into your bowl. Add the remaining cilantro and lime juice and mash the avocado with a fork, leaving it chunky. Taste. You may want to add more lime, salt or chile. It is always a good idea to taste the guacamole with the tortilla chips that you’ll be using. Serve immediately.
NOTE: When choosing avocados, look for ones with dark green, almost black skin that give easily under gentle pressure. And personally, I don’t like to serve this with non-fat tortilla chips. They don’t have enough heft to balance out the guacamole. I prefer the homemade tortilla chips that many grocery stores carry these days. They have the right balance of corn to salt to fat.
