Simple Guacamole
Updated March 5, 2024
- Total Time
- 10 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ½cup finely chopped white onion (from 1 small onion)
- 2tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)
- Salt and black pepper
- 1jalapeño
- 2ripe avocados
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
173 calories; 15 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 307 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a medium bowl, combine the onion and lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Let that sit as you chop the jalapeño.
- Step 2
Cut the hard stem end off of the jalapeño and discard, then slice the chile in half lengthwise. If you don’t want the spice, use your knife or a spoon to remove the inner seeds and white membrane (this is where most of the chile’s heat resides). If you enjoy the heat, then leave all of that in. Chop the jalapeño as finely as you can and add to the bowl with the onion and lime juice. Be sure to wash your hands very well with soap after handling spicy chiles like jalapeños, and whatever you do, do not touch your eyes after handling them.
- Step 3
Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and pull the halves apart. You can use your knife to pit the avocados, but a safer way is to hold the avocado half in one hand so that your thumb is touching the skin side where the pit is and your index and middle fingers are touching the flesh side around the pit. Gently press your fingers into each other to pop the pit out; with a ripe avocado, it should come out very easily. Use your hands to squeeze the avocado flesh out into the bowl with the other ingredients, or scoop it out with a spoon.
- Step 4
Using a fork, gently mash the avocados against the side of the bowl until they are mashed to your desired consistency, then stir them into the other ingredients until well combined. Taste and add more salt if desired.
- Step 5
Contrary to popular belief, adding avocado pits to guacamole does nothing to prevent oxidation, but if you press a good layer of plastic wrap or parchment paper directly over the guacamole and store it in the refrigerator, it will keep well for up to 2 days.
Private Notes
Comments
One super important lesson in order to make this a successful endeavor is knowing how to pick a ripe avocado. Look for darker skin and press ever so gently with your thumb. If there is no give at all, it’s not ripe. If it squishes in, it’s too ripe. Find one that feels a little firm but gives slightly as you push. Oh! And if you have some unripe avocados on your kitchen counter, wait until they give slightly, then put them in the fridge. They’ll stay the perfect ripeness for a few days that way.
This recipe is going to be flat, with or without the Cilantro (best with.) Add 1 clove of garlic per avocado, minced, & mashed into a paste with the salt & pepper; 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground Cumin; use red onions, and lemon juice instead of lime. I like La Victoria Green Jalapeño (and Tomatillo) salsa, hot, if you can find it, instead of a chopped Jalapeño pepper. Also fold in a couple of fresh tomato slices, diced, after the rest is mashed. People tell me it's the best guacamole they ever ate.
It does not need any cilantro for those of us that are totally cilantro averse. Nice to have a recipe like this that recognizes not all diners love cilantro.
Be aware: “Squishing” (testing) avocados in the store results in lots of bruised avocados that often aren’t discovered until the buyer starts to make guacamole. Better to learn how to ripen by putting avocados in paper bag or retard ripening by putting in the fridge.
When I cooked in the Mexican restaurant 50 years ago, one of the first things the chef told me was to wash my hands before going to the restroom after chopping peppers.
My version is much simpler. Take one or two ripe avocados, cut in 1/4’s. Pit comes out safely, and skin peels right off. Put pieces in a zipper sandwich bag. About 2 tsp Tajin brand chili-lime seasoning on the avocado wedges. Close the bag removing as much air as you can. Squeeze the bag to mix it all together. Make a small cut on the corner and squeeze right onto tacos or whatever you are eating.
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