Should Some Ingredients Never Be Used in Guacamole?
Few things get people fired up like arguing over what ingredients belong in “real” guacamole.
Getting too hung up on authenticity can be a losing battle. The word guacamole itself comes from the Nahuatl āhuacamolli—ahuacatl means avocado, while molli means sauce. In Mexico, any avocado-based condiment is considered guacamole.
What makes even the wackiest guacamole worthy of consideration is the incredible versatility of avocados. Almost any fruit, vegetable, herb or spice can accentuate the ingredient’s buttery richness. In turn, avocados act as a neutral base to highlight flavors. This makes for endless possibilities for innovative avocado dips, whether you call them guac or not.
There is one thing that everyone agrees on, however. It’s critical that you use perfectly ripe avocados, regardless of your recipe. The best way to tell if an avocado is ripe? Check if it yields to gentle pressure. Skip any with spots that feel almost liquefied underneath.
If you don’t want to bruise every avocado in the store looking for the perfect one, a handy trick is to try flicking off the stem. If it requires any effort, the avocado is underripe. If the stem falls off easily and the area under it is green, the avocado is ripe; if it’s brown, the avocado overripe.
Click through for four recipes for guacamole, from the traditional Mexican preparation to updated riffs on the classic dip.
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Classic Guacamole
California-Style Guacamole
Avocado & Corn Salsa
Avocado-Anchovy Dip
Few things get people fired up like arguing over what ingredients belong in “real” guacamole. Here’s our take on the classic avocado dip.
- ¼ cup minced red onion
- 2 jalapeños, seeded, deveined and minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 2 ripe avocados, halved and pitted
- 1 plum tomato, seeded and diced
- 3 tablespoons minced cilantro
- Salt, to taste
Combine onion, jalapeños and lime juice in bowl. Scoop pulp from avocados, and mash coarsely into onion mixture. Add tomato and cilantro. Salt generously, to taste.
Boutari 2015 Assyrtiko (Santorini)
To pair wine with guacamole and other avocado-based dishes, acidity is key. Choose a bottle with citric crispness that plays to the limes present on most Mexican tables. This wine sings of citrus and minty herbs, with a slightly briny note that’s common to Assyrtiko from Santorini.
In Mexico, guacamole can range from a smooth purée meant for drizzling, to versions chunky with peaches, mangoes and pomegranates. This California-style variation has a few additions you may only find in guac north of the border, but we think you’ll want to return to it again and again.
- 2 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
- ¼ cup canned roasted diced Anaheim chilies (like Ortega)
- ¼ cup minced shallots
- Juice of ½ lemon (about 1½ tablespoons)
- 1 ripe plum tomato, seeded and diced
- 3 tablespoons minced cilantro
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin (preferably fresh-ground cumin seeds)
- Salt, to taste
Mash avocados coarsely in bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Salt to taste.
Rochioli 2016 Estate Grown Sauvignon Blanc (Russian River Valley)
Sauvignon Blanc is always a good choice with guacamole. It possesses enough acidity to power through the rich avocado, along with sympathetic herbal and citrus notes. This Sonoma wine bursts with lemony flavor, while its steely minerality and floral notes mingle seamlessly with California-style guac’s powerful flavors.
Besides being great with chips, this avocado and corn salsa has countless other uses. You can serve it with grilled shrimp or fish, pile it in endive leaves or hollowed-out tomatoes, top hot dogs and burgers with it, or toss into torn butter lettuce for an instant salad.
- 2 ears corn, husked
- 2 ripe avocados, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ red onion, minced
- 2 jalapeños, seeded, deveined and minced
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Bring pot of salted water to boil and add corn. Cook corn for 3 minutes. Rinse under cold water. Dry cobs and cut kernels into bowl. Add remaining ingredients, and combine thoroughly. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Remhoogte 2014 Reserve Honeybunch Chenin Blanc (Simonsberg-Stellenbosch)
This wine’s nose of buttered popcorn makes it a no-brainer with avocado and corn, but its rich fruit and sweet spice also bring out the salsa’s red pepper and basil. Cream and honey are balanced with a limey acidity, which acts like an additional dressing to this salad-like salsa.
This dip is akin to an avocado and anchovy-spiked Green Goddess dressing. It also makes a tasty substitute for plain mayonnaise in egg salad. Try it with veggies as well—it’s a killer dip for crudités.
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled and seeded
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon
- ¼ cup parsley
- 6 anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Blend all ingredients in food processor until almost smooth, with flecks of herbs. (Add salt, if necessary, though the anchovies usually contribute enough.)
Noble Tree 2014 Chalk Hill Estate Chardonnay (Chalk Hill)
Avocado, anchovies and mayonnaise make for one rich dip. This Chardonnay’s brightness helps cut through these heavy ingredients, while the wine’s medium body, gentle oak and nutty flavors ensure it won’t disappear from the tongue right after sipping. Gentle anise notes in the wine echo and enhance the tarragon in the dip.
1Classic Guacamole
2California-Style Guacamole
3Avocado & Corn Salsa
4Avocado-Anchovy Dip
A fan of sweet wines, sour beers, and old-school Rioja, Bernstein is an exhaustive traveler in search of new and unsung chefs and restaurants, innovative wine and food pairings, and eating and drinking at the source. In addition to Wine Enthusiast, Bernstein has written for Bon Appetit, Men’s Journal, New York Times, Men’s Fitness, Hemispheres, and Kinfolk, among others.
Email: nbernstein@wineenthusiast.net