Guacamole
- Howie Bulka
- Jul 26
- 6 min read
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Avocados
Heavy in the hand with a dark and dimpled exterior, a ripe avocado is a thing to behold. Rich and creamy in the mouth with a silken texture, the taste is slightly sweet with earthy vegetable undertones. I love to eat avocados simply out of hand with a pinch of salt or a drizzle of vinaigrette. A sandwich of avocado and Swiss cheese with cucumber, ripe tomato, red onion and a mountain of alfalfa sprout is maybe the best thing ever put between two slices of whole grain bread. Avocado pairs beautifully with so many foods that it is difficult to choose a favorite. They are delicious eaten with canned tuna, slathered onto a bagel with lox, or simply sliced into a cheese omelet. Nothing, however, marries as marvelously with the avocado as a bit of lime, cilantro and red onion in a well-made guacamole; a combination of flavors and textures that transcends its simple ingredients.
It is interesting, if not titillating to note that the word avocado derives from the Aztec word Ahuacuatl, which translates, I kid you not, as testicle tree, so named because the fruit of the tree hung in pairs and bore a resemblance to, well you get the picture. The avocado is native to Mexico, Central America, and South America. The earliest record of its existence dates to the 8th Century BCE. Avocado pits are often found during archaeological digs, buried with the mummified remains. The Aztecs considered avocado, not surprisingly, an aphrodisiac and apparently these early people wanted avocados buried with them so that their amorous qualities might be useful in the afterlife. I might do the same.
Avocado is nearly perfect food. The avocado contains more protein, potassium, magnesium, folic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, pantothenic acid, vitamin E, and vitamin K per ounce than any other fruit. Although the avocado is high in fat and calories, a medium sized avocado has app. 300 calories, the fat is of the heart-healthy monounsaturated type and the calories; well, they’re just worth it. Recently avocados have been recognized as a good source of two beneficial compounds: beta-sitosterol and glutathione. Beta-sitosterol is a widely prescribed anti-cholesterol drug that interferes with cholesterol absorption, thus promoting lower cholesterol levels. Glutathione is made up of three amino acids that function as antioxidants.
Avocados for the California market are grown primarily in California, Florida, Mexico and Chile. There are nearly 500 varieties of avocados but only a few are grown for commercial distribution in California. The most common by far is the Hass variety that accounts for over ninety percent of the avocados sold in California. Not surprisingly the Hass are also the best avocado of the bunch. They have the highest fat content of all the avocado varieties, and I think they have the best flavor. Hass are easily recognizable by their black skins. Almost all the other varieties have lighter colored skin.
Although the avocado matures on the tree, it does not begin to ripen until it is picked. It is best to store avocados at room temperature until they are fully ripened, at which time they can be moved to the refrigerator. A ripe avocado can be kept in the refrigerator for 4 or 5 days but will begin to discolor and lose flavor if kept longer.
Readers have heard me tell tales of my days spent as a restaurant consultant. I have not yet confessed to my days as the self-proclaimed ‘Burrito King’ of the west coast and so I do so here. In the mid-nineties, I spent a lucrative, but emotionally bankrupt period of nearly three years where I was (coincidentally) employed by several burgeoning fast-casual Mexican restaurants (burrito chains) to work on menu and concept development in advance of what they hoped would be a time of ambitious company expansion. Not all of it was wasted time. I learned a lot about traditional Mexican foods and developed an enormous repertoire of recipes that really are very good. Guacamole presents a monumental challenge to the burrito chains where it is a basic ingredient, a must-have menu item. Unfortunately, avocados are squirrelly foods to work with in large volume kitchens. Avocados are basically useless until they are ripe and it is nearly impossible to buy ripe, ready to use avocados in large quantities. Once they are ripe, they have a limited shelf life and once they have been turned into guacamole, they are good for less than a day. There is nothing sadder than day old guacamole. The fruit changes so dramatically in flavor and texture as it ages, both on and off the tree, that writing standardized recipes is maddening.
Avocados at three bucks a piece may not seem like a lot to you and me, but in the world of overstuffed burritos, where a pound of food wrapped in a 12-inch flour tortilla often sells for less than ten dollars, guacamole becomes a food cost killer. The big bad food service industry has lots of tricks up its sleeve when it comes to guacamole options. There are individually quick-frozen avocado halves, frozen avocado pulp, frozen ready-to-serve guacamole, guacamole like alternatives blended with mayonnaise and God knows what else, all intended to reduce the cost per serving. As one might suspect, all these alternatives are bad. Like most things in life there is no substitute for the real thing. Grown in California, Mexico and Chile, avocados have become a ‘forever fruit’, available year-round, but size, ripeness and price will vary. Guacamole is all about good avocados, so choose carefully.
Guacamole for a Group
In my pursuit of a recipe for great guacamole, suitable for service in a busy restaurant, I came up with a simple technique of layering the ingredients in a (standard third) pan until time of service, at which time the ingredients are gently folded together. The ingredients remain distinct, fresh and vibrant even if prepared a day ahead.
Note that this recipe yields a heck of a lot of Guacamole. With chips and salsa, it is sufficient for ten people easily. Cut the avocado into a large dice. Guacamole is a chunky thing, not a puree. As one combines the ingredients the avocado will break down, but there should always be visible chunks of avocado. The second important technique is to mix the ingredients together at the time of service. If the ingredients are combined even an hour before service, the flavors of the onion, cilantro and tomato develop and overwhelm the delicate flavor of the avocado. In my recipe you may note that there is no garlic or chili in the mix. I think of Guacamole as a cooling foil for Mexican food. Save the chili and garlic for a fiery salsa to accompany the guacamole and make it as piquant as you like. Lastly, use good quality tortilla chips or even better fry your own and serve them warm.
As one prepares this recipe the ingredients should be layered in the container in the order noted, bottom to top. This recipe was written for a standard six-inch Third Pan, which you probably don’t have. A medium-sized stainless-steel bowl will work. Thus assembled, the guacamole can be kept for several hours or overnight, refrigerated until serving. At the time of service gently stir the ingredients together until they are well combined, but not perfectly. Remember guacamole is chunky, not smooth puree. Warm tortilla chips, lime wedges and a good salsa are served alongside. A cold Corona always works.
How to Make Guacamole
Howie’s Guacamole for a Group
Yields app. 2 ½ Quarts
4 Pounds (8-10) Avocado
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
3 Each Roma Tomato, ¼ inch dice
1/2 Red Onion, ¼ inch dice
1/2 cup Cilantro, Coarsely Chopped
Halve the avocados.
Remove the pits and the stem nubbin. Use a spoon to scoop the avocado out of the skin. Roughly quarter the scooped avocados.
Place the avocado pieces into a suitable container (see notes above).
Sprinkle salt over the top of the avocado. Do not combine.
Sprinkle the lime juice over the top. Do not combine.
Sprinkle the onion over the top. Do not combine.
Place the tomato in a layer over the top. Do not combine.
Sprinkle the cilantro over the top. Do not combine.
Place plastic wrap onto the surface and refrigerate. Leave the guacamole layered in this fashion until you are ready to place the guacamole onto the table.
At time of service, gently stir the ingredients to combine. Don’t overdo it.
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