Appetizers and Sharables

Origin: North American, Mexican

This Fresh Guacamole recipe comes from the cook book of my father. My dad did not do a lot of the cooking growing up. As a matter of fact his recipe book only contained three recipes: Chili, Bloody Mary's, and this Fresh Guacamole recipe. All three recipes are fantastic and have stood the test of time. This recipe is well worth the minimal effort it takes to make it. Often the most difficult part is trying to decide if you should make a double batch or not!

What is Guacamole? A little history of Guacamole you didn't know you needed

The origins of guacamole stem from South Central Mexico and the Aztec civilization where it was popular for its believed health and aphrodisiacal properties. Even the word avocado is derived from the Aztec word for testicle, due to its appearance and the fact they grow in pairs on the tree (not sure if this really qualifies as an aphrodisiac as well?!?)

The name guacamole is also derived from the Aztec word "Ahuacamolli" which is a compound word combining avocado and sauce. The recent explosion of popularity of avocados has led to an interesting and often tragic back story involving corruption and Mexican drug cartels which we will not go into here, but is fascinating none the less.

Making the Best Fresh Guacamole

Gather your ingredients together.

Slice in half, remove the pit and mash your avocados leaving some smaller chunks. Dice your green onion and tomato.

Add the avocado to a medium sized bowl.

Add ⅓ jar of the salsa, about 5 ounces or a heaping ½ cup. Add a little more if you want it really spicy! My personal preference is to use ¾ a cup of the hot salsa, but add it to your taste. You can always add more if it is not spicy enough. My dads original recipe calls for La Victoria Hot Salsa Ranchera and this has still been our favorite. If you cannot find this at your store you can substitute with your favorite hot salsa.

Stir together with the avocado. Add the chopped green onions and diced tomatoes and mix gently. Add the garlic salt to taste. About ½ to 1 teaspoon of garlic salt is a good starting point.

Move the guacamole to a favorite serving bowl and eat right away.

Serve right away with tortilla chips.

Best Fresh Guacamole is perfect with Carne Asada

Best Way to Preserve Guacamole

If you are not serving this right away or have leftovers there are several methods to try to prevent the guacamole from browning.

1. Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to help preserve. This typically does a fairly good job but does effect the flavor of the guacamole.

2. Tightly press plastic wrap right against the guacamole removing all air between the plastic wrap and the guacamole. This will slow the browning but does not always 100% prevent it.

3. A new method we have not tried but have read about recently involves pouring a thin layer of water on top of the guacamole. When ready to serve, dump out the water. Apparently this methods works very well for a day or two, but after that the guacamole begins to take on some moisture.

This guacamole pairs perfectly with your favorite Mexican or Tex-Mex meals such as our Carne Asada Street Tacos and our Scratch Fire Roasted Chile and Beef Enchiladas. It also works great as an appetizer at your next party.

Thank you so much for visiting our blog. We hope you enjoyed this recipe and will leave us a comment and rating below. Also, don't forget to tag us @Carne_Diem_Culinary and #CarneDiemBlog on Instagram and Facebook. Until next time, Carne Diem!

📖 Recipe