This flame-roasted Jalapeño approach to guacamole was made with spicy food lovers mind. Texture plays an important role using finely chopped white onion, while the absence of tomatoes eliminates the “slime” factor that I can’t stand in many guacamole recipes. Most importantly, using a pastry cutter to mash everything achieves a chunky texture, so it doesn’t turn out like baby food. Finally, an abundance of lime juice cools things down and balances out the spiciness.
Finding ripe avocados year-round can be a challenge, but there is a trick … and not the popular method of storing them in a paper bag to speed up ripening. Skip all of that drama and seek out avocados at a Mexican grocery store. By “grocery store”, I don’t mean a large mainstream-looking supermarket. Instead, look for small “bodegas” (or corner stores) that look more like a convenience store. Many times Mexican markets have awesomely ripe avocados in a basket near the cash register. And if not, the worker might pull one out from behind the counter if you ask nicely. Mexican markets take their avocados super seriously, and they clearly know how to source great avocados all year long. Because of this availability, you can make good-quality guacamole even in the off-season.
Another trick I implement here is the order in which I mix things. First, squeeze the heck out of all the limes to extract the juice. Then add the salt, garlic, and roasted Jalapeño mash and let that mixture rest for a little while. Doing it this way creates a thoroughly seasoned base of which to mash everything into. Conversely, when you dump everything into the bowl at once and start mashing, the flavors don’t get distributed as thoroughly as my trick.
How to store guacamole
Guacamole is infamously known for turning brown very quickly. To combat this, store your guac in the fridge with the pits. This trick will not eliminate browning, but will slow it down substantially. The other simple solution to avoid oxidation is to make less in the first place.
Here’s how you store your guacamole so it stays green for a longer time period.
In this first step, the lime juice mixes with the base ingredients to create a tangy, spicy canvas of flavor.
Roasted Jalapeño Guacamole
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 2 Hass avocados
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- pinch of chili powder (optional)
Instructions
- On a gas stove, place Jalapeño pepper directly on an open flame. As it blisters and turns black, rotate and repeat until the entire surface is charred all the way around. Remove from heat, let cool for one minute. Peel off charred skin with your fingers, it’s okay if a little black is smeared on the pepper. Remove the tips of pepper along with seeds and most of the inner ribs. I tend to keep some of the inner ribs because they can deliver some heat without having to deal with biting into a seed.
- Crush garlic clove with ½ teaspoon kosher salt to a paste-like consistency. I recommend using mortar and pestle but you can also use the side of a knife blade and mince it with a knife. Finely chop prepared jalapeño, white onion and cilantro. Transfer garlic, jalapeño, onion and cilantro to a medium bowl. Add lime juice and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and stir thoroughly. This is acts as a base to season your avocados.
- Loosely cut avocados into cubes and thoroughly stir into prepared mixture. Using pastry blender, break down avocados until desired texture is achieved. You could use a fork if needed.
Yield: About 2 cups.
