BA’s Best: Guacamole — Some Like It Salty

This is the guacamole people want to hear about. The one laden with enough Mexican-sounding ingredients to seemingly authenticate it. Your next potluck offering or “I’ll bring an appetizer” contribution. Chunky, spicy, textured, and visually appealing.

This guacamole turns out pretty deliciously with or without the best avocadoes possible. It’s a crowd-pleaser. The Notting Hill of the guacamole world. Serve it with freshly-made totopos (but unless you’re Mexican, just call them tortilla chips to avoid being a complete tool) and be the hero of your awkward midday office party.

BA’s Best: Guacamole

Taken directly from BA’s Best arsenal, with the most minor of tweaks here and there

Makes about 2 cups of guacamole

Ingredients:

3 large, ripe Hass avocadoes
¼ white onion, finely diced
1 serrano chile, finely diced (seeds removed if you want to reduce the spice factor)
1 clove of garlic, finely grated with a microplane
2 tbsp freshly-squeezed lime juice + more to taste
1 tsp kosher salt + more to taste
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), dry-toasted in a small pan
Totopos, for serving (see recipe below)

Directions:

Coarsely mash the avocadoes using a potato masher or mortar and pestle. Stir in the onion, chile, garlic, 2 tbsp lime juice, salt, and cilantro. Taste and add more lime juice or salt if needed. Sprinkle pepitas overtop and serve immediately with totopos.

For totopos (tortilla chips), stack and slice 12 small corn tortillas into quarters. Fill a high-sided pan with canola oil to ~ ¼ -inch depth and place over medium-high heat. Test the oil’s readiness by dipping the corner of a tortilla into the oil; it should start to immediately sizzle violently. Cook in single-layer batches until golden, flipping every 30 seconds or so (they will take about 2-4 minutes to crisp up). Use a slotted spoon to lift the totopos onto a paper towel-lined plate. Season with a pinch of sea salt. Serve with pornographic amounts of guacamole and the smug sense of satisfaction that comes from making your own tortilla chips.