Cinco de Mayo is the perfect time of year to celebrate with your own fun fiesta. Serve your tacos and burritos with a side of guacamole.
Skip the store-bought guac this year and make your own. All you really need to make guacamole is a few avocados, some salt and a little splash of acidity. But the real trick to making excellent guacamole is using ripe avocados.
Here is the absolute best recipe that will keep guests coming back for more.
4 ripe avocados
½ cup minced red onion
1-2 medium tomatoes, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
3-4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
2 limes, juice squeezed
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Pepper to taste
Tips for using avocados:
When ripe, the avocado is almost entirely black in color. Avocados with darker green-to-black skin colors are likely riper than those with with lighter skins.
To check for ripeness, gently press the outside of the avocado. It there is no give, it’s not ripe yet. It there is a little give, the avocado is ripe. If there is a lot of give, it’s likely past ripe and not good.
You shouldn’t refrigerate avocados if you want them to be perfectly ripe and delicious. But if they are ripe and you’re not quite ready to use them, put them in the refrigerator to prevent them from going bad.
If you have a too-green avocado and need it to ripen faster, put the avocado in a paper bag or wrap it in newspaper with a banana to speed up the ripening process.
To check the ripeness of your avocados at home, try to flick off the stem and look underneath. If it doesn’t come off, it’s not ready. If it comes off easily, check the color underneath. If under the stem is brown, the avocado is overripe. If it’s a bright yellow-green color, it’s ripe and ready to be eaten
When opening an avocado, chefs recommend slicing the skin around the fruit vertically to create two halves. Then quickly chop the blade of the knife into the pit and twist it genty to remove it cleanly from the flesh.
