Spicy Guacamole with Serrano Chiles
Two serrano chiles with the ribs left in on one, cumin, cayenne and smoked paprika behind them, and the avocado cut into half-inch chunks with a blunt knife rather than mashed smooth. Fifteen minutes and one bowl.
Ingredients
The Base
- 6 large ripe Hass avocados about 2 pounds
- 3 tablespoons lime juice from about 2 limes, plus more to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more to taste
The Heat and the Mix-ins
- 2 medium serrano chiles minced, ribs left in on one for a hot bowl
- 1/2 cup red onion finely diced, about half a small onion
- 1 large tomato seeded and diced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro packed, stems included
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 10 turns freshly ground black pepper
Equipment
- Wide mixing bowl
- Blunt table knife
- Rubber spatula
Instructions
Mash the Base
- Halve the avocados around the pit, twist the halves apart and lift each pit out with a spoon rather than striking it with a knife blade. Scoop the flesh into a wide bowl.
- Pour the lime juice over the flesh straight away and add the kosher salt. Cut through it with a blunt table knife or the side of a fork until the pieces are about 1/2-inch across, then stop. It will break down further while you fold everything in.
Build the Heat
- Split the serranos lengthwise. Strip the ribs and seeds from one and leave the other intact for a hot bowl, or strip both for a medium one. Mince them finely, then wash your hands and the board, since capsaicin does not rinse off in cold water alone.
- Add the minced chiles, red onion, tomato, cumin, cilantro, smoked paprika, cayenne and black pepper to the bowl.
- Fold everything together with a rubber spatula, turning the bowl as you go rather than stirring hard, until the seasoning is even and there are still visible chunks of avocado.
Taste and Serve
- Taste it on a plain tortilla chip rather than off a spoon. Add lime juice a teaspoon at a time and salt a pinch at a time until the bowl tastes lively rather than heavy.
- Serve straight away, or press plastic wrap flat onto the surface and give it 15 minutes in the refrigerator so the ground spices open up in the fat.
Notes
Setting the heat: the pale ribs inside a chile carry most of the capsaicin, not the seeds. One serrano stripped of ribs is mild, two stripped is medium, and two with the ribs left in on one is hot. Add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne on top of that for very hot.
Do not use a food processor. It emulsifies the fat and mutes both the chile and the lime. A blunt knife drawn through the flesh gives 1/2-inch chunks in about two minutes.
Seed the tomato. The jelly around the seeds is water and it makes the bowl loose within twenty minutes.
Taste on a plain tortilla chip rather than off a spoon. Salted corn changes how the salt and the lime read, and a bowl seasoned off a spoon is almost always underseasoned.
Browning: press plastic wrap flat onto the surface. An avocado pit protects only the circle underneath it.
Storage: 1 day wrapped to the surface, 2 days under a 1/2-inch layer of cold water poured off before serving. Never freeze it.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 370mg | Potassium: 570mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg