Chunky Avocado Salsa

Whether it is for a Cinco de Mayo celebration or just a simple summer picnic, who doesn’t love a bit of guacamole and some salsa to make the gathering complete. Well, how about a salsa-guacamole hybrid? What’s not to love about the fresh, bright flavors of a salsa-guacamole combo?

There are some of us that have very strong opinions about what they like in their guacamole. Should there be onions? If so, should they be red or white? Should tomatoes or garlic be included? This is serious thought provoking stuff here – a great guac debate can ensue over these hotbed topics.

When you deconstruct the dip into a chunky salsa there tends not to be any hard and fast rules. With this in mind, one can incorporate all the flavors you like into the guacamole (for example Kyle tends to prefer an unseemly amount of lime) without upsetting the purists. In Kyle’s salsas, he uses grape tomatoes, as they tend to produce less liquid than other tomatoes. This yields a salsa that isn’t soggy and dripping in tomato juice.

Now be calm – Kyle does NOT like to use raw onions in his guacamole or salsa. Before you get all onion-angered, know that he found a solution. The genius alternative came from the Zahav Cookbook. In  Michael Solomnov’s hummus recipe he marinates the raw garlic in lemon juice. This process actually “cooks” the garlic. Kyle decided to use this same technique for the salsa; he let the onion and jalapeno bathe in the lime juice for 10 minutes. This curbed their pungent flavor. Now everybody wins!!

This marinating process now gives the salsa the flavor of the onion without the harsh bite. When it comes to this recipe, one jalapeno produces a mild flavor, but feel free to add another pepper if more heat is your thing.

Kyle likes to add a crumble of cheese and an extra squeeze of lime juice. Using feta can be a great alternative to the more traditional -yet elusive- cotija cheese.

This avocado salsa is a great jumping off point for a recipe. It allows you to make it your own, you can adjust the proportions of ingredients to your taste.

Whether you are entertaining or just having a movie night at home you can serve this chunky avocado salsa with a big bowl of tortilla chips. Need gluten free chips? Wouldn’t you know it, we have a recipe for GF tortillas!

An icy margarita (or Paloma!) would be the perfect partner for this delicious snack (and in my case, sometimes a meal – don’t judge!). Enjoy!!

Chunky Avocado Salsa

 

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Ingredients

• ½ medium red onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered (cut the larger tomatoes into eighths)
• 2 avocados, pitted and diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 or 2 tablespoons cotija cheese, for garnish (optional- feta works great as a substitute)

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine red onion, jalapeno and lime juice. Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, avocados, and cilantro and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with extra cilantro and some crumbled cheese, if desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

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