**To preface this…I’m kind of sad that for several days this week, FoodBuzz’s Top 9 included guacamole recipes.  I wrote this last weekend…so I promise I’m not blindly copying content**

I love guacamole.

It’s one of those great party foods that give off the illusion that you’ve put a lot of effort into a nice dish, when really you spent 5 minutes and $5.  I like stuff that easily impresses and is just as easily made.  With its nice colors and easy serving arrangements (guacamole + bowl + chips = done), guac an easy crowd pleaser.  Plus, it’s delicious.

Guacamole is something I have strong opinions on, too; I’ve put my discerning eye on enough versions at restaurants to know where it is and isn’t worth ordering (Bone Garden yes, Nuevo Laredo no) and modeled my personal recipe off of my favorites.

What are my opinions?  I’m so glad you asked.

I think guacamole should not taste predominantly like salt (your chips should add most of the salty flavor).  I think it’s meant to be slightly chunky, not pureed (it has texture!  It’s not baby food pla-pla.).  And I think it should always be accompanied by some other vegetables, specifically tomato, onion, and possibly jalepenos.  And cilantro (the herb, not the singer).

I’m not being picky…I’m just citing what I feel separates the men from the boys.  Of guacamole.

All that to say, here’s my recipe for super-duper guac, but if you like it with more salt, completely pureed, and without any other vegetables, I won’t judge you (not much, anyway).  As usual, the spices are my best estimation…I have a tendency to add spices until things ‘taste right’.

One thing I do want to note, though: I want to stress the importance of using lime juice in your guac.  Lemon juice can always be used in the pinch, but through lots of experimentation, I’ve found that lime is really the final ingredient that pulls everything together.  Without a few squirts of lime juice, the guacamole never quite tastes right.

How do you like your guac?

Super-Duper Guacamole Recipe

Sufficient for a group of 4.  For anything larger group I double the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp minced garlic or garlic powder
• 1/8 cup diced tomato
• 1/8 cup diced red onion
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Instructions:

1. Peel/de-seedify the avocado.
2. Chop avocado into small chunks (~1/4 inch cubes).
3. Gently mash chopped avocado with the back of a fork.  Don’t over-mash unless you want guacamole pla-pla.
4. Mix in the onions, cilantro and all the spices until evenly distributed
5. Mix in the lime juice.
6. Gently mix in the tomato (I do this last do avoid overly-mushing the tomatoes).
7. Serve/eat immediately!

Saving guacamole can be tough to do; it has a tendency to get brown and gross-looking pretty fast.  An easy way to avoid this is to get some plastic wrap and lay it directly on top of the guacamole, sealing as much air away from it as possible.  Vigorously mix it before serving a second time.