Pico de Gallo and Guacamole
We LOVE Mexican food (as you've probably noticed), and especially love those kings of mid-week feasting, burritos and fajitas. But an often over-looked staple to Mexican dishes is the humble dip. So here, we're showing you how to make two! Guacamole and Pico de Gallo are classics which truly deliver on the minimum effort: maximum taste ratio, and no Mexican feast would be complete without them. We've also included a super simple recipe for making your own homemade baked tortilla chips (bit healthier than the fried shop-bought versions), so everyone can share in the dip 'n chip fun. Guac are you waiting for? (Although if you are, in fact, waiting a long time to eat the guac, keep the bowl closely covered and in the fridge until ready to serve to stop it turning brown).
Serves
Ingredients
For the tortilla crisps
<item-todo-done>1 tbsp vegetable oil - for brushing <item-todo-done><item-todo-done> big pinch sea salt<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> big pinch paprika<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>6 corn tortillas<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> Salt & pepper<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 red chilli<item-todo-done>
For the guacamole
<item-todo-done>10g coriander leaves<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>8 cherry tomatoes<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 lime<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 garlic clove<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 large avocados<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 banana shallot<item-todo-done>
For the pico de gallo
<item-todo-done>30g coriander leaves<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> salt to taste<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 lime<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>6 tomatoes<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 jalapeño chilli<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 banana shallot large<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> Salt & pepper to taste<item-todo-done>
Before you start
Preheat oven to 180˚C | Pastry brush (can use the back of a spoon if needed) | Sieve
Bake your tortilla crisps** **
- Brush the tortillas with oil on both sides, then cut into triangles
- Sprinkle the flaky salt and your seasoning all over
- Bake in a single layer in the oven for around 5-6 minutes until golden and crisp (watch carefully as they can over-bake very quickly, and rotate the sheets around if some pieces are browning quicker than others!)
- Once out of the oven, add a final sprinkling of flaky salt and leave to cool
Make your guac - prep the avocado
- Halve and carefully stone the avocados by lodging the stone firmly with the heel of a knife and pulling out
- Spoon the flesh out of the avocado in chunks, put it in a mixing bowl and mash it lightly with a fork
Make your guac
- Rigorously roll the lime around on the kitchen surface with your palm to help release the juices, halve and squeeze in the juice, then mix well with the avocado (this helps stop the avocado discolouring)
- Peel and finely chop the shallot
- Peel and crush the garlic
- Finely chop the cherry tomatoes
- Finely chop the chilli or add the chilli powder
- Finely dice the coriander leaves and fine stems (no need to pick the individual leaves, just grab your coriander bunch in two hands and pull them apart to separate the top leaves from the long stems)
- Mix everything together and add salt to taste and more lime juice if needed
Make your pico de gallo
- Deseed and dice the tomatoes, add to a bowl with a generous sprinkle of salt and mix well
- Leave to stand while prepping the rest of the ingredients
Make your pico de gallo** **
- Trim, halve, deseed and finely slice the jalapeño
- Peel and finely dice the shallot
- Pick the coriander leaves and roughly chop
- Rigorously roll the lime around on the kitchen surface with your palm, slice it in half and squeeze the juice into a mixing bowl
- Sieve the tomatoes to drain excess juices
- Add the drained tomatoes, chilli, shallot and coriander leaves to the bowl and fold to combine
- Season to taste with salt and more lime juice if needed