Tableside Molcajete Guacamole with Charred Serrano

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The guacamole that gets made in front of you at the table, rebuilt for a home kitchen: a salty, limey chile-onion paste pounded first so the seasoning actually dissolves, a dry-charred serrano for smoke, and avocado folded in at the very end so it stays chunky. Twelve minutes, one bowl, no food processor.

Ingredients

• 1 serrano chile
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled
• 1/3 cup white onion, finely diced (about 1/2 small onion)
• 1/3 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 1 1/2 limes)

• 3 ripe Hass avocados (about 1 1/2 lb total)
• 1 small ripe Roma tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (optional, for gloss)

• 2 tbsp crumbled queso fresco or cotija
• 1 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• lime wedges
• flaky sea salt
• 1 bag thick tortilla chips, or jicama and cucumber sticks

Instructions

1. Heat a dry cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high for 3 minutes, until a drop of water skitters. Add the whole serrano and the peeled garlic clove and dry-toast, turning every 45 seconds, for 4 to 5 minutes total: the chile should be blistered and blackened in patches and slightly softened, the garlic browned in spots. Pull them out and let cool 3 minutes. If you also want toasted pepitas, toss them in the hot skillet off the heat for 60 seconds, shaking constantly, then set aside.
2. Stem the charred serrano and mince it finely, seeds and all for full heat, or scrape the seeds and white pith out first for a mild version. Mince the garlic.
3. Put the minced serrano, garlic, half the diced white onion, half the cilantro, and 3/4 tsp kosher salt in the bottom of a molcajete or a sturdy medium bowl. Grind with the pestle, or mash and drag with the back of a fork, for about 60 seconds until you have a wet, rough green paste and the salt has dissolved. This is the step that makes tableside guacamole taste seasoned all the way through. Stir in the lime juice.
4. Halve the avocados, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh into the bowl in large spoonfuls. Rather than mashing, fold and press with the pestle or a fork just 8 to 10 times, rotating the bowl, until about half the avocado is creamy and half is still in 1/2-inch chunks. Stop early; it will loosen as you stir in the rest.
5. Fold in the remaining onion, the remaining cilantro, the diced tomato, and the olive oil if using. Taste on an actual chip, not a spoon, then adjust: another pinch of salt if it tastes flat, another squeeze of lime if it tastes heavy.
6. Smooth the top lightly, then scatter over the queso fresco, toasted pepitas, and a pinch of flaky salt. Serve immediately in the molcajete or bowl with lime wedges, thick tortilla chips, and jicama or cucumber sticks.
7. If you must hold it, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface so there is no air gap and refrigerate up to 4 hours; stir and re-season with a little lime and salt before serving.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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