All I know is, they're green

April 8, 2006 12:17 PM

Avocados. What do you all like to do with them BESIDES guacamole?
posted by konolia to Food & Drink (60 answers total)

Cut them into salads.
posted by CunningLinguist at 12:28 PM on April 8, 2006

Real simple preparation: avocado, sliced nicely with thin pieces of fresh mozarella and tomatoes and a vinaigrette.
posted by beaucoupkevin at 12:30 PM on April 8, 2006

Spoon out slices of avocado onto toast. Drizzle olive oil and lemon on top and add fresh ground salt and pepper.

I've also heard that avocado milkshakes are really good.
posted by hooray at 12:30 PM on April 8, 2006

Also you can serve them as avocado vinaigrette, a half drizzled in vinaigrette. With or without crab in the indentation.
posted by CunningLinguist at 12:31 PM on April 8, 2006

I serve ripe avocado slices with cream cheese, onion and mushroom omelets. Personally, for this, I like Florida avocados more than the more widely available California Haas varieties, as many Florida versions are larger and sweeter. My omelets have plenty of "heart valve lubricants", already...
posted by paulsc at 12:31 PM on April 8, 2006

Similar to kevin's: slice them into a quesadilla
posted by vacapinta at 12:31 PM on April 8, 2006

They are great in salads (as CunningLinguist said). A nearby restaurant makes an incredible crabmeat and avocado salad. I also usually get avocado in my made-to-order salad from the place downstairs at work.
posted by sueinnyc at 12:32 PM on April 8, 2006

AFAIK, lots of kinds of sushi use it.
posted by ChazB at 12:33 PM on April 8, 2006

Quesadillas with corn tortillas and Jack cheese. mmmmm.
posted by fshgrl at 12:33 PM on April 8, 2006

Ah, I love avacados. I will eat them straight out of the shell w/ a little sea salt, maybe some balsamic vinegar or lemon juice. I'll also cut them up and microwave a little shredded cheese on top w/ tobasco. I'll put them on anything: sandwiches, burgers, salads, burritos, bagels. I just read someone subbing them for cheese in mac and cheese.

There's also a fantastic dip you can make w/ black beans, corn, tomato, jalapenos, avacado, w/ a little salt and pepper, garlic, cilantro and tobasco.

There are some great ideas on the Healthy Food for Lazy People Tribe.. It might require you to register, I'm not sure.
posted by lannanh at 12:35 PM on April 8, 2006

Avocado and bacon sandwich/baguette.
posted by teleskiving at 12:35 PM on April 8, 2006

A recent article about Dan Hoyt, the subway perv, has him mentioning an avacado based chocolate pudding. Haven't tried it but it sounds, um, interesting. Maybe something like this.
posted by StickyCarpet at 12:36 PM on April 8, 2006

alt! avocado, lettuce and tomato sandwich....the most delicious summer treat.
posted by ms.jones at 12:38 PM on April 8, 2006

A sublime sandwich: good, thick bread, avocadoes, brie, tomatoes.
posted by lemur at 12:39 PM on April 8, 2006

They are the essential ingredient for the perfect caviar pie. In a dish layer egg salad, then mashed avocado and top it with a layer of caviar. Serve on blinis or melba toast - perfection.
posted by meerkatty at 12:40 PM on April 8, 2006

I love to half them and eat them with a spoon.
The other night I chopped up some soft tofu, mixed in some pico de gallo, baby shrimps, phony crab bits and avacado pieces. I tossed in soya sauce and a splash of fish sauce.
It was so good, I'll definitely make it again.
I got the idea from Japanese cuisine. I used to get takeout from a joint that had an 'avacado salad' - theirs was less healthy though: mayonnaise, fake crab and avacado served in half the shell.
posted by Radio7 at 12:41 PM on April 8, 2006

From the deli I used to work at in college: The California (bread, shaved turkey, cream cheese, avacado and sprouts).
posted by probablysteve at 12:42 PM on April 8, 2006

i second the idea of cutting them in half and using them as bowls for such tasty morsels as imitation crab meat or shrimp etc.

they also make a great substitute for mayo on pretty much any sandwich.
posted by phil at 12:45 PM on April 8, 2006

Here is a great salad that is a bit different. Avocado slices and Grapefruit sections on a bed of lettuce, dress with vinaigrette.
posted by leafwoman at 12:45 PM on April 8, 2006

Real simple preparation: avocado, sliced nicely with thin pieces of fresh mozarella and tomatoes and a vinaigrette.

right on. but hold the vinaigrette, cook (very al dente) some good penne, put them in the fridge for 5-10 minutes, mix the avocado/mozzarella/cherry tomatoes in, and serve as a nice pasta fredda summer dish
posted by matteo at 12:51 PM on April 8, 2006 [1 favorite]

(add olive oil and green ground pepper to taste)
posted by matteo at 12:52 PM on April 8, 2006

1. Put them in with chedder cheese and purple onion in your grill cheese sandwich.

2. Make the best carrot soup you've ever tasted:

- 3 cups of carrot juice (buy pre-juiced carrots at the grocery store or health food store or juice yer own)
- 1 small, ripe avocado
- 1/3 cup coconut meat/flesh
- 1/4 lime juice
- 2 tbs of agave nectar (about $2.50 a bottle at health food store)
- 1/2 tbs minced ginger
- 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp sea salt

A) Put everything in a blender and puree until completely smooth. Taste for seasoning.

B) Garnish with a few cilantro leaves (optional).

This soup is terrific.

And yes, it's a raw soup, to be served at room temperature.
posted by dobbs at 1:01 PM on April 8, 2006 [3 favorites]

Mmm... avocado shakes. And there's always avocado ice cream.
posted by vespertine at 1:10 PM on April 8, 2006

Seconding the sushi suggestion: this sashimi and avocado rice bowl is quick, easy, and one of my favorite recipes.
posted by komilnefopa at 1:11 PM on April 8, 2006

There's this avocado based milk-shake like beverage I have had at several vietnamese restaurants. It is soooo good.

A google for "avocado milkshake" finds numerous recipes.
posted by Matt Oneiros at 1:17 PM on April 8, 2006

In Brazil, avocados are eaten like any other fruit. My friends here have trouble understanding guacamole. Creme de abacate is probably the most common preparation.

In Japan, my host mother bought me an avocado to make me feel more at home. They didn't like the flavor, but decided that with a little soy sauce it tasted just like sea urchin. It wasn't have bad.

My personal favorite would be a sandwich with chicken breast, roasted red pepper, avocado and alfalfa sprouts.
posted by wallaby at 1:20 PM on April 8, 2006

Grilled Avocados

1. Peel, pit and halve the avocados
2. Brush 'em with some extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar
3. Lay them face down on a hot open grill for a minute or so. Flip and cook for another minute (You can cook them for longer, until there are grill marks on them and the Balsamic Vinegar caramelizes)
4. Remove from grill and shave Parmesan over them while they are still warm.
posted by wannabehippie at 1:27 PM on April 8, 2006 [1 favorite]

I once had avocado tempura at Nobu, it was the best thing I had ever tasted.
posted by lannanh at 1:38 PM on April 8, 2006

Previously asked. (That predated the tagging system, so I just added the avocado tag now).
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:48 PM on April 8, 2006

I add the avocado with ricotta cheese dill and pepper, mix it all up, until you get a nice "peppermint green colour". Layout some smoked salmon flat put a couple of teaspoons of the mixture on the salmon and roll up the salmon, a toothpick will keep the roll tight.
posted by Chimp at 2:10 PM on April 8, 2006

Oh, and here's a little tip for opening an avocado: once you've cut it in half and twisted the two halves apart, swing the blade of your knife into the pit, rotate and lift. Pit comes out clean, hole is nice and pretty, and you got nothing on your hands. (Scrape the pit off the knife--no need to use your hands.)
posted by dobbs at 2:27 PM on April 8, 2006

Good Eats recently had an episode on alternative uses for avocados. The fan page here lists avocado compound butter, avocado ice cream, and avocado butter frosting. The page links back to the original recipes and to their own transcript of the show.
posted by rosemere at 2:45 PM on April 8, 2006

I've made avocado ice cream from a recipe very similar to that in rosemere's link. It's so very, very, very worthwhile. Use the softest, ripest avocados you can find.
posted by bonehead at 2:53 PM on April 8, 2006

Cooked black beans, chopped tomatoes, chopped avocado, finely chopped onion, chopped parsley or (if you don't find it revolting--I do) cilantro, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix and eat on crackers!
posted by needs more cowbell at 2:57 PM on April 8, 2006

A few slices of avocado transforms a BLT into a thing of beauty.

For a great salad dressing, take half an avocado, olive oil, white wine vinegar, a dash of lime juice, and salt and pepper and mash it all up until it's smooth. Tastes great on a bed of leafy green lettuce and grilled shrimp (I coat shrimp in the shell with olive oil, dill, and black pepper and grill them up).

I also like to toss chunks into a fruit salad- usually just apple slices, red grapes, and peices of pear.

My family's gotten to the point where we eat avocado with just about anything. Steak, chicken, seafood... we'll always have a plate of slices of avocado and limes handy. I'd recommend just putting a plate of 'em on a table next time you're cooking fancy and letting the magic happen.
posted by kryptondog at 3:10 PM on April 8, 2006

Response by poster: Wow....thanks everybody (you can keep the ideas coming of course..) I do have to admit that avocado ice cream does seem a bit ...alternative.

The only avocado I'd had before last week was in overprocessed guacamole and restaurant sushi-I bought one last week (it was extremely ripe) and put it on the best sandwich I've ever made myself.

Now, I'm hungry.
posted by konolia at 3:23 PM on April 8, 2006

Yeah, definitely avoid the store-bought guacamole. I've never tried one that was tasty, and I've tried quite a few. I don't know if it's the concentrated lime juice or the preservatives or what- it just always has a weird tang to it that's not good. A few avocados, a lime, a bowl and a fork are all you need to make good guac. Well, and a knife to cut everything up and a spoon to get the avocado out, but I digress. I'd throw in some diced tomato and some minced jalepeno too.
posted by kryptondog at 3:28 PM on April 8, 2006

I stuff whole trout with a mixture of avocado, lime juice, cilantro, and cashews. Looks like hell coming out (try to pile it into a polite mound and then put the trout on top when plating) but tastes great!
posted by crazycanuck at 3:47 PM on April 8, 2006

One of my best food experiences ever was at a Balinese restaurant, where they served a sliced half of avocado in a delicate peanut and coconut sauce. Bliss... but really, avocado? Mash it on bread. Repeat.
posted by pompomtom at 4:02 PM on April 8, 2006

spread on bread like butter or dolloped in lumps into salads, mainly. they're also used (here in chile) mased up as a topping for hotdogs - an "italiano" is a hotdog with tomato, mayou and avocado on top (red white, green).

(but in season, they're dirt cheap here, and you can buy them already absolutely ripe if you're lucky).
posted by andrew cooke at 4:05 PM on April 8, 2006

Lime juice and sugar.
posted by Nelson at 4:21 PM on April 8, 2006

Avocado, tomato, cucumber, provolone (cubed), sprouts in a dressing of light mayo, light cream cheese, lime juice & honey in a pita. Excellent!
posted by clarkstonian at 4:24 PM on April 8, 2006

I smush avocado with a spoon and mix in an equal amount of bleu cheese dressing. Best easy salad dressing/sandwich spread in the world. When I get a fresh French bread loaf and I want to make sandwiches with it, this is what I go for.
posted by Juliet Banana at 4:39 PM on April 8, 2006

A few people have mentioned using it in a black bean dip. Here's a stupidly simple recipe:

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 avocado
1/2 cup prepared Mexican-style red salsa
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
1/2 chopped medium tomato
Salt and pepper

1. In a medium bowl, roughly mash the beans with a fork or masher.

2. Halve the avocado lengthwise and gently twist to separate it from the pit. Make lengthwise and crosswise cuts about 1/2 inch apart in the flesh of each half. Scoop the avocado cubes out of the skin, and add them to the beans. Stir in the salsa, parsley or cilantro, and chopped tomato. Salt and pepper to
taste.
posted by Ian A.T. at 5:21 PM on April 8, 2006

Avocado+Honey+CocoaPowder=Vegan Chocolate Pudding! Google around for the recipie, I usually just eyeball and taste-test it.
posted by GilloD at 5:34 PM on April 8, 2006

Try sprinkling garlic salt on it, then just spooning it from the shell. Or mashed on whole wheat bread. But I like it just straight with the garlic salt.
Glad to see other people eat it like this, too--I always feel guilty because it's so fatty.
posted by gg at 5:37 PM on April 8, 2006

Avocado+Honey+CocoaPowder=Vegan Chocolate Pudding! Google around for the recipie, I usually just eyeball and taste-test it.

Honey isn't vegan.
posted by Juliet Banana at 7:05 PM on April 8, 2006

Avocado toast. Mush out onto hot buttered toast, then grind on some salt and pepper and away you go. One of my favourite things.
posted by The Monkey at 8:19 PM on April 8, 2006

I agree with wallaby (also Brazilian). I had an avocado tree on the backyard in childhood, and eating avocado in salads or sandwich is kind of freaky to me (for a comparison, imagine a salad of lettuce, strawberries and vinaigrette, or a sandwich of cheese, bacon and apple).

As a child I've saw people eating it with sugar: take the seed out, and put some sugar on the hole. Eat with a spoon.
As for myself, I didn't eat it, but I took smoothies with milk, banana and avocado. Never ever eaten it like you're describing, and frankly, it weirds me out.
posted by qvantamon at 8:41 PM on April 8, 2006

Oh, yeah, if they are overripe (black on the outside, creamy on the inside) try throwing them on the roof of buses to see them splat (not really, but that's how I really used that avocado tree on my backyard as a child)
posted by qvantamon at 8:44 PM on April 8, 2006

... eating avocado in salads or sandwich is kind of freaky to me (for a comparison, imagine a salad of lettuce, strawberries and vinaigrette, or a sandwich of cheese, bacon and apple).

I've had both of those. They're great.

But I've also had avocados in a more traditional fruit context, and they're great that way, too. Try them in just about any fruit salad recipe -- this one, for example.
posted by Acetylene at 9:08 PM on April 8, 2006

My family always served it sliced with soy sauce when we were kids.
posted by casarkos at 9:13 PM on April 8, 2006 [1 favorite]

Avocado margaritas! Mix up an ordinary batch of frozen margaritas but throw in an avocado before hitting 'blend'. Supreme.
posted by catesbie at 9:14 PM on April 8, 2006

Face mask.
posted by Pigpen at 9:36 PM on April 8, 2006

And if you don't want to make avocado margaritas yourself, you can find them at Curra's in Austiin. Yes, they are delicious.
posted by blackfoot dazy at 11:34 PM on April 8, 2006 [1 favorite]

Big squares of avocado dropped in ice cold gazpacho makes for an otherworldly mixture of texture and tastes.
posted by garbo at 6:00 AM on April 9, 2006

Avocados are my favorite food. After staying with me for a week, a friend once told me that if she had to define me by one thing, it would be avocado. A few of my favorite ways to eat them:

-Take really nice, dense bread (my favorites are sourdough and french), smush half an avocado onto each slice, top with sliced tomato, sliced parmagiano reggiano, and Spike toast. Delicious.(Known by my friends as “Extra Special Toast.”)

-Yummy fresh sandwiches: Take similar bread, or peasant bread, slice, smush half an avocado on, add red bell pepper slices, tomato slices, lots of extra sharp Cabot cheddar, and a few spoonfuls of balsamic vinegar (and some sprouts if you’re into that sort of thing).

-Fish tacos: Grill some talapia or monkfish or cod or other whitefish with some lime and butter. Shred extra sharp Cabot cheddar and some cabbage, slice an avocado or two, throw it all in a corn tortilla with some salsa and cilantro.

-Avocado and chicken (or, if you’re a vegetarian, just avocado) Thai curry with coconut milk.

-Cubed cucumber, diced tomato, avocado, oil, vinegar, pepper.

-ANY salad, fruit or vegetable, is better with some chunks of avocado. Also, chop it up into any homemade salsa.

-As previously mentioned, eat it with a spoon right out of the shell, alone or sprinkled with salt, Spike, or soy sauce.

Oh, I could go on…
posted by samsarah at 6:38 AM on April 9, 2006

Avocado shake with honey

Thinly sliced over pizza hot from the oven

In spaghetti with eggs and hard cheese (something like carbonara)

In a hard-boiled egg sandwich

California maki

posted by rxrfrx at 12:49 PM on April 9, 2006 [1 favorite]

oh, also, in maki or some other rice-combination with Japanese eel.
posted by rxrfrx at 12:50 PM on April 9, 2006

Oh my god. I have to make this:

Avocado, grapefruit and shrimp millefeuille.
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:12 AM on April 10, 2006