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Caution! Cuidado! Do not confuse Salsa de Aguacate, or Avocado Salsa with guacamole!
Have you ever been to an authentic Mexican restaurant?
You know, the kind where you walk in and you wonder if anyone in the place speaks English or you have to point to the picture of your food because the menu is in Spanish?
Chances are they are serving you Salsa de Aguacate and not Guacamole.
Some of my favorite Mexican dishes that go great with Salsa de Aguacate, or Avocado Salsa: Beef Taquitos, Pork Carnitas, and Alambre de Res.
Looks can be deceiving. There is a big difference between the two salsas.
Avocado Salsa Vs. Guacamole
- Avocado Salsa is thinner than guacamole and made with tomatillos.
- Guacamole is made only with avocados.
My best guess is that someone only had one avocado and had to stretch it, and so, they created Salsa de Aguacate.
It’s usually VERY spicy. Taste it first before adding a bunch on your plate.
Otherwise, you might find yourself gulping your Agua de Jamaica or your ice, cold cerveza down faster than you expected.
Other Names for this Salsa:
- Dip de Aguacate
- Avocado Salsa Verde
- Guacamole Taquero
- Tomatillo Guacamole
All of these names are acceptable. To be sure, ask your server what is in it.
My aunt adds a splash of olive oil for texture. Using olive oil does have its advantages. No refrigeration and less worrying whether it sits outside or not is definitely a good thing.
Avocados are very easy to dice. There are kitchen gadgets that can do this for you. However, a regular knife works well too.
The main objection is to get rid of the pit.
More Mexican Salsa Recipes:
Chile Piquin Salsa
Avocado Mango Salsa
Molcajete Salsa Verde
Chile de Arbol Salsa
How to dice an avocado
An avocado is oval-shaped. Look for the longest point and the widest point.
- Cut the avocado in half lengthwise.
- Be sure to cut all the way around.
Do this on a cutting board. It is easier than doing this on a plate.
How to tell if an avocado is ripe?
- Squeeze it gently.
- If there is some firmness but just enough give, then you’re good to go.
If the avocado squeezes easily, it might be bruised on the inside and not good to eat.
If when you squeeze the avocado, it’s hard as a rock, it’s going to take a few days to ripen. For a dinner that’s happening in a few days, this might not be a bad option.
Gently separate the two halves.
- In the meantime, you want the knife to get a hold of the seed.
- You will need to hold the avocado half in your hand and with the other hand tap the avocado seed with your knife.
- Please be very careful. Remove the seed.
See how mine above has a few brown spots? I will be removing those with a spoon before removing the diced avocado from the shell.
- Hold one of the avocado halves down.
- Dice the avocado while still inside the shell.
- Do this to the other side.
Some people save the seed. They say it helps the avocado from turning brown.
Personally, I throw it away, and wrap up any leftover avocado in plastic wrap.
If you are using it in a salsa like I am, you can also add some lemon to it to prevent from turning brown.
- Using a spoon, scoop out the diced avocado.
- Discard the shell.
Very, very easy! You just have to watch your fingers.
From here, you can put the diced avocado in salads or salsas as I am in this recipe for Salsa de Aguacate.
To make avocado slices, simply make long cuts lengthwise. Do not cut across.
History lesson: Aguacate, or avocado, comes from the Aztec meaning “testicle.” I can’t make this stuff up, folks. Look it up on Wikipedia. You’ve gotta have a lot of cajones to make this sauce. 🙂
Salsa de Aguacate, or Avocado Salsa, is spicy and smooth. It’s the perfect topping for grilled Carne Asada or Tamales de Rajas.
This salsa is also great for snacking with veggies or tortilla chips. It is also completely 100% vegan. iProvecho!
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Salsa de Aguacate, or Avocado Salsa
Ingredients
- 3 tomatillos husks removed
- 1/2 onion quartered
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 jalapeño stem removed
- 4 cups of water
- Salt to taste
- Handful of fresh cilantro
- Juice of 2 limes
- 2 avocados pitted
- 1 tablespoon olive oil optional
Instructions
- Add tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeño in a large stock pot.
- Add enough water to cover.
- Bring to a boil.
- Let boil 6-8 minutes, or until tomatillo is soft.
- Turn off stove.
- Add cooked tomatillo, onion,garlic, and jalapeño to a blender along with 1 cup of the water used in boiling.
- Discard the rest of the water.
- Be very careful. It will be very hot.
- With a kitchen towel, blend until smooth.
- Add salt, cilantro, lime juice, avocado.
- Add olive oil or sour cream (if using)
- Blend until smooth.
- Taste for good measure.
- Serve and enjoy!
Hi Maggie, I have a couple of comments! First though, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this salsa…thank you so much fo this recipe! Next, I can’t wait to try your coctel de camarones, but I have to ask you …every time I have had a coctel they are sweet, and that is what I am looking for….how to make the sweet salsa or juice in the coctel….and when making it with clamato it si not the same!! Do you happent to have a recipe that makes a sweet salsa for this coctel? Next…I live in Tijuana and for the life of me I cannot find heavy cream in any Mexican stores here. Do you have any idea what to substitute for heavy cream in Mexico? And last, you make me soooo homesick! I saw all the info about Aldi’s on your blog….do you know if there are any aldi’s groceries in Tijuana?
Thanks Maggie! So happy you shared this recipe with us….I can’t stop eating it….!!!
Hola Maria. I go to Tijuana alllll the time. If you can’t find heavy cream, look for media crema or crema para batir. I know LaLa carries media crema, and I want to say Nestle has it in lata. For sweet coctel de camaron, I’ve never tried this, but this is the first thing that popped into my head. It might sound weird too, but have you tried adding piloncillo? Not too much. Even sugar. Start with just a little bit then add a little more. You know how in spaghetti sauce they sometimes add sugar, same thing here. I hope this helps! Provecho.