Salsa Asada de Molcajete y Guacamole Rústico
Salsa Asada de Molcajete y Guacamole Rústico
La Despensa y El Comal
Drop supermarket Roma tomatoes onto a dry cast-iron skillet. Don't be afraid to burn the vegetables on your cast iron until the skins blister; that blackened skin provides the bitter smoke needed to cut the avocado's fat. Because regional technique dictates that tomatoes have no business near a good avocado—they just water down the fat—forget the pale green slush in plastic tubs and instead crush the fruit against the rough basalt of the molcajete; that heavy friction builds a chunky base studded with spiced pepitas (to mimic the traditional crunch of toasted grasshoppers) before the stone handles the rest.
Before you start
Toast the pepitas.
In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the pepitas in the avocado oil until they pop and turn golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Toss with the smoked paprika and a pinch of salt, then set aside to cool. This mimics the umami crunch of traditional Oaxacan grasshoppers.
Ingredients
- Roma tomatoes4 med
- Serrano peppers4 med
- white onion1 med
- garlic2 large cloves
- coarse sea salt1 tsp
- fresh cilantro1/2 cup
- Hass avocados3 large
- raw pepitas1/4 cup
- avocado oil1/2 tsp
- smoked paprika1/4 tsp
- lime1 med
Method
- 01
Blister the salsa vegetables on a dry skillet.
Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Place the tomatoes, the two whole serranos, the thick onion slice, and the unpeeled garlic directly on the hot metal.
- 02
Let the skins blacken without fear.
Turn occasionally with tongs. Pull the garlic after 5 to 8 minutes once it softens. Keep roasting the tomatoes, onion, and chiles for 15 to 20 minutes until deeply blistered and black in spots. Do not peel those black skins off—that is where the complex, smoky flavor lives.
- 03
Grind the aromatics into a paste.
Peel the roasted garlic and pull the stems off the chiles. In a molcajete, grind the garlic and half a teaspoon of the coarse salt into a smooth paste. Crush in the roasted chiles, followed by the charred onion.
- 04
Gently crush the tomatoes.
Add the charred tomatoes one at a time, mashing gently so the salsa retains a rustic, chunky texture rather than turning into a smoothie. Stir in half of the chopped cilantro by hand.
- 05
Build the guacamole base.
In a separate large bowl or clean molcajete, use the back of a fork to lightly mash the minced onion, minced serranos, remaining cilantro, and remaining half teaspoon of salt to release their oils.
- 06
Mash the avocado, but keep it chunky.
Scoop the avocado flesh into the bowl and mash gently. Stop mashing before you think you should; it must have texture. Fold in the lime juice, taste for salt, and generously scatter the spiced pepitas over the top just before serving.
Notes
The food processor hack.
If you don't have a molcajete, do not just toss everything into a blender. Pulse the roasted garlic, salt, and roasted chiles 5 times. Add the onion and pulse 3 times. Add the tomatoes and pulse only twice. You want chunks, not a puree.
No tomatoes in the guacamole.
Generic recipes load guacamole with diced tomatoes, which water down the rich, buttery fat of the avocado and mute its flavor. Keep them out.
From Cook Oaxacan in America.