Fresh Guacamole

Ingredients

• 2 Hass avocados
• 1/4 medium onion
• 1 small tomato
• cilantro
• 1 lime

Method

Halve the avocados lengthwise, work the knife around the stone, then twist the halves apart. Scoop the flesh into a bowl — you want it to fall cleanly into large chunks rather than scrape it out, which bruises the cells and speeds oxidation. The key to guacamole is managing that oxidation: lime juice acidifies the surface layer, slowing browning, but you're working against time from the moment you cut.

Mash with a fork to your preferred texture. Most cooks split on this: you can leave it chunky with visible avocado pieces, or work it to a near-paste. The chunky version reads better — it shows restraint and respects the fruit. Squeeze the lime over the mash straightaway and fold it through. The citric acid denatures the surface proteins and stops enzymatic browning avocado, though it won't save you if the guacamole sits for more than two hours.

Dice the onion finely — this matters more than precision; you want the pieces small enough that they distribute flavour evenly without announcing themselves as chunks. Mince the cilantro by hand or with a knife; a blender mangles it into a bitter paste. Dice the tomato last, after you've salted it lightly — salt draws out water, and if it sits in the bowl too long before serving, you'll end up with a soggy cold-preparation that waters down the whole thing. Fold everything together gently; you're not trying to homogenise.

Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Most recipes say "to taste" as if seasoning is negotiable — it isn't. Start with half a teaspoon of sea salt and work up. The lime has already provided acidity, so you're balancing umami from the tomato and allium sharpness from the onion. The cilantro should sit at the top of the flavour profile, not buried.

Serve immediately in the bowl you made it in, a thin film of lime juice still visible on the surface. Cold mexican-cuisine dips split between what sits for hours under clingfilm and what hits the table within minutes. Make it the latter way, or don't bother.