Authentic Tableside Guacamole! I feel a bit presumptuous stating this, but I have a little history with authentic guacamole. Aside from having the legendary Budro’s tableside guacamole as our inspiration, we both tasted a lot of great guacamole in Mexico.
A visit to Puerto Vallarta before I knew Mr. Spinach Tiger with someone else I refer to as the surfer heel, if I can use a very old fashioned word, led me to a near death experience and an authentic lunch in the middle of nowhere in Mexico.
The Near Death Experience.
Our hotel had a secluded beach and a riptide someone forgot to tell me about. The surfer heel insisted we venture further out into the water from the shore and as usual he went ahead not looking back. He never noticed that I got caught in an undertow only a few feet from shore. The good looking outdoor bartender came to my rescue, got me out of the water and somehow my top, that came off in the rough waters, got back on. I was too frightened to care about that at the time and am grateful there were no cell phone cameras back then to embarrass me.
The guests were stunned. Not because of my wardrobe malfunction nor my near drowning, but that surfer heel didn’t even look back or take notice. Finally, he realized I wasn’t there and he came back to find himself at odds with all the guests. They shook their heads with disgust and wondered what a nice girl like me was doing with someone like him. This was the vacation that led to the demise of this relationship and that wasn’t the worst of it.
The Dirty Beach in the Middle of Nowhere, Mexico.
The next day, he insisted we rent a car and drive from the semi-safe tourist part of town to a smaller town where odd looking stray dogs run wild and tourists are no where to be found. While he was surfing, I had the pleasure of sitting on a dirty beach, scared to death that something worse than an undertow was going to come along. It was time to end this relationship and wait for a real man who put me first.
Mexican Lunch in the Middle of the Nowhere, Mexico.
The food was surprisingly good and that’s when I tasted my first real guacamole, assembled from chunks of avocado with simple ingredients.
Budro’s Tableside Guacamole
The next time I tasted anything as good was at Boudro’s Texas Bistro in San Antonio. I had dinner there with Mr. ST one Valentine’s week many years ago, comforted in the realization that I had waited for the right man. They took a picture of us on the patio wrapped in blankets which Boudro’s provides its guests. Romantic that he is, he framed the picture and has it on his desk.
He became just as smitten with the their famous tableside guacamole and recreated the recipe as soon as we got back home, adapting it to his own taste. The serrano pepper can be left out, but we love it.
His guacamole is legendary, and there is none better anywhere here in Nashville. He’s very particular about it, and I enjoy watching him do his table side magic especially because it always takes us back to that night in San Antonio, serving as a reminder to me how different my life could have been with the wrong person. (Although I’m not sure about those sunglasses. I think they are long gone, but he thought he looked like Bono. I laughed too).
Tableside Presentation for Authentic Guacamole
Table-side guacamole is something you can do when your guests arrive, but give them a drink first. The entire assembly takes about five minutes.
How to Make Sure the Avocado is Ripe Enough, but not too Ripe
There is a little brown stem (button) on the tip of an avocado. If you flick it off, you will see either a brown spot (too ripe) or a green spot (ripe enough).
Peel Your Avocados. Did you know you can peel avocados. Let me show you here.
Chop your cilantro with this Tuo Cleaver, my new favorite kitchen tool.
Tableside Guacamole and a Beautiful Presentation
The key to a beautiful presentation is to have everything ready to chop freshly on the spot peel the avocados. This is much easier than you may think and I did a post on it. Peeling the avocado makes it easier to cut into attractive slices for some dishes or nice chunks for this one. It might be a good idea to have your onion pre-cut, but dice the tomato fresh.
So tell me, did you wait for Mr. or Mrs. Right? Did it take you as many dogs as it took me?
More Mexican Recipes from Spinach Tiger
More Avocado Recipes from Spinach Tiger
- Note: To make enough guacamole: use 1 avocado per person and adjust ingredients accordingly.
- 4 avocados
- juice squeezed from ½ large orange
- juice squeezed from one lime
- sea salt, black pepper
- ½ purple onion, diced
- 1 small tomato, diced
- handful of cilantro, chopped
- 1 serrano pepper, diced very finely (optional)
- Assemble the following into a bowl:
- Peel avocados or carefully spoon out the flesh, keeping the avocado and intact as possible. Cut into large chunks.
- Squeeze the juices of orange and lime over avocado.
- Season with salt and pepper
- Add in chopped onion, tomato, cilantro
- Carefully mix together. You don't want the avocado turned into mush.
- Season again with salt as needed, perhaps another squeeze of lime.
- Serve immediately.
He was never nice. This wasn’t about being a surfer. It was about a man who was never nice. You have no idea what you’re talking about. My brother died; he had no compassion. My story is MY story. You can write your own story.
Boudro’s actually uses sundried tomatoes, but I prefer fresh.
Tableside guac is just the best! I’m intrigued by your use of orange juice too! Def on the must make list Angela.
I can see the Bono resemblance 🙂 This guacamole and presentation sound perfect.
Doug is getting to be quite the cook. Loved your tale of the Surfer Heel. We all can relate to something similar. Glad you found Mr. Right!
Perfect to go with our carnitas tonight!
Angela,
I love guac! Even when it is simply avocado, garlic, lime juice, and sea salt, and although I have made it several other ways, I have never used orange juice! Totally trying this one when my avocados are ready 🙂 thank you!
Ooh I want that guac for lunch. Full confession, I could eat this for breakfast, lunch, dinner AND snack time. That picture of the two of you is adorable! You certainly chose right.
I had a similar bad trip to Cancun with a horrible boyfriend who left me for a stripper. I married in my late 30’s but my husband was so worth the wait and the mishegas I went through in order to find the right person.
A stripper? Oh Yuck. Sounds like your wait was way worth it. I wonder who surfer heel is with today. Probably a male stripper. LOL.
This tableside presentation would be just the ticket for an amazing meal at home. I even have all of the ingredients including an avocado on the counter. What fun, and I think I married and divorced the heel:D