The New York Times' effort to get us all to add green peas to our guacamole may have backfired, but it got me thinking about obscure ways to upgrade my foolproof guacamole recipe that I've been using for well over a decade.
After discovering I had leftovers of the classic guac I made this past weekend at family BBQ, I decided to do something crazy with them: I added blueberries.
It was totally life-changing. The blueberries added a refreshing and sweet explosion to each bite without overpowering the strong flavors of jalapeño and lime in the guacamole.
Emily Cohn/Business Insider
Blueberries are far superior to peas as a guac ingredient.
I wasn't going to go the pea route. Frankly, I've eaten Jean-Georges Vongerichten's pea guac - the one that inspired the Times' recipe and subsequently caused the Internet to freak out - and I wasn't impressed. Who needs more green mush in a sea of green mush?
If anything, I wanted to add fruit. Tons of great fruit is in season right now, and it's one of my favorite things to snack on when I'm lounging outside on a hot summer day. Fruit in guacamole is nothing new; I've been served mango guac in restaurants, but the mango becomes a substitute for avocado, as opposed to a complement. Pomegranate seeds are another common addition, but I find the taste overpowering.
This led me to experiment with blueberries. I didn't choose blueberries as much as they chose me - we had a plentiful supply in the fridge.
Emily Cohn/Business Insider Leftover guac + fresh blueberries = one awesome poolside snack.
I didn't mix the fruit in with the guacamole but left them on top as a garnish instead. I can't speak for what guac with blueberries mixed in would taste like, but if you try it, let us know!
So here it is, a recipe for blueberry guac. If blueberries aren't available, try blackberries - they're also in season.
Blueberry Guacamole
Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados, seeded, peeled and cut into large chunks
1-2 limes, depending on how juicy they are
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 jalapeño, minced
1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
Directions
1. In a bowl, squeeze lime juice over the avocado chunks.
2. Add garlic, red onion, and jalapeno, then smash the ingredients together using a large fork.
3. Add tomatoes, cilantro, salt, and pepper, stirring them into the mix using a wooden spoon.
4. Garnish with fresh blueberries and serve!