9 easy dishes you can make with an avocado, according to Michelin-starred chefs

"My most favorite avocado dish is making avocado wedge fries," David Shim, the head chef at Manhattan restaurant Cote, told Insider. "It's a bit of a different way to eat them, but I really love them. They're crunchy on the outside and super creamy on the inside."

All you really need are four ingredients: avocados, flour, eggs, and panko bread crumbs.

First, cut your avocados into wedges. Coat each wedge in flour and dip it in an egg wash before covering it with the bread crumbs. Then just fry all your wedges until they're golden brown.

Shim recommends making a simple aioli to serve alongside your avocado wedge fries, or using "any cheese dips you have in the fridge."

Srijith Gopinathan, the executive chef at Taj Campton Place Restaurant in San Francisco, told Insider that avocado is one of his favorite ingredients to cook with.

"Avocado is a very supportive and versatile ingredient," he said. "It offers you so many different levels of satisfaction. I can talk about avocado any day."

Along with pairing it with seafood and citrus fruits, Gopinathan loves using avocado when he makes raita — a popular condiment in South Asian cuisine that combines yogurt with different herbs and veggies.

Gopinathan recommends mixing avocado with red onion, yogurt, lemon, ginger, cilantro stems, tomatoes, and "a little bit of salt."

"When you're having anything from a bruschetta to a flatbread or a wrap, you can add a little bit of this and it's super tasty," Gopinathan added.

Chef Paul Liebrandt, who is hosting virtual cooking classes with CocuSocial, told Insider that he's loved this traditional English pub dish since he was a kid.

"I remember the pleasure of eating the shrimp with the avocado, the Marie Rose sauce, those flavors resonate," he said. "They're tattooed on your brain for the rest of your life."

To prepare the dish, first combine iceberg lettuce and avocado with your shrimp.

Then, to make the Marie Rose sauce, Liebrandt recommends mixing tomatoes with ketchup, mayonnaise, Tabasco, and cayenne pepper.

"Dress the prawns with that and serve it in the glass, very traditional," Liebrandt added. "It's such a simple dish, but it's really delicious."

Val Cantu, the head chef at Californios in San Francisco, told Insider that he eats avocado with "almost every meal."

And Cantu is a huge fan of guacamole, which he prefers to "keep really simple."

"What I'll do is chop the shallots up — or onions, whatever you want to use — and squeeze two limes into a little bowl, add a hefty pinch of salt, and then basically soak the shallots or onions in that lime juice for 10 to 15 minutes," he said.

"It pickles the shallots or onions, and takes away all that lingering oniony flavor," Cantu added."Then I'll chop up the avocado — I like to dice it — and put that in the guacamole bowl."

Once your shallots or onions are pickled and ready, just add them to the bowl with some of the lime juice that you've already squeezed.

"I just fold that all together, then get the mandoline and shave tons of serrano peppers on top and chop up some cilantro," Cantu added. "I just choose to skip tomatoes, because they get kind of mushy and nasty."

Dan Kleinhander, who is also hosting virtual classes on CocuSocial, told Insider that his wife introduced him to his favorite avocado and chicken recipe.

The salsa is simple. Just mix your avocado with onions, tomatillo, and jalapeños.

"You get this brilliant acidic spiciness from the tomatillo and jalapeño, and then there's this fatty, creamy avocado," Kleinhander said. "With chicken and rice, or chips in a bowl, it's the greatest thing ever."

The charred avocado salad with a pistachio gremolata has been a "fan-favorite" staple on Kevin Meehan's menu at Kali Restaurant since it opened five years ago in Los Angeles, he told Insider.

To char the avocados, Meehan recommends splitting them in half and removing the seeds while keeping their skin intact. Brush honey on the green flesh and season with salt and pepper. Then, in a heated pan, carefully sear each avocado in smoking oil until the honey caramelizes and turns into a dark-gold color. Remove and let them cool.

For the gremolata, mix chopped pistachios with some diced chives, lemon juice and zest, plus olive oil and pistachio oil.

Then, combine everything with mixed greens or kale. Meehan also recommends adding shaved vegetables like carrots, celery, or radish.

Lee Westcott, who is currently teaching classes on Knowledge Recycled, told Insider that the trick to making this dish perfect is using a "really ripe avocado."

"Slice it in half and remove the pit," he said. "Then fill both holes up halfway with a nice balsamic vinegar."

Westcott then recommends "liberally" drizzling the top of your avocado halves with either rapeseed or olive oil.

"Season them with Maldon salt to finish," he said. "And, when eating, try to take a piece with all the ingredients in each mouthful!"

Suzette Gresham, who runs Acquerello in San Francisco, told Insider that she and her family are "avo-addicts."

"As Californians, we are rarely without them," she said. "Whether just sliced, diced into guacamole, or mashed up on toast, the options are endless."

But Gresham discovered one of her favorite avocado dishes during a visit to OWL Bakery in North Carolina, where she ordered the avocado toast.

Gresham said the classic brunch dish had been given a "revolutionary" twist thanks to the honey drizzled on top, plus the sprinkles of smoked salt.

Gresham told Insider that she came up with this dish — which she calls a "hidden avocado gem" — while she was on lockdown and wanted to save some overripe bananas.

The chef recommends pairing your fried bananas with black beans, Greek yogurt, and some fresh avocado pico de gallo.

• Read more:
• 6 easy dishes Michelin-starred chefs make on the grill that aren't just burgers and hot dogs
• Michelin-starred chefs share 8 delicious breakfast dishes everyone should know how to make
• 7 easy chicken dishes that Michelin-starred chefs love making at home
• 7 gourmet snacks that Michelin-star chefs whip up at home in minutes