Equipment
Ingredients
Guacamole Center
- 3 avocados, ripe
- 1 jalapeno, finely diced
- 30 g red onion, finely diced
- 10 g fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 30 ml lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 4 g kosher salt
Seltzer Corn Batter
- 120 g fine corn flour
- 3 g baking powder
- 3 g kosher salt
- 180 ml seltzer water, ice cold
Frying
- 1000 ml neutral oil
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 59 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- 7 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 0 g
- Sodium
- 156 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Potassium
- 133 mg
- Calcium
- 21 mg
- Iron
- 0.7 mg
- Magnesium
- 13 mg
- Phosphorus
- 30 mg
- Zinc
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 4 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 6 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.11 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.08 mg
- Niacin
- 1.0 mg
- Folate
- 29 mcg
- Water
- 30 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Halve the avocados, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh into a medium mixing bowl. Use a fork to crush the avocado until mostly smooth but still retaining some small chunks.
Add the finely diced jalapeno, red onion, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and salt to the crushed avocado. Stir thoroughly to combine into a thick guacamole.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a small cookie scoop, shape the guacamole into 20 bite-sized mounds, placing them evenly on the prepared sheet.
Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer. Freeze the guacamole mounds until completely solid, which will take about 2 hours.
Add the neutral oil to a heavy-bottomed pot, ensuring it is at least 5 centimeters deep. Heat the oil to 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Fahrenheit).
Just before frying, prepare the batter. In a bowl, whisk together the fine corn flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour in the ice cold seltzer water and whisk lightly until just combined. Lumps are acceptable.
Working in batches of 4 or 5, dip the frozen guacamole scoops into the batter, ensuring they are fully coated. Immediately drop them into the hot oil. Fry for 90 seconds to 2 minutes until the exterior is golden and crispy, but the center remains cool.
Use a spider skimmer to carefully remove the fried bites from the oil. Transfer them to a wire cooling rack set over paper towels to drain excess oil.
Serve immediately while the outer shell is hot and the inside is still creamy and cold.
Chef's Notes
- The secret to a cool interior and hot exterior is flash-frying. Because the core is frozen solid, a rapid deep fry perfectly cooks the batter before the heat penetrates the center.
- Carbonation in the seltzer water expands rapidly when it hits hot oil, creating a highly aerated, shatteringly crisp coating that pairs wonderfully with creamy avocado.
- Keeping the batter ice cold prevents gluten or starch development, yielding a lighter, crispier crust.
- Ensure your oil has a high smoke point and a neutral flavor so it does not compete with the delicate taste of the fresh guacamole.
Storage
Freezer: 1 month — Uncooked guacamole scoops can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight container before battering and frying.
Troubleshooting
Guacamole melts and leaks into the frying oil
Cause: The guacamole scoops were not frozen entirely solid, or the frying oil temperature was too low.
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Freeze the guacamole scoops for at least 2 full hours. Maintain frying oil at 190C to ensure rapid crisping.
Batter is too thick and heavy
Cause: Corn flour to liquid ratio was off, or batter was overmixed.
Fix: Stir an additional tablespoon of cold seltzer water into the batter until thinned.
Prevention: Measure the flour by weight, not volume. Do not overmix the batter; small lumps are fine.
Cultural Context
While guacamole has ancient Mesoamerican roots dating back to the Aztecs, deep-frying it is a distinctly modern, playful fusion technique. It brings the beloved flavors of Mexican cuisine into the realm of state-fair style textural exploration.
