New, Modern Ways To Cook With Avocado

If you're an avo fan, it’s time you tried something new. We asked five top chefs how to make modern, different dishes with our favourite ingredient. From matcha and avocado pancakes to artichoke and avo tartare, here are five fresh ways to elevate the fruit of the moment.

Bill Granger, Granger & Co

Crisp-Skinned Salmon Salad With Green Goddess Dressing

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pink grapefruit
  • 4 x 120g salmon fillets, with skin
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 100g green beans, topped
  • 2 large handfuls of watercress leaves
  • 1 large handful of flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 large handful of mint
  • 1 ripe avocado, sliced to serve
  • For the green goddess dressing
  • 1 large handful of watercress leaves
  • 100g yoghurt
  • 2–3 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 large handful of mixed herbs (such as dill, basil, mint and parsley)
  • 2 spring onions, chopped
  • Juice of ½ lemon

METHOD
1.  To make the green goddess dressing, pulse together all the ingredients in a blender or food processor, adding a little more yoghurt or some water if needed. Refrigerate until required.

2. Segment the grapefruit by first slicing off both ends. Stand the fruit on a board and, following its curve, slice off the peel and pith with a very sharp knife. Cut out the grapefruit segments by slicing between the membranes.

3. Heat a frying pan over medium–high heat for 2 minutes. Brush the salmon with oil and season well. Cook the salmon, skin-down, for 3 minutes, then turn over and cook for 1 minute; the salmon should be quite rare and the skin crispy. Remove from the pan and leave to rest for 2 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, blanch the beans in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for 2–3 minutes until they are bright green and tender yet crisp. Rinse under cold running water and drain well.

5.  Arrange the watercress, parsley, mint, avocado, beans and grapefruit on serving plates. Slice the salmon and place on top, drizzle with green goddess dressing and season with sea salt to serve.

Visit Granger&Co.com

Satyabrat Jena, Chakra

Avocado Samosa

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 avocados, skinned and diced
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 large potato, peeled
  • ¼ tsp red chilli powder
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 green chilli, finely chopped
  • Samosa or spring roll pastry (you can buy online and in Sainsbury’s)
  • Vegetable oil for frying
  • Water and flour paste, for sticking

METHOD
1. Boil the potato until tender and a knife slides out of it. Allow to cool before dicing.

2. Mix the avocado, onion and potato in a bowl and add all the spices including the green chilli. Mix together by hand, taking care not to mash everything into a paste. Add the salt to taste and set aside.

3. Place a samosa pastry strip on a chopping board. Fold the bottom right corner towards the left, until it makes a right-angled triangle. Stick the pastry together in this shape with the flour water paste, made from mixing a little flour and water together, so that it forms a triangular pocket.

4. Fill the pocket 80% with the avocado filling. Fold this over to continue in a 90-degree angle triangle until you are left with a small tiny bit. Use the glue to stick this protruding flap. Repeat with the rest of the samosa strips, until the filling is over.

5.  Heat oil in fryer or deep pan to 180°C degrees. When the oil is at temperature, place 4-5 samosas in hot oil with a 5 second interval before each one. Fry until golden and crisp. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Serve piping hot.

Visit Chakra.Restaurant.com

Liana Kazaryan, Avobar

Matcha Pancake With Avo-Butter

INGREDIENTS

  • For pancake batter
  • 5 eggs
  • 100g of coconut sugar
  • 3g of salt             
  • 15g of baking soda
  • 10g of matcha powder
  • 5g of vanilla extract
  • 700g of soured cream
  • 500g of self-raising flour
  • For the avo-butter
  • 250g of butter
  • 200g of avocado

METHOD
1. To make the avo-butter, bring the butter to room temperature or soften the butter. Blend the avocado into a fine puree then mix the butter with the avocado puree well. Store in the refrigerator until set to solid form.
2. To make the pancake batter, break the eggs in a mixing bowl with the salt, coconut sugar, vanilla extract. Whisk all the ingredients well.

3. Next, add soured cream flour, matcha and soda and whisk well. Then add self-raising flour and mix all ingredients together.

4. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a knob of avo-butter. When it's melted, add a small ladle of batter (or two if your frying pan is big enough to cook two pancakes at the same time). It will seem very thick, but this is how it should be. Wait until the top of the pancake begins to bubble, then turn it over and cook until both sides are golden-brown, and the pancake has risen to about 1cm thick. Repeat until all the batter is used up.

5. Serve with lashings of real maple syrup and extra avo-butter. If you like, add caramelised banana with avo-butter or crispy bacon with fried eggs cooked with avo-butter.

Visit Avobar.co.uk

Martin Morales, Ceviche & Andina

Avocado & Jerusalem Artichoke Roll

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 ripe avocados
  • A few black amaranth micro herbs or purple shiso leaves
  • 2 tbsp cooked black quinoa, to serve
  • Avocado purée, to serve
  • A few coriander micro herbs, to decorate

For the Jerusalem artichoke tartare

  • 2 large Jerusalem artichokes (about 100–120g), peeled and diced
  • ½ limo chilli or medium-heat red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  •  ½ small red onion, finely chopped
  • A few coriander leaves, fnely chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • For the amarillo tiger’s milk (makes about 200ml)
  • 5mm piece of ginger
  • 1 garlic clove, halved
  • 4 coriander sprigs
  • Juice of 12 limes, plus extra to taste
  • 2 tsp amarillo chilli paste
  • For the coriander herb oil
  • 5 coriander sprigs
  • 5 tbsp olive oil

METHOD
1.   First, make the amarillo tiger’s milk. Put the ginger, garlic, coriander and lime juice in a bowl. Stir and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a separate bowl and add the chilli paste and ½ teaspoon of salt. Taste to check the balance of favours and add more salt, chilli or lime juice if necessary. Set aside.

2.   Next, make the Jerusalem artichoke tartare. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the diced artichoke and blanch for 4 minutes – it should still have some bite to it. Drain the artichoke pieces, cool them under running water, then put them in a small bowl with the chilli, red onion, coriander leaves and 2 tablespoons of the amarillo tiger’s milk. Season with salt, then marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

3.   Meanwhile, make the coriander herb oil by blitzing the ingredients together with a stick blender. Set aside. (You can store any unused herb oil in a sterilized jar for up to 4 weeks.)

4.   Divide the tartare between 4 plates, arranging it in a sausage shape. Halve the avocados, remove the stones and peel, then thinly slice the flesh.

5.   Divide the avocado slices between the 4 plates, draping them over the tartare, then top with the amaranth micro herbs or shiso leaves and a little quinoa. Drizzle equal amounts of the remaining amarillo tiger’s milk over each plate, then the coriander oil and a little avocado purée, and finally decorate with the coriander micro herbs and serve immediately.

Visit Ceviche.com

Jemima Jones and Lucy Carr-Ellison, Tart London

Jalapeno & Avocado Dip

INGREDIENTS

  • 200g jar of jalapenos
  • Small bunch basil 
  • Small bunch coriander 
  • 120g cashew nuts 
  • 1 avocado 
  • 1 lime, zest and juice
  • Squeeze maple syrup 
  • Pinch of salt and pepper 

METHOD
1.    Whiz all the ingredients together in a food processor and tuck in. Especially good with eggs in the morning.

Chilled Spiced Avocado Soup With Crab

INGREDIENTS
For the soup

  • 500g chicken or vegetable stock
  • 4 spring onion
  • 1 garlic glove, peeled
  • 2-inch peeled ginger
  • 2 green chilies
  • 1 tin coconut milk
  • 1 cucumber peeled 
  • 1 avocado, stoned and peeled 
  • 4 large green tomatoes 
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp coriander
  • Small bunch coriander 
  • Small bunch mint
  • Squirt of honey
  • 2 limes, juiced and zested
  • Plenty of sea salt

For the crab

  • 250 g crab
  • 3 spring onion
  • 1 lime and zest
  • Small bunch of coriander and mint leaves, shredded 

 
METHOD
1.    For the soup, just simply add all your ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth. It is important it tastes to your liking; you could need a little more lime for zing or salt or maybe even more chilli.

2.    In a bowl, mix all your crab ingredients together.

3.    Once the soup is chilled, serve with a dollop of your crab mixture and any other added garnishes – think microherbs, radish or chilli.

Visit Tart-London.com

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