Charred Tomatillo and Red Onion Guacamole

This roasted tomatillo guacamole also includes avocados, chopped red onion, and cilantro, with a little jalapeño pepper for heat.

Everyone should have a go-to guacamole recipe, and this Charred Tomatillo and Red Onion Guacamole is mine. The tomatillos bring enough acidity to the dish that you don't need to add lime juice, and broiling them softens their bite and adds some welcome bitterness with the charred edges.

The recipe is adapted from an almost-perfect recipe in Gourmet magazine from August 2000. Now that Gourmet has gone the way of many other dearly-departed print publications, I'm happy to pay homage to its brilliance by continuing to introduce recipes like this one to friends and family.

I have made a few tweaks to the recipe (more tomatillo, more avocado, fewer chiles), but this is one of those that you will develop your own personal ingredient ratios for the more you make it.

🥗 Ingredients

• The original recipe calls for serrano chiles, which I have replaced with jalapeño peppers. You can certainly use either, but I find the jalapeños to be more easily available in almost any grocery store. And, their heat is more mild than serranos. But by all means, use serranos if you can find them, and you love to bring the heat.
• Tomatillos, sometimes called husk tomatoes, are fruits grown mostly in Mexico. They look like small green tomatoes, but with a papery greenish-brown husk on the outside. Their flavor is tart and acidic, though it mellows slightly as tomatillos are cooked. To prepare them, you remove the stem and papery husk, then rinse off the sticky residue left on the fruit. They are delicious in salsas as well, and can be eaten raw. For more background on this unique fruit, see this article on the history of the tomatillo.

👩‍🍳 Expert Tips:

• When you broil the tomatillos, don't hold back. The blackened skin lends a great flavor and look to the guacamole, and you will still have plenty of beautiful light green flesh when you chop them up.

• Guacamole is not a great make-ahead appetizer because avocado flesh browns quickly. That said, I hate making things right before a party starts. That's stress that no one needs. So, I prep the ingredients in advance and add the avocados at the last minute. Broil the tomatillos, and chop the red onion, chiles, and cilantro in the morning. Put them in a medium bowl in the fridge until just before the party starts. Then all you need to do is peel and pit the avocados, scoop the flesh into the bowl, mash, and add salt and pepper. Brilliant. Oh, and if you do need to prep the guacamole entirely in advance, lay plastic wrap directly on top of the guacamole. That will prevent browning for a few hours.
• Note: Don't blame me if the guacamole is devoured minutes after you bring it to the table. I've upped the tomatillos and avocados in the original recipe in part because I was sick of turning around to dip a chip and finding an empty bowl.

If you're looking for another crowd-pleasing appetizer, check out my Easy Puff Pastry Cheese Straws, my Cilantro-Lime Crab Salad with Paprika Toasts, my Blue Cheese and Pecan Endive Appetizer, my Creamy Green Olive Dip, or my Baked Brie with Fig Jam. You won't be disappointed.

If you try this tomatillo guacamole recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me. And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!

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