Pineapple and Cucumber Guacamole (Guacamole con Pina y Pepino)

This pineapple and cucumber guacamole recipe is from the cookbook, Truly Mexican, by Roberto Santibanez.

Author Roberto Santibanez writes:

This is yet another wonderful recipe from my partner’s mother, Delia, who lives in avocado country and is so enamored with the fruits she grows that she turns them into beverages and desserts, not to mention plenty of guacamoles. This is one of her finest inventions and gives you so much in each bite the soft crunch of cucumber, the sweet-tart flavor of pineapple, and the creamy pleasure of this chapter’s featured fruit. Plenty of heat and lime give it life and make it a great companion for anything grilled salmon, shrimp, steak, whatever!

Because it’s more like a pineapple-avocado salad than a guacamole with a little pineapple, I often treat it as an appetizer salad and serve it to my guests in bowls with spoons.

Pineapple and Cucumber Guacamole – Photo credit: Romulo Yanes

Cooks&Books&Recipes Featured Cook Amy:

guacamole is, hands-down, one of my favorite dishes. while it is perfectly satisfying (+ addictive) simply accompanied by tortilla chips, i also love it when it’s paired with fresh grilled chicken or fish. though standard guacamole is undoubtedly delicious, i’m always on the lookout for a guacamole recipe that has interesting, unexpected flavors or textures.

when i saw the recipe for this pineapple and cucumber guacamole, I was intrigued. fruit in guacamole? i had never tried anything like it, but the flavor combinations were definitely interesting and had the potential to be amazing. once i made this guacamole, it far exceeded my expectations. the pineapple adds a wonderful, bright acidity that cuts through the richness of the avocado, while the cucumber adds a fresh, crisp texture + flavor. this guacamole is intended to be chunkier than your average guacamole, but if you prefer a smoother texture, a few pulses in a food processor or even a couple strong mashes with a potato masher will give you a more uniform texture, while still preserving the wonderful flavors.

Pineapple and Cucumber Guacamole – Photo credit: Amy Donovan

Let’s make a batch of this delicious pineapple and cucumber guacamole!

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Pineapple and Cucumber Guacamole (Guacamole con Pina y Pepino)

Featured Recipe From: Truly Mexican: Essential Recipes and Techniques for Authentic Mexican Cooking

Yield: 5 Cups

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Total Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 (10- to 12-ounce) cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced (½ inch)
• ½ cup finely diced red onion
• 2 fresh serrano or jalapeno chiles, minced, including seeds, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, or more to taste
• ¾ teaspoon fine salt, or 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 large or 4 small ripe Mexican Hass avocados, halved and pitted
• ½ pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced (½ inch)
• ½ cup chopped cilantro, divided

Directions:

STIR together the cucumber, onion, chiles, lime juice, and salt in a large bowl. Score the flesh in the avocado halves in a cross-hatch pattern (not through the skin) with a knife and then scoop it with a spoon into the bowl and gently stir together (do not mash). Stir in half the cilantro and the pineapple last so the fresh acidity is distinct from the avocado. Season to taste with additional chile, lime juice, and salt. Transfer the guacamole to a wide dish and sprinkle the remaining cilantro on top.

Because of the acid in the pineapple, this salsa will not discolor as quickly as other guacamoles. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours with a piece of plastic wrap pressed against the surface. Let it come to room temperature before you serve it.

© 2011 Roberto Santibanez

Reprinted with permission from Truly Mexican: Essential Recipe and Techniques for Authentic Mexican Cooking, by Roberto Santibanez (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

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