Chunky Avocado Salsa with Tomato, Red Onion and Lime

My avocado salsa is diced avocado and ripe tomato with red onion, fresh coriander (cilantro), lime, black pepper and a splash of hot sauce. It is perfect for tacos, and I love it as a side salad with many dishes.

How I make it: I salt the diced red onion first and squeeze the juice of one lime over it. Then the tomatoes and avocado go in, then the coriander and black pepper, and I finish it with a splash of hot sauce like Tabasco.

The useful bit: the onion sits in the salt and lime for 10 minutes. The salt draws its juice out and softens it, and the lime is already in the bowl when the avocado goes in, which slows it going brown.

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Avocado Salsa, Pico de Gallo or Guacamole

Guacamole is mashed avocado. Pico de gallo is chopped tomato, onion, chilli and coriander with no avocado at all. Some avocado salsas are blended smooth into a green sauce, often with tomatillo. Mine is chunky: everything is diced and the avocado stays in pieces, so you can spoon it onto a taco or eat it with a fork as an avocado tomato salad. Twenty minutes, no cooking, and it serves 4.

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A Closer Look at the Ingredients

Eight ingredients and no cooking, so good avocados and ripe tomatoes make the biggest difference.

• Avocados Medium avocados, ripe but still a little firm, so the cubes keep their shape. Hass are the ones most shops sell. Instead: no real swap. Without avocado it is a plain tomato salsa.
• Tomatoes Two medium ripe tomatoes. They bring the sweetness and most of the juice. Instead: a good handful of cherry tomatoes.
• Red onion Gives the salsa its bite and its colour. Instead: white onion, or a few spring onions (green onions) for a softer taste.
• Lime Fresh lime gives the sharpness and slows the avocado going brown. Instead: lemon juice.
• Fresh coriander Coriander leaves, called cilantro in the US. The soft stalks have as much taste as the leaves. Instead: flat leaf parsley if you do not like coriander.
• Hot sauce A splash of Tabasco or a similar hot sauce adds heat and a little vinegar. Instead: a finely chopped fresh jalapeño or green chilli.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Lime: lemon juice works the same way.
• Red onion: white onion, or spring onions (green onions) for something softer.
• Coriander: flat leaf parsley if coriander tastes of soap to you.
• Hot sauce: a finely chopped fresh jalapeño or green chilli instead.
• Avocado: there is no direct substitute.

Equipment You’ll Need

A sharp knife, a board and one bowl.

How to Make Avocado Salsa, Step by Step

Full quantities are in the recipe card below.

1. Salt the Onion. Peel the small red onion and dice it finely, then put it in the bowl you will serve from and mix in the half teaspoon of salt.The onion goes first because the salt draws its juice out and softens it a little. That juice is not wasted: it stays in the bowl and seasons everything that goes in after it.Dice it small: raw onion is the strongest thing in the bowl, so small pieces spread it evenly instead of one big bite.
2. Add the Lime. Roll the lime on the board, cut it in half and squeeze the juice straight onto the onion. Stir it through and leave it for 10 minutes while you get on with the tomatoes.The onion now sits in salt and lime together, so it is seasoned before anything else goes in. The lime juice is also already in the bowl and waiting when the avocado arrives, which matters in step 4.Pips: squeeze over your hand or a small sieve so no pips end up in the salsa.
3. Add the Tomatoes. Cut the 2 tomatoes in half, then into small cubes, about the same size you will cut the avocado. Add them to the bowl with all their juice.Ripe tomatoes bring the sweetness and most of the juice. Cutting everything to a similar size means every spoonful gets a bit of each, on a taco or on a fork.Very wet tomatoes: if they are very seedy and watery, scoop some of the seeds out first so the bowl does not end up swimming.
4. Add the Avocados. Cut the avocados in half around the stone, twist them apart and take the stone out. Peel off the skin, dice the flesh into cubes and add them to the bowl. Fold everything together gently with a spoon.The avocado goes in near the end so it spends the least time cut and open to the air. Cut avocado turns brown quickly, and the lime already in the bowl slows that down. Fold, do not stir hard, or the cubes break up and it turns into guacamole.Ripeness: ripe but still a little firm is what you want. A very soft avocado turns to mush as soon as you fold it.
5. Finish and Serve. Chop the handful of coriander, leaves and soft stalks, and add it with a good grind of black pepper and a splash of hot sauce. Fold it in gently, taste, and add a pinch more salt if it needs it. Serve straight away.The hot sauce is the finish: a splash of Tabasco gives heat and a little vinegar sharpness on top of the lime. Taste before adding more salt, because the onion was salted at the start.Heat: add the hot sauce a little at a time. You can always add more at the table.

Recipe Card for Avocado Salsa

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Storing Avocado Salsa

Avocado salsa is best eaten the day you make it. Cut avocado keeps turning brown where it meets the air, and the lime only slows it down. For leftovers, press cling film (plastic wrap) right onto the surface of the salsa, keep it in the fridge and eat it by the next day. It does not freeze: the avocado goes brown and watery. My guide to how long food keeps in the fridge has more on leftovers.

What to Serve With Avocado Salsa

Tacos first: spoon it over my al pastor tacos, cochinita pibil tacos or birria tacos. As a side salad it goes next to many dishes, anything grilled or fried that wants something fresh and sharp beside it.

FAQ for Avocado Salsa

How long does avocado salsa keep?

It is best the same day. Covered in the fridge, with cling film pressed onto the surface, it keeps until the next day. The top may darken a little; stir it through before serving.

How do I stop avocado salsa going brown?

Make sure the lime juice is in the bowl before the avocado goes in, add the avocado last, and keep any leftovers covered with cling film pressed right onto the salsa. Lime slows the browning, it does not stop it, so the best answer is to eat it fresh.

Can I make it ahead?

You can salt the onion, add the lime and dice the tomatoes an hour or two ahead and keep the bowl in the fridge. Dice and add the avocado and coriander just before serving.

What is the difference between avocado salsa and guacamole?

Guacamole is mashed avocado. In avocado salsa the avocado is diced and stays in chunks with tomato and onion, more like a chopped salad.

What can I use instead of coriander?

Flat leaf parsley, or leave it out. It is less fresh without it, but still good.

Can I use jalapeño instead of hot sauce?

Yes. A finely chopped fresh jalapeño or green chilli gives heat too. Take the seeds out if you want it milder.

A Few Words from the Chef

Perfect for tacos, and I love it as a side salad with so many dishes. Salt the onion first, keep the avocado in chunks and finish it with a splash of hot sauce.