Fried Avocado with Spicy Dipping Sauce

Crunchy wedges of avocado!

Labor Day has come and gone and I hope everyone had a happy one. Avocados, I’m sure made an appearance at probably 80% of the gatherings yesterday.

I never ate avocados as a kid, or even as a young adult; and it probably wasn’t until we moved to Texas that I really started buying and eating them and then it was just guacamole for a long time. Finally I started venturing out and trying different ways to use it.

While in Vancouver/Victoria/Seattle last month I didn’t really see avocado on a lot of menus. While we were doing our food tour in Seattle (Savor Seattle Walking Food Tour) and walking up and down those VERY steep streets our guide, Samatha (she was great), asked if we could swim in a sea of food what would our favorite food be; I said guacamole and everyone (including a family from Germany) said ohhhh yeahhhhh!

We have done three food tours now and this one is the first where everyone had headphones to wear. They were great because as we hiked up and down all those steep streets getting to our next destination, everyone could hear Samatha over all the street traffic; and once we got to the location we didn’t need them as either one of the chefs or restaurant managers would explain to us about their restaurant and the foods we were eating.

Have you ever given an avocado much thought other than for a  bowlful of guacamole. Here’s just a few other things I have come up with to do with them:

1. My friend Janet’s Avocado Soup — delicious and a great cold soup for the summer. (If she gives me permission I will post it.)

2. Mash one up as part of the fat for your deviled eggs.

3. Put some in a breakfast burrito.

4. Mix with some shrimp and bloody Mary mix and add whatever else you want for a great salsa.

5. Use it for a vessel for tuna or chicken salad.

6. Definitely great in a sushi roll

7. Fry it up with an egg like my Fried Avocado with Egg

8. Put it on a sandwich of course and on a BLT it’s the best.

9. Chunk some up in your ranch dressing.

10. Try it on a bacon grilled cheese and make that sandwich with some Jalapeño cornbread then put it in a panini.

11. How about adding a few slices of avocado to your eggs Benedict. (That dish definitely needs updating.)

12. Add some mashed avocado to mayonnaise for a sandwich spread.

13. Grill it, broil it, bake it.

14. Add it to your hummus.

15. Mash it up with some sour cream and add to potato skins

So for a start, try my fried avocado with spicy dipping sauce and then maybe next week add them to something else.

Note: I have probably said this before but after you peel an avocado either run it under cold water or drop in a bowl of water for a few seconds. Something about this technique keeps it from turning brown so quickly; it could be the chlorine in the water.

BLAST FROM THE PAST:  These little Avocado Bacon Canapes are just the perfect little sandwich to go with your afternoon tea.

Feel free to add any other ingredients you may like.

Mix all the sauce ingredients together and then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Set up your breading station with flour, beaten egg with a little milk and your breadcrumbs.

Toss the sliced avocado into the flour to coat.

Put in egg mixture and turn to make sure slices are thoroughly wet with the egg.

Put slices into the breadcrumbs and turn to cover.

Fry until golden brown.