Chunky Avocado Salsa with Plantain Chips

Name: Chunky Avocado Salsa with Plantain Chips
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 haas avocado, peeled and diced; 1 medium sized tomato, diced (I like the tomatoes on the vine); 1/2 onion, finely chopped (I look for sweet or Spanish onions); 1 tbs olive oil; 1 lime, juice only (Alternatively, you could use 1/2 a lemon); 1/2 jalapeño, finely diced; 1/4 tsp salt; pinch black pepper; 20-30 plantain chips (Look for baked chips if you can find them, I get them from Trader Joe's)

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This chunky avocado salsa recipe is the perfect tropical snack or appetizer for any occasion. Think of it as a cross between tomato salsa, guacamole and pico de gallo. Yum!

I watched him with shock and intrigue. It was almost as if he was doing it in slow motion.

I had some plantain chips and my friend had some store bought salsa. He proceeded to grab one of my plantain chips and dunked it into the salsa. MIND BLOWN.

Chunky Avocado Salsa | brightrootskitchen.com

Being raised by Jamaicans I considered myself a plantain chip conniseur. To this day I’m still not a huge potato chip eater but give me some plantain chips and I will polish them off.

With my lifetime of experience eating plantain chips, I’d never seen them dunked into salsa. Then I tried one and you know what…it was DELICIOUS. He was definitely on to something.

I wanted a fresher, healthier version of the salsa though. Thus this chunky avocado salsa recipe was born.

So salsa in Spanish directly translates to sauce in English, so this recipe is by no means a traditional salsa. A traditional Mexican salsa is a pureed, smooth sauce.

Think of this “salsa” more like an avocado relish. Or maybe a hybrid of pico de gallo and guacamole.

I honestly don’t know what the right name is for this avocado salsa recipe, but all I know is it’s TASTY.

How to pick and peel an avocado

Since this recipe is so simple, you’ll want to make sure you choose the freshest ingredients.

Avocado can be a little tricky because most grocery stores stock them before they’ve fully ripened. Or sometimes they have a shelf of avocados labeled “ripened to perfection” that are overripe or turning.

You’ll want to choose one that still feels firm but has some slight give to it. If your finger easily pushes in and dents the avocado, it’s too ripe.

If you’ve searched through a tall heap of avocados at the grocery store and they all feel tough like rocks, you can still buy them and use these hacks to help them ripen at home:

Place the avocados in a bowl on the counter top with a banana. Bananas let off a natural gas that helps them ripen. In two days, your avocados should be good to go.
Put your avocados in a brown paper bag and leave them on the counter. The darkness and heat will ripen them. They’ll be ready to use in 1-2 days.

You’ll know that the avocados are fully ripened by how the skin peels off. If it comes off cleanly, it’s ripe. However, if the skin feels like it’s stuck on with glue and comes off in small, broken bits, it’s not ripe yet.

New to cooking with avocados? Use this gif guide from California Avocados about how to peel and avocado.

Note: Super ripe avocados aren’t a complete waste! If you have some in your house use them for creamy sauces or in desserts like these Spicy Chocolate Avocado Mousse Cups.

What does this salsa taste good with?

Obviously, this chunky avocado and tomato salsa goes well with plantain chips! But it also makes a great topping for meals like:

Pin this recipe on Pinterest, share it on Instagram and let me know what you think in the comments!