Sandra's Kitchen Studio: Stuffed Avocado or Palta Rellena: A story and a bi-lingual recipe

I grew up eating avocados almost on a daily basis when I lived in Latin America. When I moved to the U.S., as a young bride in the 1980’s, I went through quite an avocado withdrawal. Back then, avocados were considered “exotic” and were almost impossible to come by, unless you were fortunate to live in California or Florida.

If I was lucky to find one, it was usually an “alligator pear” from Florida—usually watery, and not those with creamy consistency that I craved. I found them good only to slice and add to salads or fruit platters, and impossible to mash into guacamoles and cremas. In a way, those fed my nostalgia, but truly, they always left me wanting.

Little did I know back then, that decades later, avocados would have their moment in the spotlight outside of Latin America, and that they’d be available to me on an daily basis. Now, whenever I crave an avocado, I just have to drive to my nearest grocery store and buy it.

I don’t know who started the “avocado toast” craze that has hit in the past couple of years but I’m so grateful someone did. It wasn’t a new thing for me. After all I had grown up eating avocado smeared on bread or tortillas, sometimes sprinkled with salt and a drizzle of olive oil. We called it “poor man’s butter.” Of course, back in the Guatemala of my youth, one could purchase an avocado for the equivalent of 5 U.S. cents. That, my friends, is something I still miss—although Guatemalans probably don’t have it that good anymore either.

There are literally hundreds of varieties of avocados throughout the world. Most popular in North America, is the Hass avocado, prized for its creamy and vibrantly colored flesh. Yet, that’s only one of the many kinds of avocados. Some have dark and pebbly skins; others have smooth and thin shells. Some, like the Reed variety native to Guatemala, are round and with a thick skin that can be cut without using a knife by able hands that simply twist it and break it in half (don’t try this with a Hass as it won’t work! Trust me, I found out the hard way).

When it comes to taste, I make no judgments. Whatever avocado floats your boat is okay by me. Luckily for all of us, the following recipe can be adapted to any variety of avocados that you can find, unless it’s an Avozilla, grown in South Africa, that’s as big as my head! Well, almost… in which case you’ll only have enough filling for one half.

Before you go, did you know that an avocado in Spanish is not always called “aguacate”? The word in Spanish for avocado changes depending of where you are. In Mesoamerica (that is Mexico and Central America), it’s indeed an aguacate; but once you cross over into South America, it’s called a palta. I mean, we’ve got our idiosyncrasies too—and we like them!

No matter what you call an avocado, I hope you’ll enjoy this easy, quick, and beautiful recipe.

In Latin America, stuffed avocados such as these are very popular lunch entrées .

For the first time, I’m happy to share this recipe in both English and Spanish. Let me know what you think! Would you like to see more recipes in Spanish?

Quieres ver mas recetas en español?

Stuffed Avocado with Langoustines

12 ounces cooked and peeled langoustines (or shrimp)

½ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon minced shallots

2 teaspoons minced jalapeño peppers (seeded and deveined if less heat desired)

1 tablespoon lemon juice (plus 2 teaspoons for brushing on avocados)

½ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon white pepper

2 large, ripe Hass avocados

In a medium bowl, combine the langoustines, mayonnaise, shallots, peppers, tablespoon of lemon juice, salt, and pepper; cover and chill for at least 1 hour (up to overnight). Slice the avocados in half; remove the pit (and discard it). Brush the flesh along the rims of each halved avocado with lemon juice. Spoon in the langoustines salad into the orifice left by the pit in each avocado half. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 as an appetizer/ Serves 2 as a main meal

Palta Rellena de Langostinos

12 onzas de langostinos cocidos y pelados (o camarones)

½ taza de mayonesa

1 cucharada de chalotes finamente picado (o cebolla suave)

2 cucharaditas de chile jalapeño finamente picado

1 cucharada de jugo de limón (y 2 cucharaditas mas para el Aguacate)

½ cucharadita de sal

⅛ cucharadita de pimienta blanca

2 aguacates maduros, tipo Hass

En un recipiente mediano, mezcle los langostinos (o camarones), mayonesa, chalotes, chile, cucharada de limón, sal, y pimienta. Cúbralo con plastic y refrigere por una hora (mínimo) o 24 horas (máximo). Al momento de servir: parta los aguacates a la mitad y quíteles las semillas. Brochée los bordes de los aguacates con el jugo de limón restante. Rellene los aguacates con la ensalada de langostinos y sirva imediatamente.

Rinde: 4 porciones de aperitivo o 2 porciones de entrada principal.