Winter Luxury Avocados

Sidonie Maroon, Culinary Educator For The Food Co-op

Avocados are a winter luxury—those regal, buttery monarchs of fruits. Nothing more needs to be said. Just grab a spoon, sprinkle on a little salt, and savor. I crave avocados and citrus in late winter, perhaps because they feel like an exotic escape to somewhere warmer. I don’t know why, but cutting open an avocado, sliding a knife between the flesh and skin, and slicing it into crescents elevates my life—and lunch.

Celebrate with Avocado Toast

Avocado toast is a modern classic, and for good reason. Start with sourdough or multigrain bread, smash the avocado onto it with the back of a fork, and you’re already winning. But why stop there when you can create masterpieces? Try avocado with crispy bacon, scallions, and tomatoes drizzled with rice vinegar. Or avocado, lemon, and smoked fish. How about avocado with crab, lime, and grapefruit sections? Then there’s avocado with wasabi mayo and lox, or avocado with ham, Dijon, sliced dates, and endive. Feeling indulgent? Top your toast with avocado, a poached egg, lemon, and onion jam. For something bold, pair avocado with sour red cabbage kimchi and shrimp. Let your imagination soar, and your stomach will follow.

Avocado and Citrus Salads
Avocados provide the creamy, fatty element, while citrus brings the bright acidity—together, they create a natural vinaigrette effect. This pairing is especially magical when combined with greens that have a bitter edge. Here’s a flexible template to experiment with: start with a base of one or two options, like salad greens, endive, red cabbage, carrots, or spinach. Add sectioned citrus such as grapefruit, oranges, lemons, or limes. Top with something crunchy—think toasted pepitas or pistachios.

For the dressing, flip the usual oil-to-acid ratio on its head: use 2 tablespoons of avocado oil to ¼ cup of vinegar. The avocado itself will provide the rest of the richness. Sturdy winter vegetables like cabbage and root slaws make a wonderful backdrop for these flavors. Don’t forget to add some heat to your dressing—black pepper, Korean red chili flakes (gochugaru), or even a pinch of warmer chilies. Salt is essential with avocados, so finish your salad with a good-quality salt. A touch of sweetness and bitterness will keep the salad balanced and intriguing. Grapefruit is a simple choice since it checks both the citrus and bitter boxes—just be sure to remove the membranes for a clean bite.

Avocado Inspirations
Avocados have carved out a place in American cuisine, perhaps most famously in the California roll. What a brilliant creation: briny-salty, spicy, and crunchy, all elevated by buttery avocado, fatty mayo, and fresh fish. But while sushi rolls are fabulous, the uses of avocados in Mexican, Brazilian, and Peruvian cuisines are truly sublime. Picture this: avocado with freshly made tortillas, salsa, lime, and fish. Or the same avocado and tortillas paired with black beans and oranges. Imagine a citrusy ceviche topped with creamy avocado, or pickled onions, cilantro, and avocado as a garnish.

Avocado Takeaways
Balance the creaminess with salt and acid. Experiment with a new flavor combination the next time you cut into an avocado. Buy them unripe and let them ripen at home—it’s worth the wait. Try a citrus and avocado salad. Or go all out: make homemade tortillas and a pot of black beans, slice up an orange, chop some cilantro, squeeze a lime, and crown it all with avocado slices and a pinch of salt. Be happy. Splurging on an avocado here and there is far cheaper—and tastier—than a plane ticket south.

Winter Avocado Slaw

Serves 4

1 large or two medium avocados, sliced

3 cups red cabbage, finely chopped

3 medium carrots, grated

2 navel or blood red oranges, sectioned and cut into bite-sized pieces

½ cup pepita pumpkin seeds, toasted

Dressing

1 teaspoon fennel seed

1 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes

1 tablespoon coconut sugar

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne for more heat

¼ teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons avocado oil

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

1) Prepare the veggies and toast the pepita seeds. In a large salad bowl, add the cabbage and carrots and mix with the dressing. Layer the oranges, pepita seeds and avocado over the top.

2) To make the dressing: Using a spice grinder, grind the dry spices, onion, sugar and salt together into a powder. Blend with the oil and vinegar into a creamy emulsion.

Sunny Dressing

⅔ cup avocado oil

⅓ cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh ginger finely minced

¼ teaspoon powdered turmeric

In a food processor: pulse the ginger and garlic together into a paste. Add and process the lemon juice, zest, mustard, turmeric and salt. While the machine is running, slowly add the oil until emulsified.

Honey Lime Dressing

⅓ cup avocado oil
2 small limes, ¼ cup juice, zested and juiced

1 tablespoon raw honey

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons whole cumin seed

1 teaspoon whole coriander seed

1 teaspoon whole fennel seed

1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder

1. Make the dressing: toast the cumin, coriander and fennel together over a medium low heat until fragrant and beginning to brown.

2. Combine toasted spices, paprika, red pepper flakes and salt together and grind into a rough powder using a spice or coffee grinder.

3. Blend everything together until emulsified  

Faux Green Papaya Salad

Serves 2-4

Granny Smith apples make a decent substitute for green papayas, and the salad’s zowie flavor combinations justify the adaptation. This salad has it all: sweet, sour, heat, crunch and color. Serve it any time of year and feel free to add seasonal produce and herbs.

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and shredded

3 medium carrots, shredded

2 cups shredded daikon radish, about a 6 inch long piece with a 1 ½ inch diameter

½  cup mint, shredded

½  cup cilantro, chopped or just leaves

¾ cup roasted peanuts or cashews

½ cup fried shallots, recipe in pamphlet

avocado slices

Optional addition of protein: chopped eggs, sliced pork loin, smoked or baked firm tofu, etc.  

Dressing  

2 limes juiced plus zest

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fish sauce

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon rice vinegar 

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1 to 2 Thai chilies, seeds removed and minced (reduce or increase heat to taste)

1. Blitz dressing ingredients together in a small food processor, or by hand

2. Toss apples, carrots, daikon together, top with mint, cilantro, nuts and shallots. Make one big salad or individual servings. The colors and textures are beautiful, so embellish and decorate. I like to pile the shredded produce into a steep mountain with the garnishes cascading down the sides and a surround of avocado slices.

3. Spoon the dressing over the top and allow the diners to mix it in. If your diners have heat preferences, then leave the chilies and cayenne out and allow them to adjust at the table, or make two dressings with varying heat levels.