Roast Avocado Tacos with Charred Tomato Salsa

Anna Jones' "The Modern Cook's Year"

Method

Cut the avocados in half and take out the stone. Cut them in half again (ie, into quarters), remove the skins, put them into a bowl and finally sprinkle with the lime zest and juice. Toss well to coat. Roughly chop the green chilli, add to the bowl with a pinch of chilli powder/chipotle and toss gently.

Put the breadcrumbs on a plate and roll the avocados in them. Put on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and bake at 180C/350F/gas mark 4 for 25 minutes. Alternatively, shallow-fry them in a good bit of olive oil.

Put a griddle on a high heat. While it heats, thinly shred the cabbage and roughly chop the coriander, then combine in a bowl. Chop the chilli and add to the bowl with the lime and a good pinch of salt, then mix until well combined. Pile into a serving bowl.

Char the tomatoes, spring onions and chillies on the griddle until soft and blackened all over, turning with tongs every 30 seconds or so. Once the whole lot looks good, put it all (apart from the chilli stalks) into a blender with the garlic, a good swig of red wine vinegar and a generous pinch of salt and blitz until you have a punchy salsa. Taste and check it is nicely balanced: add more vinegar, lime or a little agave syrup or honey if it needs sweetness (depending on the sweetness and ripeness of your tomatoes). Put this into a big bowl.

Warm the tortillas in a dry frying pan on a medium heat or over an open flame, turning with tongs. Once they are warm and a little charred around the edges, pile them on to a plate. Put them in the middle of the table with the avocado, salsa, slaw, cheese, and some extra chilli and limes for squeezing over, and let everyone make their own tacos.

suggested sides & alternatives

Suggested Listening