Avocado Salsa is a tasty combination of avocado, tomatoes and black olives. This simple salsa is a cross between guacamole and classic tomato salsa. It’s easy to make and perfect to serve with tacos or as delicious appetiser with tortilla chips
Why should I make Avocado Salsa?
I have tried several different ready-made tomato salsas bought from the supermarket. They are convenient but even the ‘fresh’ salsa from the chiller cabinet lacks the fresh flavour that you get from a homemade salsa.
This Avocado Salsa is quick and easy to make with a fresh and zesty flavour that really lifts any dish you serve it with. It also tastes good enough to eat on its own as an appetiser with vegetable sticks and tortilla chips.
What is a salsa?
Salsa simply means sauce in Spanish and there are a variety of different salsas made with all kinds of fruit and vegetables. However, the key ingredients of a classic salsa are tomato, onion and chilli.
What ingredients do I need to make Avocado Salsa?
This is a really simple recipe with only 5 ingredients and there is no cooking required. You will need:
- Avocado
- Tomatoes
- Olives
- Olive Oil
- Lemon juice
- Coriander (Cilantro)
A full list of the ingredients and the required quantities is found in the recipe card at the end of this article.
What are Avocados?
Avocados are the seed bearing fruit of a tender evergreen tree from Mexico and Central America. The creamy taste and texture of avocados has made it very popular across the world. It’s the key ingredient in guacamole is delicious sliced into salads and avocado on toast is a popular snack.
What kind of tomatoes should I use in the Avocado Salsa?
There are three things to take into account when you choose tomatoes for your salsa.
- Choose tomatoes that are ripe but still firm.
- Sweet tomatoes make the tastiest salsa, they are so important to the final flavour of the dish.
- If you can, choose tomatoes that don’t have a lot of juice and seeds. If you only have tomatoes that have lots of seeds then scoop them out before chopping up the tomatoes.
I prefer to use cherry or grape tomatoes in salsa. Although as I grow my own tomatoes I do sometimes use Roma Italian tomatoes as they are really fleshy and have a great flavour.
Do I need to remove the skins from the tomatoes for salsa?
You can remove the skins if you prefer, I don’t mind eating tomato skins as long as they are nicely ripe.
To easily remove tomato skins, cut a small cross in the skin of base of each tomato. Put the tomatoes into a heatproof bowl and pour over boiling water from the kettle. Leave for 2 minutes then carefully drain away the hot water. The skins should slip off easily.
What kind of olives should I use in the Avocado Salsa?
I use black olives in this salsa. They can be any kind of black olives although I tend to use the deli counter olives. As I find the ones in jars and foil packs tend to be very salty and overwhelm the delicate flavour of the avocado. If you prefer green olives then they will work equally well, although you do lose a bit of colour contrast.
Do I have to include olives in the salsa?
If you don’t like olives or don’t have any to hand, then you can leave them out. I like the salty, savoury flavour of olives and they also add a slightly different texture to the salsa. Black olives tend to have a milder taste than green olives but it is definitely an acquired taste.
I don’t like coriander (cilantro) what can I substitute?
Fresh coriander leaves are often used in Mexican recipes. However, to some people they taste like soap and can ruin the dish. If you don’t like coriander then you can leave it out, replace it with parsley or even fresh basil leaves which are a good pairing with tomatoes.
Can I make Avocado Salsa ahead of time?
Avocado will start to brown if it is prepared too far in advance. Even if you toss the avocado flesh in lime or lemon juice there is still a change in texture.
If you need to get ahead, then I recommend you prepare the tomatoes and olives but leave the avocados and coriander until about 30 minutes before you plan to eat the salsa.
Can I freeze Avocado Salsa?
This recipe is not suitable for freezing. Although you can freeze avocado I would not recommend freezing the prepared salsa as there would be a significant change in the texture and loss of freshness.
Can I increase the quantities?
Yes, you can double, treble or quadruple the ingredients if you are entertaining and need to make a larger quantity.
Vegetarian
This recipe is suitable for vegetarians.
Gluten Free
This recipe does not contain any wheat products and should be suitable for a GF diet. Serve with GF tortilla chips or vegetable sticks.
For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How should I serve Avocado Salsa?
There are many different ways to serve this delicious salsa, here are some suggestions:
- Serve as an appetiser with homemade tortilla chips, pitta bread or fresh vegetable sticks.
- Avocado Salsa makes a great side dish for any Mexican recipe. Serve with tacos, fajitas, burritos and chilli.
- Make a mezze platter with a variety of salsas and dips such as Air Fryer Courgette Baba Ganoush, Sun Dried Tomato Dip and Wild Garlic Hummus.
- Add this salsa to your salad plate or pile onto a slice sourdough bread for a rustic open sandwich.
More great Salsa recipes
- Papaya Salsa from Tin & Thyme
- Radish and Lime Salsa from Supper in the Suburbs
- Sweetcorn Salsa from Hungry Healthy Happy
- Watercress Salsa Verde from Hedgecombers
- Peach Salsa from Feast Glorious Feast
Avocado Salsa
Ingredients
For the Salsa
- 1 ripe avocados
- 8 cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon black olives
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tbsp coriander leaves cilantro
- 1 tbsp lime juice or lemon juice
Instructions
- Halve the avocado and remove the stone and the skin.
- Cut the avocado into small chunks and place into a mixing bowl with 1 tbsp lime or lemon juice, set aside.
- Cut the tomatoes into similar sized pieces to the avocado.
- Chop the olives add to the bowl with the tomatoes and 2 tsp of olive oil.
- Gently mix together the tomatoes, olives and avocado chunks with about 1 tbsp roughly chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.
- Place into a serving dish and garnish with the remaining coriander leaves.
- Serve as an appetiser with Air Fryer Corn Tortilla Chips or as a side dish with a variety of Mexican recipes.
Nutrition
Originally published in 2017
Jane says
Oh man, I now have the biggest craving for avo salsa and tortillas Janice! Thanks for a yummy recipe 😊
Jane x
Janice Pattie says
You are welcome Janey, can’t beat avocados, all we need is a nice glass of something and a campfire!
EMMA @SUPPER IN THE SUBURBS says
Looks lush. I love olives and avocado so why not in a salsa!!!
Janice Pattie says
Exactly! Glad you are also a fan, salsa is such a great summer dish.
Choclette says
Oh this is brilliant. I adore avocado and would be hoovering this up in no time, especially with your air fried tortilla chips – genius 🙂
Janice Pattie says
It didn’t last long here either, tortilla chips worked really well, nice and crisp.
Hannah Hossack-Lodge says
I love everything about this! I could hoover the lot up!
Janice Pattie says
Thank you, I feel the same way, ha ha!
Kavey Favelle says
I love that your salsa has big chunks in it, sometimes people make them so small it turns into baby food mush! And the home made chips look fab!
Janice Pattie says
Thanks, I totally agree, I hate it when it’s too mushed up.
Lucy says
Yum what a delicious combination of flavours in your salads, perfect for a summer evening! I really want to get a healthy fryer as they sound so handy for frying and baking without oil.
Janice Pattie says
Thanks Lucy, I really enjoy using the HealthyFry, I’m sure you would find it very useful too.
Fiona Maclean says
That salsa looks like just my kind of thing! Delicious. And I like the look of the airfryer too
Janice Pattie says
Thanks Fiona, it was very good. I am totally hooked on my airfyer, I use it all the time.
Karen says
Lovely salsa recipe and I do like healthy pita chips and make them often here!
Janice Pattie says
Thanks Karen, perfect for summer aperitifs!
Michelle Rolfe says
Tomatoes are definitely one of my favourite ingredients and in a salsa shows them off so well. Looks tasty Janice. Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare. Michelle
Janice Pattie says
Thank you, hopefully we will soon have some better weather to enjoy this kind of recipe
Lesley says
Love an avocado salsa but haven’t tried it with black olives before. What a great addition, this salsa was packed with flavour.